Crop duster fight reaches SC

MANILA, Philippines – A legal battle between banana farmers and environmentalists reached the Supreme Court on Friday with a petition to ground crop dusters that have been blamed for health problems and ecological damage.

The high court was asked to uphold a March 2007 ordinance banning aerial fungicide spraying on banana plantations around Davao, a major southern city of 1.2 million people, court officials said.

The court made no immediate comment on the 43-page petition for certiorari filed by Wilfredo Mosqueda, Marcelo Villaganes, Julieta Lawagon, Crispin Alcomendras, Virginia Cata-ag, Rebecca Saligumba, Florencia Sabandon, Carolina Pilongco and Ledevina Adalawan.

Named respondents in the petition were the Court of Appeals, Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA), Davao Fruit Corp. (DFC) and Lapanday Agricultural and Development Corp. (LADC).

The petitioners, who reside near the city’s banana plantations, also asked the tribunal to annul the CA’s ruling last May 22 which denied their motion for reconsideration.

According to the petitioners, the CA had gravely abused its discretion when it junked their petitions.

The group claimed that the spraying had led to various health problems and poisoned the water table in areas adjoining the plantations of LADC and other contract growers for multinationals Dole and Del Monte.

The Philippines is the largest banana exporter in Asia. The industry is centered in Mindanao.