Statement of Support for the Passage of the No Mining Policy in Davao City
The Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) supports the City Council’s formulation of a No Mining Policy in Davao City to protect and sustainably manage the city’s watersheds and to ensure the food security of its citizens by protecting its remaining agricultural areas. That Davao is a city of watersheds cannot be denied. Previous terrain analysis studies conducted by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region XI have identified eight major watersheds and several tributaries in the City’s jurisdiction. Such natural bounty has endowed the city with one of the world’s top sources of high quality drinking water and favored the development of agriculture, fisheries and eco-tourism industries. Recognizing its importance, City Mayor Duterte adopted the MGB study and later used the findings as basis to formulate, and eventually pass the Watershed Code in 2007 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations in 2008. Section 9 of the Code clearly states the prohibition of land conversion, mineral exploration, construction or maintenance of any kind of structure and conduct of any business enterprises in areas designated for conservation. Several national laws also uphold the importance of saving the integrity of our watersheds. Section 19 of the Republic Act 7942, also known as the Mining Act of 1995, mandates that old growth or virgin forests, proclaimed watershed forest reserves, wilderness areas, …as defined by law in areas expressly prohibited under the National Integrated Protected areas System (NIPAS), are closed to mining. Farm lands are also exempt from mining. In July 2012, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III issued Executive Order 79 which explicitly prohibits mining in “prime agricultural lands, in addition to lands covered by RA No. 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, as amended, including plantations and areas devoted to valuable crops, and strategic agriculture” and fisheries development zones ,refuges, and sanctuaries, declared as such by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.” That same EO also provides that the tourism development areas identified by the National Tourism Development Plan and, “other critical areas, island ecosystems, and impact areas of mining as determined by current and existing mapping technologies, that the DENR may hereafter identify pursuant to existing laws, rules, and regulations, such as, but not limited to, the NIPAS Act” are closed to mining. Davao’s City Development Plan also echoes similar development thrusts. To ensure the food security of Dabawenyos, its agricultural lands must be protected; to sustain its communities, its healthy watersheds must be maintained and preserved. Mining is a step backwards from all of these proactive strategies. It is a very resource extractive industry that lays waste to our forests, contaminating water sources with poisonous chemicals, and polluting coasts with silt and toxic tailings. The negative impact to our environment and our society are staggering and irreversible, and will stretch through generations. Davao City can push for a more sustainable development agenda without resorting to this destructive industry. The potential destruction brought about mining far outweighs its perceived economic contribution. We support the public declarations of former Mayor Sara Duterte and current Mayor Rodrigo Duterte opposing mining operations in the city . We therefore call on the City Council to fast track the passage of an ordinance declaring Davao City as a Mining Free Zone. (Submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Environment Hearing on the proposed No Mining Ordinance in Davao City , September 20, 2013)
IDIS and ECOWASTE expose illegal sale of mercury-laced cosmetics in Davao City
Davao City/Quezon City. – Skin whitening cosmetics containing dangerous levels of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, are being sold in Davao City in brazen violation of the law. The Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) and the EcoWaste Coalition, which are based in Davao and Quezon Cities, respectively, made the discovery after obtaining 7 skin lightening products with mercury up to 6,633 parts per million (ppm), way above the 1 ppm limit under the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive. Ann Fuertes, IDIS Executive Director, deplored the sale of mercury-tainted cosmetics as “a direct affront to the right of consumers to non-hazardous products,” stressing that “stopping such illegal trade will help in reducing the amount of mercury that gets into our bodies and the environment.” “We therefore urge the local government and police authorities to get to the bottom of this wicked trade of poison cosmetics in the city and bring violators to justice,” she said. Fuertes added that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) should actively disseminate its recall advisories to inform and guide cosmetics vendors and consumers, as well as help law enforcers in performing their duties. For her part, Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator, prodded the public to be extra careful when buying cosmetics promising fairer skin complexion and reject unauthorized and insufficiently labeled ones, including those that do not truthfully disclose their chemical ingredients. She pointed out that “brown is beautiful” and that the quickest way for consumers to avoid mercury exposure in cosmetics is for them “to be satisfied with their natural skin tone and not to use synthetic means to whiten the skin.” The groups procured the 7 skin whitening cosmetics, costing P75 to P150 per product, from several shops located at Chinatown and other places in test buys conducted on July 28-29 in Davao City. In addition, the groups also obtained a number of cheap skin whitening products sold for P20 each that have no market authorization from the FDA. Using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer, a device that can measure the concentrations of heavy metals in consumer products and other media, the groups detected high levels of mercury in the following products: 1) Erna Whitening Cream with 6,633 ppm 2) Jiaoli Miraculous Cream with 5,508 ppm 3) S’Zitang (golden yellow box) with 4,828 ppm 4) Jiao Li 7-days Specific Eliminating Preckle AB Set with 4,071 ppm 5) S’ Zitang 7-days Specific Eliminating Freckle AB Set with 3,409 ppm, 6) White Magnolia Powerful Spot Remover Repair Essence with 3,406 ppm, 7) Jiao Li Speckle-Dispelling & Whitening Cream with 3,042 ppm The FDA has yet to ban Erna and White Magnolia, while Jiaoli and S’Zitang are among the 93 skin whitening products banned by the agency for containing mercury above the allowable limit. According to the FDA, “there have been cases of adverse health effects brought about by highly toxic mercury in cosmetic products, such as kidney damage, skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring. Chronic use reduces the skin’s normal resistance against bacterial and fungal infections.” “The transfer of mercury to fetuses of pregnant women may manifest as neurodevelopment deficits later in life,” the FDA warned The manufacture, importation, selling or offering for sale of cosmetics without FDA approval or found to contain harmful or toxic substances is in direct violation of Republic Act No. 9711 , the Food and Drug Administration Act, and Republic Act No. 7394, the Consumer Act of the Philippines. (#)
Enlarging green spaces
IT TOOK a question from Sister Josephine Bacaltos of the Good Shepherd Sisters to voice out what many of the attendees have been wondering all morning: With all of the ordinances which sought to preserve the environment, how had flood-prone Davao City reached this point? “I grew up here in 1946,” revealed Sister Jo, one of Davao’s stalwarts in gender advocacy. “And yet I cannot recognize it now; Davao is green but now it has become brown.” A few among the motley group of development workers, civic action groups and non-government organizations in the audience chuckled. It was a question that perhaps defined the whole event, the Green Forum, which was organized to commemorate World Environment Month last June. Green vs Brown Spaces Earlier that morning, Executive Director Dam Vertido of the Mindanao Land Foundation, had treated the participants to a timeline presentation of Davao City’s urban spaces. “This is Davao through the years,” he said as he presented old photos of the municipal park in front of the SP, the Acacia intersection, and the campuses of Holy Cross and Ateneo. He pointed out that because of expanding population and urban transport, the city has been enlarging common spaces by cutting down trees and concretizing pavements resulting in the modern sprawl that is today’s Davao City. Such development characterizes the battle between green and brown spaces, he said. “Open spaces and easements have to be sacrificed in favor of the more pressing need to provide urban spaces for the city population,” Vertido said. A similar situation exists in the uplands. In her own presentation, Interface Development Interventions Policy Specialist Chinkie Pelino pointed out that the absence of properly delineated and demarcated areas set aside for conservation and protection had allowed monocrop plantations to gain a foothold in identified water recharge areas. “We need to manage our upland resources responsibly and sustainably because this will have an effect downstream. The health of our urban and coastal ecosystems is inextricably tied into the ecology of the uplands,” she said. Dr. Ruth Gamboa, from the University of the Philippines in Mindanao, agreed. “More than half of the damage in the coral reefs comes from land based activities,” she said. “Therefore a ridge to reef approach in managing our resources must be implemented to address these problems.” Green Solutions Coming from the recent intensive lobbying which resulted in the passage of a more environment-friendly City Zoning Ordinance, forum participants were understandably eager to plan the next steps in their collective vision for a Green Davao. The afternoon workshops yielded a lot of recommendations: the Upland Ecosystem Working Group recommended the streamlining of conflicting guidelines in the implementation of national laws and local ordinances protecting the environment, citing the implementation of buffer zones as an example; the Urban Ecosystem Working Group suggested the relocation of settlements located in danger zone areas and the establishment of greenbelts along river easements to help mitigate flooding, as well as the widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting among the populace; the Coastal Ecosystem Working Group, meanwhile, pushed for community based rehabilitation and management of mangroves and the strict enforcement of the Fisheries Code, putting emphasis on a vigilant Bantay Dagat to protect local fish stocks. A common thread was highlighted among these recommendations – the need for more widespread Information and Education Campaign, interwoven with sustained lobbying at the City, so that these changes can take root and the dream of a Green Davao will bear fruit. “Dabawenyos already know what they want now and in the future. Gusto nila yung meeting our resources without compromising the capability of the future generations to meet their own need. Maybe the next question is how to translate this awareness into something significant and with high impact activities,” Dr. Gamboa said. Next Steps For Vertido, as he sought to answer Sister Jo’s question, the fight does not end with the passage of the amended Zoning Ordinance. “Like many past ordinances, unless it is linked to the development plan of the city and complied with, it can only be fleeting. CLUP compliances have to be supported by civil society,” he said. Ellada “We need to follow it through, and this is where (CSOs) can do better. Don’t stop at the passage of the ordinance, the best evidence is the availability of the budget and the use of the revenue,” Vertido added. Councilor Leonardo R. Avila III, who was also at the forum, agreed. “CSOs play a great role because we can’t leave this to officials. People-legislators will always respond to the call for a specific brand of legislation so if CSOs come together to clamor for a sustainable Davao City, then it can happen,” he said. (SUNSTAR DAVAO)
Land use plan gets final council nod
AS EXPECTED, the Davao City Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) got the final approval by the City Council Monday afternoon. The council passed the measure on third and final reading, with the title “An ordinance approving and adopting the zoning ordinance of Davao City for 2013-2022, incorporating as integral part thereof, Volume 1, which is the Clup, and volume 3, which is the sectoral studies.” It garnered 23 votes from all the council members who were present Monday. Councilor Melchor Quitain was the presiding officer. Incoming Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was on vacation leave, while Councilors Karlo Bello and Paolo Duterte were on official business. Councilor Bernard Al-ag failed to vote because he arrived late. Meanwhile, around 100 environment advocates broke into cheers as the ordinance was finally approved. The amendments included the declaration of conservation zones and the establishment of buffer zones between conflicting zones like commercial and residential zones or industrial and agricultural zones. A minimum of 10 meters of buffer zone planted with trees is mandated in this amended Clup. “In behalf of the civil society who actively and substantially provided inputs in the drafting of the revisions to the Clup, we would like to thank the councilors for approving the ordinance after so many deliberations,” said Idis Executive Director Ann Fuertes. Despite some last minute fears of an intense lobby by subdivision developers against the proposed zoning of Shrine Hills into an Urban Ecological Enhancement Sub-zone, the ordinance was quickly approved by all the councilors present. It was their first agenda on this last day of their council session. Fuertes, however, said that while this is a victory for the advocates of the Green Davao vision, there are still lots of work to be done. Also included in the amended Clup is the addition of the Water Resource Areas, as well as the declaration of Marine Protected Areas in the city. The zoning ordinance also provides the no-reclassification policy within five years for all areas identified under general zone (agriculture, conservation, water resource, and non-tillage) and three years for sub-urban zone (residential, industrial and commercial). However, should property developers want to reclassify a zone that has been approved under the Clup, they would need at least 75 percent or 21 votes of the City Council. The city’s Water Resource Zone has also been mapped out. The special use permit already issued to two memorial parks that are to be built in identified Water Resource Zone in the city may also be revoked “subject to the requirement of due process of law and when public interest so requires.” “The next challenge is to sustain the engagement of the civil society in the implementation and monitoring of the ordinance. We won’t expect it to be easy but then as long as we are all united in seeing through our vision of a Green Davao City, the challenges will be surmountable,” Fuentes said. (Ara Casas, Sunstar Davao)
Shrine Hills now a protected zone
ENVIRONMENTALISTS participating in the revisions of Davao City’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) welcomed the City Council’s decision to protect Shrine Hills from further urbanization by designating it as a protected zone. Idis policy advocacy specialist Chinkie Pelino lauded the move as a “strong exercise of political will” as the City Council in a special session last Thursday moved to declare Shrine Hills as an Urban Ecological Enhancement Sub-zone. “What this means is that further subdivision development will be prohibited along the hilly terrain in order to protect its ecological value as the city’s nearest green park,” she said. The City Council has zeroed in on the proposed Clup, conducting several special sessions, and prioritizing contentious issues on the proposed updated zoning ordinance. The council considered the item on proposed Clup vital, discussing it effectively by holding special sessions during the first two weeks of June. Among the controversial issues settled during the special sessions were declaring Shrine Hills as protected zone and not double low density residential zone as proposed earlier; and the possibility of revoking the special use permit already issued to two memorial parks that are to be built in identified Water Resource Zone in the city. Councilor Arnulfo Cabling said these were the two “opposing issues” under volume 2 (proposed Updated Zoning Ordinance). The possible revocation of the two memorial parks with special use permit issued was agreed on June 10, leading to the rewording of the Section 7.3 of the proposed ordinance as: “Subject to the requirement of due process of law and when public interest so requires, special use permit granted for cemeteries and memorial parks or areas within the water resource zone as provided within may be recalled and revoked.” The Shrine Hills issue, on the other hand, was also settled on June 13. On Tuesday afternoon (June 18), the City Council will tackle anew the proposed Clup embodying the updated Sectoral and Land Use Plans of the city and the draft updated zoning ordinance. Cabling earlier said Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has certified it as urgent in order for the City Council to approve the measure before her term ends. Pelino, who attended the council session on the Clup amendments, also said that the City Council had agreed that upon the approval of the amendments to the zoning ordinance, all existing subdivision projects and structures at Shrine Hills will be declared “existing but non-conforming.” Under the amended Clup, the Urban Ecological Enhancement Sub-zone is defined as “areas intended for massive greening program for ecological enhancement in major urban zone as precautionary and pro-active approach to climate change adaptation and part of risk reduction management against flooding,” particularly in areas prone to landslides. A previous Mines and Geosciences Bureau study has identified some portions of Shrine Hills as highly susceptible to landslides and flooding. Because of these amendments, all the Preliminary Approval on Locational Clearances (Palcs), which were granted to the high class subdivisions currently being developed in the area, will be revoked. “Only climate mitigating and adapting development will be allowed in the area, subject to the approval of City Council and based on the guidelines that will be developed by the City Engineer’s Office,” Pelino said. Despite the early victory, environmentalists are still keeping their fingers crossed as a lot can still happen during the days leading to Tuesday’s regular session, when the council is expected to adopt the amendments during the second reading of the proposed ordinance. Idis executive director Ann Fuertes called on Dabawenyos to show their support for the ordinance, adopting the amendments to the Clup. “Now more than ever, we need to support this city’s development direction by showing up at the SP (City Council) session and help push for the approval of this ordinance,” she said. Once the ordinance is passed and the amendments adopted, Fuertes said green groups are looking forward to a participatory and multi-sectoral approach in developing Shrine Hills into a green park. (Arianne Caryl Casas, Sunstar Davao)
Higher banana profits linked to ground spraying
DAVAO CITY — Small banana farmers will earn more if they shift from aerial to manual or ground spraying, according to a study commissioned by environmental group Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS). The unpublished study, “Financial Assessment of Shifting from Aerial to Ground Spray in Banana Plantations in Davao Region,” reported a 19% increase in potential gross profit, from P116,000 to P138,200 per hectare per year, for small banana farmers who shifted from aerial to ground spraying. The findings also showed that small farmers experience “negative net income” because of the high cost of aerial spraying. On average, the study estimated, aerial spraying operations cost P68,000 per hectare for year for large plantations. In present practice, this cost is charged against the account of the small farmers, who pay an average of P73,800 per hectare per year, the study added. The study also claimed that large plantations prefer aerial spraying because shifting to ground spraying leads to additional costs of P28,700 per hectare per year. However, IDIS Executive Director Ann V. Fuertes has said that the increase would be due to additional infrastructure needed to maximize the results of ground spraying. Ms. Fuertes noted that the report recommended additional road networks, trucks and labor but added that profit margins would be “acceptable” despite potential losses. “This [the study] is to show that banana industry will not die, but it is still profitable even without aerial spraying,” Ms. Fuertes said. The IDIS officer said the group is now working to educate independent banana growers, mostly small plantations contracted by big banana firms, on the benefits of shifting to manual spray. The study by researcher Anabeth San Gregorio covered agricultural areas in Tamayong, a remote eastern district of Davao City, and in Kapalong, Davao del Norte. Citing environmental and health hazards, in 2007, the city government passed an ordinance to ban the aerial spraying of agrochemicals. The ordinance affected the operations of at least 5,000 hectares of banana plantations here. Industry group Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association has challenged the ordinance, but the Supreme Court has yet to issue its ruling. (M.M. Padillo, BUSINESS WORLD ONLINE)