|
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Banana growers seek veto of aerial spray ban
By Carlo P. Mallo
DAVAO CITY -- The Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) is now trying to win over to its side Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte after the City Council unanimously approved the aerial spray ordinance.
They are hoping that the mayor will veto the ordinance, which gives plantations three months to convert from aerial to boom spray.
Sun.Star Network Online's Sinulog Festival Coverage
Post your Sinulog greetings
In a letter, association president Stephen Antig asked the mayor for a reconsideration of the City Council's decision on the issue.
They said the banana industry agrees instead with the recommendations of engineer Mario Luis Jacinto, the city planning and development coordinator, on the various regulations to be followed by the banana plantations.
The same letter also implies that Duterte should put bearing on the report and its recommendations.
Jacinto, together with city health officer Josephine Villafuerte and lawyer Cesar Dataya of the City Planning and Development Office, were tasked by Duterte to assess and create a fact-finding study on the effects of aerial spraying on the communities.
In its interpretation, the association said the report recommended, among others, that aerial spraying should be allowed given that the agricultural area is not less than 50 hectares of compact area.
The "Jacinto Report" recommended that a 50-meter buffer zone between the banana plantation and the communities be put up in order to alleviate the possibility of spray drifts.
It also proposes the planting of bamboo and forest trees in the buffer zone instead of the coconut trees that are susceptible to infection.
The decision is now left to Duterte, as he can either enact the ordinance or "veto" it.
The ordinance allows three months after its enactment for the banana industry to convert to the boom spray method.
However, it was not clear whether in hoping for a veto, the association commits to abide by the conditions that the "Jacinto Report" recommended.
The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII), meanwhile, expressed dismay over the City Council's decision to totally ban aerial spraying in the city.
The chamber believes that the ban would be disastrous to the banana industry, the city's leading export industry.
Further, the chamber is convinced that the ban will also be detrimental to the business sector.
The banana industry is one of the largest industries in the city and in the Davao region.
Banana exports make up for about 80 percent of the city's total exports.
The chamber said it will not be surprised if the banana industry would move out of the city.
The closure of these companies would result in the loss of millions of revenues for the city.
A chamber official even said that the politicians might gain the votes but the city would lose a lot of taxes.
Lawyer Domingo Duerme, president of the chamber, said it would be the small banana growers who would bear the brunt of such ordinance, as the big companies would be able to absorb the "jolt".
He also added that the council should realize the adverse consequences of their decision.
The chamber did not expect the council would do an outright ban, and said the three-month transition period was too short.
It said it had the notion that aerial spraying would only be regulated.
Prior to Tuesday's approval of the ban, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) expressed its apprehension over the pending effects the move may have on the city, as well as on the region's economy.
In its economic forecasts for 2007, Neda said the ban would definitely cause a setback for the export sector of the city.
Neda also agreed with the banana industry players' claim that the proposed three-month phase-out period was way too short.
But Neda's major concern is that the use of boom spray would not yield the same quality of products compared to aerial spray.
It added that the ban will cause a decrease in the production of bananas, and a decrease in the taxes remitted to the city.
The Department of Health (DOH)-Southern Mindanao also insisted that the ban on aerial spraying will not eliminate the hazardous effects of pesticides.
Ana Remolar, DOH-Southern Mindanao information officer, said Wednesday that their office did not find any scientific evidence to conclude that aerial spraying should immediately be banned in banana plantations.
She added that all pesticides, if not used properly, have its adverse effects.
In a position paper, DOH asserted that judicious use and handling of chemical pesticides should be practiced at all times, whether through aerial or ground spraying.
DOH proposed that a more comprehensive study be done on the direct effects of aerial spraying on the communities surrounding the affected areas. It also believed that the use of organic pesticides, rather than chemical-based pesticides, would be most beneficial to all sectors in the long run. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (January 25, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Vice guv set to file graft raps v. Lapids