Apas folk to be educatedon microwave radiation

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council is planning to educate the residents of Barangay Apas on the effects of microwave radiation after they blamed the two cell sites in their area for at least 19 cases of cancer deaths in the barangay.

Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña said the council will ask an expert either from the National Telecommunications Commission or from the Department of Health to explain the effects of radiation to human health.

“Education is very important but it has to be in their language. It has to be something that they understand. Maybe we can schedule to be together, explain to them so that at least give them (the explanation). We don’t know, we cannot guarantee but we can exert all effort to explain to them what is happening,” Osmeña said during an executive session.

The City Council had set a public hearing on September 17 with the DOH-7 officials to explain about the microwave radiation. Residents earlier complained about the radio-frequency radiation, now they are complaining the effects of microwave radiation.

July this year, DOH Center for Device Regulation, Radiation Health and Research head Agnette Pe-ralta said that “there is no conclusive evidence that exposure to radio-frequency radiation causes cancer.”

Based on the file of the Ministry of Labour in Ontario, Canada, these two types of radiation have the same characteristics. Councilor Nestor Archival said residents might just be over thinking on the situation.

“This is something psychological, masakit gyud ka magsige ka inana (think). What we are trying to do, we need to educate them,” he said.

Archival said the residents of the place are asking for the minutes of the meeting proving that there was a public hearing in the barangay approving the construction of Globe and Sun Cellular towers in 2000 and 2004, respectively.

However, lawyer Ma. Leonore Teves of Globe Telecom said it would be hard for them to find the minutes of the meeting since the building of the towers happened long time ago. But Archival said just for the sake of satisfying what is being asked by the residents, the company should find it.

Few months ago, the barangay council of Apas passed a resolution to appeal to the City Council to issue “notice of eviction and relocation” against the owners of the cell towers.

Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman alleged that no public consultation was held before the cell sites were constructed.— (FREEMAN)