Group wants Panigan River studied for contamination
A volunteer group that monitors the Panigan River, Brgy. Tawan Tawan, Baguio District has recommended the need to conduct a study in the areas along the watershed to detemine what caused the possible contamination on the water body. Aian B. Gumapac, a member of Bantayo Aweg who presented the results of their water monitoring study yesterday, said the river might be in danger of contamination as the nitrate and phosphate level goes beyond the international standards. Bantayo Aweg is a volunteer group composed of individuals based in Brgy. Tawan Tawan which has monitored the river since 2006 by measuring the temperature, color, pH, stream flow discharge and dissolved oxygen, nitrate and phosphate content. “The river is still clear and has enough oxygen to support fishes but we are concerned about the level of phosphates and nitrates in the water,” he said. Last year, the phosphate level in Panigan River reached to 0.5 mg/L while the nitrate level was above 1 mg/L. The river should only have a phosphate level of 0.1 mg/L and nitrate level of 1 mg/L to qualify on Class AA standards, the highest for clean water. Gumapac said the existing monocrop plantations along the river should also strictly impose a buffer zone. The fertilizers used by the plantations, he said, could be among the possible contaminants of the Panigan River. The river, which drains to Tamugan River, has been identified by the Davao City Water District as the future source of drinking water. Lawyer Joseph Dominic Felizarta, officer in charge of City Environment and Natural Resources Office, vowed that they would strictly order the existing monocrop plantations and residents within the watershed to have a buffer zone of at least 40 meters. “We can implement it using the Watershed Code,” he said. The city government will also conduct delineation along the city’s eight major watersheds such as Tuganay Watershed, Lasang River, Bunawan River, Davao River, Matina River, Talomo Watershed, Lipadas Watershed and Sibulan River. The program is to delineate the areas identified in the terrain analysis study of Mines and Geosciences Bureau which was conducted in 2005. It is also pursuant to the full implementation of the 2007 Watershed Code. The Watershed Management Council, with representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, will conduct the delineation. They will mark the areas by placing signages if it is non-tillage, conservation or primary agricultural lands. (Kristianne Fusilero, Mindanao Times)
National faith-based network supports Ban Aerial Spray campaign
DAVAO CITY– Around 281 faith-based organizations, non governmental organizations , people’s organizations and members of the Catholic clergy nationwide urged the Supreme Court to resolve the legality of the Davao City ordinance banning aerial spraying in favour of the affected communities. These organizations, belonging to the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI), issued the statement during its 4th General Assembly last March 1, 2012 at the Teachers’ Camp in Baguio City. Prefacing their statement with a quote from a letter of Pope Benedict XVI entitled “If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation”, the group also called on President Benigno Aquino III to issue an Executive Order halting aerial spraying practices in all agricultural areas in the country. In that letter, Pope Benedict XVI had written that “Environmental degradation is often due to the lack of far-sighted official policies or to the pursuit of myopic economic interests, which become a serious threat to creation..Every economic decision has a moral consequence!” Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (MAAS) President Dagohoy Magaway welcomed the statement of national support for banning aerial spraying saying that this is candid proof that there are many groups nationwide who recognize the validity of the precautionary principle which is the basis of MAAS’ campaign to ban aerial spray. “The Supreme Court and President Aquino should heed this growing clamor nationwide and take immediate steps to halt the practice of aerial spraying in banana plantations everywhere.”, he said. Last year, President Aquino had tasked the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) to convene a workshop to consolidate recommendations from various stakeholders on the issue. However, the workshop failed to include representatives coming from MAAS and the affected communities.
Grassroots paralegal group calls for enforcement of buffer zone
DAVAO CITY – A paralegal group composed of farmers and residents from the third district reiterated their call for the City Government to implement proper buffer zones in the upland areas even as the Watershed Multipartite Monitoring Team (WMMT) finished last Tuesday its plans to monitor violations of the provisions of the watershed code. The 122-strong Kinaiyahan Amumahon Panalipdan Panggaon ug Irespeto (KAPPI) said that plantations in the uplands have not been complying with the buffer zone requirements and called for the WMMT to investigate and penalize violators. “We welcome the formation of the WMMT and we hope that it will do its function of monitoring violations.’, according to KAPPI Advocacy Campaign Officer Rey Sapid . Under the Watershed Code, the WMMTs are legally appointed bodies which will monitor the implementation of the Watershed Code. Its membership includes representatives from the government , the academe, the civil society and the local barangay unit. There are three WMMTs , each in charge of monitoring one cluster zone in the watershed area. Last Tuesday, the WMMT had just finished its annual work plan for the implementation of the Code. Among its tasks are to enforce the establishment of proper buffer zones, identify and secure landslide-prone communities, conduct ground monitoring and recommend filing of cases for violators. The Watershed Code of Davao mandates that 40-meter buffer zones must be established around recharge zones, riverbanks, rivers, springs, wells, and other critical areas. Meanwhile, areas with residential houses, schools and other community infrastructure must have 30-meter buffer zones from surrounding plantations. KAPPI noted that most plantations have not been complying with the provisions. “Buffer zones should be planted with trees to catch the drift from pesticides but most of the plantations are only content to establish shrubs along the edges of their plantations and call it a proper buffer zone.” , said Sapid. “The WMMT should investigate these cases promptly and penalize violators. They should not wait for residents to complain before acting on the problem.”, he said. KAPPI is prepared to assist the WMMT in monitoring the grassroots implementation of the Code. “ Our members are present in all the 14 barangays in the 3rd district. We know firsthand how plantations have disregarded the environment in their drive to expand their areas.” Even before the Watershed Code was drafted, environmentalists have long lobbied for the proper establishment of buffer zones. Buffer zones are important areas because they safeguard the sources of water and rural communities from the toxic effects of chemicals used by monocrop plantations. During heavy rains, they minimize flooding as they absorb the surface run-off. ( #)
Levelling the playing field: Davao’s small farmers push for second party organic certification
DAVAO CITY – Organic small farmers are pushing for a second party organic certification to enable them greater market access for their products. Tranquilina Alibango, an organic farmer who markets her produce every Sunday at the women managed organic vegetable bagsakan at the Calinan market, says that third party organic certification is complicated and very expensive for a small farmer like her. “Dili man namo makaya kay mahal kaayo. Kung ing-ana ang mamahimong paagi, dili gihapon kalahutay nga mupartisipar ang mga gagmay nga mag uuma sa organikong merkado.”, according to her. Alibango’s case is symptomatic of the dilemma that small organic farmers face under Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010. While the Act provides support and incentives for farmers to shift to organic farming, helping small farmers access the growing global market for organic produce remains problematic. In the international market, much depends on the certification of a product. In the case of the organic market, this means the acknowledgement that the marketed products have been produced according to the applicable organic production standards. Such certification may be obtained through any of three levels: branding, or 1st party certification,where the farmer brands his product as organic; participatory guaranty system (PGS), or 2nd party certification, where a network of farmer peers certify the product as organic; and private organic marking, or 3rd party certification, where a independent group of private inspectors certify the product as organic. In the Philippines, the OA law only recognizes 3rd party certification. This means that only certified by an independent and accredited third party as organic will be the ones allowed to market and brand themselves as such. Any sale of products with organic labels or claims without the approval of the certification body will be illegal. The same applies to imported products. But according to Ling Castro, Policy Officer for Interface Development Interventions, the third party certification process puts small farmers at a disadvantage. “Getting a 3rd party certification will cost a farmer P 100,000.00 per crop.”, Castro said. According to her, the certification is only good for one year, after which, it must be renewed. “ For the small organic farmer who practices diversified cropping, it would be very expensive.”, she said. “We need to level the playing field between small farmers and big farmers.”, she stressed. For Castro and the rest of the Go Organic Davao City, a network of organic farming practitioners and advocates, this will entail the adoption of the 2nd party certification so that farmers will be able to engage the international market. Castro pointed out the experience of MASIPAG, a non government organization engaged in sustainable farming, which already practices 2nd party certification among its partner organizations. “The Masipag Farmer’s Guarantee System (MFGS) is an appropriate system for Davao’s small organic farmers to follow because it empowers the small farmers in that it allows them to participate in the certification process.”, she said. Last week, GO DC had invited MASIPAG National Coordinator, Dr. Chito Medina, PhD , to give an orientation on the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) which the GO DC is pushing for as an alternative to 3rd party certification. “As an example of a 2nd party certification, the PGS is even more reliable than the 3rd party process because monitoring is built among the farmers.”, according to Dr.Medina. Under the PGS system, organic producers are certified based on the active participation of stakeholders, built on trust, social networks and knowledge exchange. “For instance, communities can be mobilized around the clock to ensure that their organic fields are safe and healthy.”, Medina said. It is also very much cheaper than 3rd party certification. “In PGS, local inspectors are trained to conduct monitoring and evaluation. There is no need to pay expensive fees for 3rd party certification inspectors.”, he pointed out. Around the world, various countries have already adopted their own versions of the PGS. Australia, India and Brazil which supply most of the world’s demand for organic produce are already using their own versions, according to Medina. At last year’s national conference on organic agriculture , the Aquino administration had estimated that in 2012, the high potential of organically grown commodities in the world market would cost around $40 billlion- $70 billion. “With a potential market like that, small farmers need to take advantage of it but only if the necessary mechanisms are in place.”, said Medina. Locally, this will entail mainstreaming the PGS model among the farmers in the grassroots. On a national scope, this will mean amending the OA law to include PGS as a valid organic certification process. Go DC, which is taking the lead in drafting its own version of PGS, hopes that this 2nd party certification will be adopted by Davao City as part of the implementation of its Organic Agriculture Ordinance. “If the Organic Agricultural Management Council (OAMC) mainstreams the PGS, this will mean that small farmers like Alibango will not have only the Calinan district to market their organic products, but the whole world.”, said Tina Delima, Go DC member and officer-in-charge of SIMCARRD. “Through PGS, we aim to make organic agriculture more inclusive and facilitative for our small organic farmers.”, she added. (Mindanao Daily Mirror, Feb 19, 2012)
Davao to ban entry of GMOs
DAVAO CITY—After disallowing the growing of genetically modified plants alongside organic crops, including the experimental culture of the so-called Frankenstein varieties, the city council has started tackling a more detailed proposal to keep modified organisms out of the city. The move was hailed by local anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) groups. “While the local Organic Agriculture Ordinance explicitly said that organic crops cannot coexist with genetically modified crops, we still need to protect our agricultural biodiversity from future attempts to plant GMO crops in the city,” Tina Delima of the group Sustainable Integrated Area Development Initiatives in Mindanao-Convergence for Asset Reform and Regional Development, said of the proposed ordinance. Under the proposed ordinance, now the subject of public consultations being conducted by the city council, the mere entry of GMOs was to be outlawed. Its importation, introduction, planting, growing, selling and trading would not be allowed, Councilor Benjamin Al-ag said of the proposed ordinance recently passed by Councilor Pilar Braga. Go Organic Davao City, a network of organic farming practitioners and their supporters, said the approval of the proposed ordinance would totally shut down the city from GMOs. It was also timely, the group said, as there had been recent attempts to revive field testing of GMOs at the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Mindanao campus here. The field tests were halted in 2010 when Mayor Sara Duterte ordered genetically modified eggplant seedlings being grown at the UP Mindanao campus uprooted amid protests by anti-GMO groups led by Go Organic Davao City. If the ordinance banning GMOs were approved, it would allow the city to tap the growing demand for organic products for domestic and international markets, said Ling Castro, policy advocacy officer of the Interface Development Interventions. The market for organic products has been expanding at 10 to 30 per cent per year, she said. “Davao City, which is branding itself as Green Davao, can easily tap this market,” she added. “By ensuring that no GMO crops will pollute our agricultural fields in the future, not only can we assure our food security but also the healthy quality of our produce,” she said. Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao
Organic advocates push for GMO Ban Ordinance
Davao City – The Go Organic Davao City, a network of organic farming practitioners and their supporters, is pushing for the passage of the GMO Ban Ordinance in Davao City. “We need to protect the integrity of organic agriculture in Davao City”., said Tina Delima , Officer –in-charge of SIMCAARRD. “While the principles of our local Organic Agriculture ordinance has explicitly stated that organic crops cannot co-exist with genetically modified crops, we need to ensure the protection of the agricultural biodiversity of the city from future attempts to plant GMO crops here in the city.”, she said. The Go Organic Davao City network had been at the foreground of the protests against the recent attempts to revive the field testing of the controversial Bt eggplant in Davao City. Councilor Bernard Al-ag is calling for a committee hearing this February 15, 2012 to discuss Councilor Pilar Braga’s proposal to enact an Ordinance banning the entry, importation, introduction , planting, growing, selling and trading of Genetically Modified Organisms within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City. GoDC members are expected to attend. If eventually approved as an ordinance, Davao City will join a select league of municipalities and cities which are GMO-free and are poised to take charge of the growing demand for organic products domestically and internationally. “Currently, the growing market for organic products is expanding at 10-30% per annum.”, said Ling Castro, Policy Advocacy Officer of the Interface Development Interventions. “Davao City can easily tap this market especially since it is also branding itself as a Green Davao , where our lifestyle is sustainable, ecologically safe and healthy .”, she pointed out. But more than economics, the mainstreaming of organic farming is also an issue of health. “ International studies have indicated that organic crops contain 40% more antioxidants which lessen the risk of heart disease and cancer compared to pesticide-intensive crops.”, said Castro. “By ensuring that no GMO crops will pollute our agricultural fields in the future, not only can we assure our food security but also the healthy quality of our produce.”, she said. At present, Bohol, Mindoro and Negros islands have already declared themselves GMO-free. Elsewhere, municipalities and cities have begun to shift towards organic agriculture by passing local ordinances mainstreaming organic agriculture and outlawing genetically modified crops and products. Last November 2011, President Aquino had also reiterated the support of his administration to the mainstreaming of organic agriculture by saying that is poverty alleviation and hunger mitigation strategy at a national conference on organic agriculture. (#)