Summer vacation will soon be over for the students. Parents will be on a shopping mode for their children’s school supplies. With Eco-wastes Coalition’s recent findings of toxic chemicals in samples of children’s products, such as lead, a neuro-toxin, cadmium, a renal toxin and phthalates, an endocrine disruptor, exceeding the safety standards set under the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, parents would be hard-pressed to know which items are safe for their kids. Cadmium and phthalates are suspected human carcinogen.
Eco-waste Coalition’s initiative is highly commendable. But, it also reveals a sad reality. The government finds itself again on a reactive stance when it comes to the safety and health of the constituents, especially our most vulnerable sectors.
We cannot understand why government does not bother to invest in equipment that detects the presence of hazardous chemicals in the products that we ordinarily use. Non-government organizations have to do the initial investigation for policy reforms to be instituted.
While R.A. 7394, The National Consumer Law, is supposed “to protect the interest of the consumer, promote his general welfare and to establish standards of conduct for business and industry”, government is again found wanting in ensuring that the public is protected against hazards to health, safety and the environment.
Government agencies are supposed “to assist the consumer in evaluating the quality, including safety, performance and comparative utility of consumer products”. But, it is an NGO that is doing the part, in the matter of the safety of the use of the samples of the school supplies in some retail outlets.
The website of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), www.dti,gov.ph directs the public to the agency for issues concerning manufactured products, in general. The assistance of the Department of Health (DOH), Center for Health Development Metro Manila, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be tapped for “hospitals and doctor’s services, processed food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical services or household products with hazardous substances”.
Since the protection of public health and safety, and the maintenance of ecological balance are mandates of the local government units, local officials should prioritize the safety and health of their constituents and coordinate with the national agencies and stakeholders. LGUs can already enact ordinances dealing in hazardous consumer products, guided by the policies, principles and framework set by RA 7394. It is a must for them to have budgetary allocations for equipment that monitor the presence of hazardous substance in consumer products, as it is to have equipment to assess the quality of our air and water.
With the Brigada Eskwela Program of the Department of Education kicking off today, the agency should likewise consider the incorporation of our children’s right to health, safety and a healthful and balanced ecology, in said Program, in partnership with stakeholders.
It is imperative for government to put its act together in ensuring the safety and health of the people, especially our children. No more “toxic” tales, please.
* * *
I am thankful to Director Bojos of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) –Region VII for releasing a copy of its report on the Cordova Reclamation Project. The DENR and the project proponents should have consulted the BFAR, as management authority of our marine resources, prior to and not after the PRA – declared illegal reclamation work has started. The BFAR report could have been more specific as to the damages now inflicted on the abundant seagrass, coral and mangrove ecosystems in Cordova.
It is sad that not only public consultation but that coordination among DENR, BFAR and PRA and the project proponents, in this case, the Cebu Province and the Cordova Municipality, upon whose responsibilities the protection of environment and the constituents ironically is imposed by the Local Government Code, are wanting. It shows clearly that the process required by the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System Act was not followed by DENR.
A journal written by scholars declared that our EIS system, while considered one of the oldest in Asia, is “exceedingly weak”. That is definitely an understatement especially from the perspective of affected communities, scientists and environmental advocates who are fully aware of how the EIS system has been badly mangled by government authorities.
It is time to re-examine the EIS process and integrate environmental costs, as DENR is mandated to do, with the full participation of stakeholders. Let us do away with the existing policy of exclusion that has permeated the minds of the DENR and project proponents. Our ravaged environment is, after all, everyone’s responsibility.
* * *
FAIR TRADE CONCERT: In line with the celebration of the World Fair Trade Day 2012, the Fair Trade Shop Cebu invites the public to the Fair Trade Concert on Saturday evening, May 26, at the Sto. Nino Basilica Pilgrim Center. With the theme “IN FAIRNESS, FAIR KO..DARE TO BE FAIR Promoting Awareness and Mitigation of Climate Change”, the concert features the talents of Jim Paredes of Apo Hiking Society (who is also the Fair Trade Ambassador), Cattski, the Wonggoys, Budoy and Fr. Jonas Mijarer, OSA. It is for the benefit of the farmer communities engaging in natural farming and promoting climate resiliency, and for its women communities doing recycling for livelihood. Ticket prices are P100, as general patronage, P200, and P500, which comes with a free t-shirt, upon presentation of the ticket at the gates. Ticket outlets are The Fair Trade Shop Cebu (cell phone no.09075822468), and Colegio del Sto. Nino.