MALAYBALAY CITY – About seven years ago, the province of Bukidnon made a decision that was viewed as detrimental to its growing banana industry.

Bukidnon banned aerial spraying in banana plantations. Yet until now it continues to be one of the major banana producers in the country.

On Aug. 1, the provincial board made another major decision by passing an ordinance that prohibits the transport and use of endosulfan in the province.

Although the ordinance will take effect next month yet, it was hoped to make Bukidnon a safer place to live in, according to the main author, Board Member Nemesio Beltran Jr.

Endosulfan is a chemical widely used in pineapple plantations and among its most prominent users is Del Monte Phils Inc. (DMPI) and Dole Phils.

Beltran said an inquiry on the use of the chemical by DMPI, as well as the danger it poses to humans and animals, prompted the passage of the ordinance.

Appeal

DMPI has not issued any statement regarding the ban but sources said it has unofficially sought reconsideration from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

During the last three years, DMPI has been importing endosulfan from Israel for use against the pink disease that destroys pineapple plants.

The last known shipment that DMPI made was in June but the cargo did not reach its plantations here and in Misamis Oriental after the Princess of the Stars vessel of Sulpicio Lines capsized off Tablas Strait.

Sonia Calleja, director of the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) in Northern Mindanao, said they authorized DMPI and Dole to import endosulfan three years ago despite the banning of the chemical in the country in 1993.

“We knew that endosulfan was banned in other countries, but we were also confident DMPI has enough expertise and resources to properly handle the substance, Calleja told the Inquirer.

But Calleja acknowledged the dangers posed to people and environment by the pesticide.

She said during the inquiry made by the provincial board, she agreed to have it banned.

Traces

In Davao City, a study conducted by an environmental nongovernment organization found traces of the controversial chemical in water samples collected from rivers and creeks close to pineapple plantations and an orchid farm in the city’s third district.

The levels of endosulfan in three stations within the Talomo-Lipadas Watershed, the current source of groundwater for the drinking needs of the city, were way higher than the standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Usepa), according to the study conducted by the Interface Development Interventions Inc. (Idis).

The study, conducted from November to December 2007, found that the levels of endosulfan on water samples reached five parts per billion (pbb) and 12 pbb, exceeding the international standards of 0.22 pbb.

One of the areas where the samples were taken was right beside a pineapple plantation of the Davao Agricultural Ventures Inc., which is owned by the Floirendo family.

The samples taken were analyzed by two laboratories accredited by the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – the Pesticide Analytical Laboratory of the Bureau of Plant Industry in Southern Mindanao and Jefcor Laboratories Inc.

The FPA in Southern Mindanao declined to comment on the study.

The traces of endosulfan according to Anne Fuertes, Idis research advocacy specialist, could have been brought by heavy rains that resulted in “run-offs that carried the residue of the chemicals to the rivers.”

Despite the results of the study, Del Monte, which has contracted DVVI to produce pineapples in Davao City, was steadfast in its denial.