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First Posted on Inside Mindanao (www.insidemindanao.com) on November 15, 2008
Catholic group backs anti–aerial spray campaign
By Ellen Red
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Close to 300 religious—including 18 bishops, farmers, fisherfolks, and women leaders—from all over the Philippines signified their strong support for the cause of farmers who have camped outside the Court of Appeals (CA) Building.
For the past six days, 16 farmers from Davao City have camped outside the CA Building to wait for the court's decision that has a big impact on their lives—the banning of aerial spraying in Davao City.
Close to 300 participants of the 22nd Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines–Basic Ecclesial Community National Congress (CBCP–BEC), in a statement, expressed their solidarity with the farmers and ask the CA "to expeditiously resolve the case in consideration of the health of people and safety of the environment."
"The preservation of the environment, life and health of the people take precedence over profits. This ruling will benefit not only the people of Davao City but also the various cities and provinces that have also passed a similar ordinance," the congress participants said.
Earlier, residents of barangay Sirib, Calinan District, Davao City reported that aerial spraying on banana plantations in their village brought forth skin diseases to the residents. Residents also reported that their farm trees and plants were visibly withered as a result of pesticides brought about by aerial spraying.
A local study conducted nearby a banana plantation in Davao del Sur found out that stomachaches, backaches, and headaches intensify during periods of aerial spraying; infants often are born with abnormalities and severe skin diseases; and babies dying at birth or shortly after are not rare cases.
AERIAL SPRAY CASE TIMELINE
The City Government of Davao passed last year an ordinance which bans the use of aerial spray.
The plantation companies, under the umbrella of Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA), challenged the validity and constitutionality of the ordinance by filing a case against the City Government to stop its implementation. The Regional Trial Court ruled in favor of the ordinance.
On October 18, 2007, PBGEA filed an Urgent Motion for the Issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and/or a Writ of Preliminary Injunction to the CA.
On November 26, 2007, airplanes resumed aerial spraying after the 22nd CA Division issued a 60—day TRO and the subsequent Writ of Preliminary Injunction on the aerial spraying ban ordinance.
PBGEA alleged in its urgent motion before the CA that the ban on aerial spraying would make their bananas susceptible to the Black Sigatoka disease. The motion, which was submitted to the Court of Appeals last October 18, says that "considering the extreme contagious nature of Black Sigatoka disease, by the time that the Honorable Court resolves the instant appeal on the merits and by the time the appellants are able to mount even a minimal capacity to spray manually, the entire banana plantation would have already been devastated by the Black Sigatoka disease."
Six days ago, 12 farmers chained themselves for a few minutes at the main door of the CA Building; while 15 others carried banners expressing their frustrations over the court's delay in deciding the case filed by the PBGEA against the City Government of Davao.
The farmers claimed that based on the Supreme Court resolution, the aerial spray case should have been decided by the CA on or before July 28, 2008.
Also six days ago, as the farmers trooped to the CA office, a Supreme Court document was released, for the first time, to the farmers. Dated August 5, 2008, the Supreme Court document granted the CA 22nd Division an extension of six months (from July 25, 2008) to resolve the aerial spray case.
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