Press Release
February 23, 2009

Zubiri bats for total ban on aerial spraying

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is drafting a bill that would ban aerial spraying in the country.

Zubiri's action came as a response to the Davao City ban that was overturned by the Court of Appeals (CA) due to absence of national law banning or regulating aerial spraying by big banana companies.

"I propose to ban aerial spraying in the country as a response to the Davao City ban that was overturned by the Court of Appeals (CA) because of lack of a national law banning it," Zubiri said.

He said, the fact-finding report issued by the Davao City Planning and Development Office indicating that powerful banana growers in Davao employ aerial spraying on 1,800 hectares or about one-third the total land planted to banana in Davao only showed that the country needs law on aerial spraying.

Aerial spraying is utilized by corporate farms around the country to eradicate "Sigatoka," a fungus that attacks the leaves of banana plants that cause premature aging of fruits. Banana fruits grown in Davao are of export value generating over $400 million in export revenue annually.

Communities around these plantations complain of skin-itching, eye irritation and nausea when caught outdoors during an aerial dust cropping..

Residents also complained against powerful banana companies that conducts aerial spraying and failed to issue warning or notification that aerial spraying would be conducted.

Zubiri expressed concern that health studies showed an abnormally high rate of incidence of cancer, anemia and skin diseases among residents surrounding banana plantations.

Under the existing government regulation pilots are required to observe "buffer zones 20 to 30 meters away" from plantations as a move to keep humans, animals and plants from the hazards of the spraying.

"(Aerial spraying or endosulfan) it's been banned in almost all first world countries except in developing nations or 'banana republics,'" he added.

Local governments should also observe proper zoning and segregating areas strictly for residential and plantation use. This is crucial in areas where small farmers have entered into arguments as contract growers of corporate banana plantations. They live in their farms and are unduly exposed when crop dusters spray over their homes right in the farms. They have been forced to agree to aerial spraying unwittingly.

In the hearing conducted by the Senate committee on environment and natural resources last week, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza assured that he will fully support the move to ban the use of highly toxic pesticides that are slowly poisoning the people in the countryside.

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