|
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Oro lawmaker pushes ban on fungicide
DAVAO CITY -- Downhearted aerial spray ban protesters from this city have found an ally in Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriquez who seeks to ban the use of fungicide in plantations.
In a move to protect the health of the people, Rodriguez proposed House Bill 5573, which seeks to ban, among others, the use of Dithane in banana plantations as it is reported harmful to humans.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
The increasing incidence of cancer and other serious diseases resulting from the hazardous aerial pesticide spray has prompted Rodriguez to file the bill calling for its total ban in the country.
Related story:
Aerial spray ban 'unconstitutional'
Aerial spray ban case: Why Justice Borja dissented
Rodriguez said although the Philippine Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) has classified Dithane in the least hazardous category, studies done by the US Environmental Protection Agency reveal that it contains cancer-causing elements.
Also, a survey conducted by the Kalusugan Alang-Alang sa Bayan Inc. (Kaabay) in Sirib, Davao del Sur showed that prolonged exposure to the fungicide causes elevated levels of cancer cases, birth defects, cerebral palsy and asthma.
The health group also documented nine patients who died of cancer in a plantation site in this city.
Fever, eye-irritation, skin rashes, nausea and vomiting are among the most common complaints of farmers constantly exposed to aerial fumigation.
Estrella Laquinita, FPA regional officer, said although the Philippines has no specific law on aerial spraying, government regulations require pilots to observe buffer zones of 20 to 30 meters away from plantations.
However, plantation owners failed to abide by the buffer zone allocated to inhabited areas and water resources as specified in the environmental compliance certificates issued to their companies.
The city passed on February 2007 an ordinance banning the spraying of pesticides. When the plantation owners questioned the constitutionality of the ban, the lower court and the Office of the Solicitor General upheld the ban.
But the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed the decision and issued an injunction to stop the ban. It even declared the aerial spraying ban "unconstitutional."
Rodriguez said a total ban is needed for the State to uphold the people's right to a healthy and toxic-free environment. (BOT/With PR/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (January 14, 2009 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Ten-foot waves wipe out houses in Oro