Farmers and agricultural workers on Tuesday called on the government to ban toxic pesticides currently being used in palm-oil plantations.
The call was made by representatives of at least 20 indigenous peoples, farmers, trade unions, agricultural workers and advocates who attended a recently concluded conference on palm-oil plantation, organized by the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Region, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) and Hong kong-based Asia Monitor Resource Center in Davao City.
These groups said the use of toxic pesticides in oil-palm plantations containing glyphosate and paraquat poses health hazards not only to farm workers directly handling these toxic materials but also to nearby communities because of the contamination of water systems.
Coorganized by the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and its member-organizations in the Philippines, namely, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura, the conference concluded with the call to ban hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
The conference declared the establishment of a network opposed to the oil-palm plantations in the Philippines—the Task Force NO PALM (or Network Opposed to Oil Palm Plantations)—to serve as a platform for coordination, research, education, information dissemination and other campaign-related efforts, and as a stepping stone for the eventual establishment of a broad and strong mass movement against oil-palm plantations in the country in the future.
Rhoda Grueta, president of the Asian Peasant Coalition, said one company operating a palm-oil plantation in Opol, Misamis Oriental, uses highly hazardous pesticides, like carbofuran and paraquat, which caused residents to suffer from abdominal pains and diarrhea.
Gueta was referring to the 1,350-hectare oil-palm plantation of A. Brown, located in the areas of Kalabugao, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon and Tingalan, Opol, Misamis Oriental.
She cited a report of the International Fact Finding Mission that the APC coorganized with Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Kalumbay and the Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific from May 6 to 10, 2012.
“Villagers in Opol shared to us that during spraying of chemicals in the plantation, residents also experienced nausea and headache. People around the plantation experienced an increase in incidences of cough and colds and various skin diseases. Laborers in the palm-oil plantation are also not provided with protective equipment while spraying chemicals,” Gueta said.
CTUHR also shared the results of its research in Filipinas Palm Oil Plantation Inc. (FPPI) and Agusan Plantation Inc. in the Caraga region, saying that there is no health and safety orientation given to workers concerning possible hazards of chemicals and fertilizers applied. In general, occupational health and safety are not followed particularly with regard to handling pesticides.
As of press time, A. Bown, FPPI and API could not be reached for comment.
