MANILA, Philippines -- Citing a surge in the incidence of cancer and other serious illnesses, a lawmaker is seeking a total ban on the use of pesticide sprays.
In filing House Bill No. 5573, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro) sought to prohibit, among others, the use of Dithane, the fungicide that the banana industry utilizes, which has been reported to have harmful effects on communities near the plantations.
Rodriguez said a total ban was needed "to uphold the people's right to a healthy and toxic-free environment."
This developed after the Court of Appeals declared as unconstitutional a Davao ordinance that stopped aerial spraying of chemicals in banana plantations.
The appellate court's ruling that was released January 9 overturned a decision by regional trial court branch 17 in Davao that upheld the validity of the ban.
The Philippine Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority has classified Dithane in the least hazardous category, but studies done by the US Environmental Protection Agency revealed that it contained cancer-causing elements.
A survey conducted by the Kalusugan Alang-Alang sa Bayan, Inc. (KAABAY) in Sirib, Davao del Sur also showed that prolonged exposure to the fungicide caused elevated levels of cases of cancer, birth defects, cerebral palsy, and asthma.
The health group had documented nine patients who died of cancer in a plantation site in Davao City.
Fever, eye-irritation, skin rashes, nausea, and vomiting are among the most common complaints of farmers constantly exposed to aerial fumigation, Rodriguez said quoting the study.
Quoting Estrella Laquinita, regional officer of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, Rodriguez said that although the Philippines has no specific law on aerial spraying, government regulations required 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, he added.
