PROPOSING A NEW CABINET CLUSTER FOR BANNING HARMFUL INSECTICIDES AND HERBICIDES

PROPOSING A NEW CABINET CLUSTER FOR BANNING HARMFUL INSECTICIDES AND HERBICIDES

It is no longer a matter of debate: many insecticides and herbicides used in Philippine agriculture have been banned elsewhere in the world—some for decades—due to proven carcinogenicity, toxicity, and long-term harm to the environment and public health. Yet, in our country, some of these chemicals still find their way into public markets, quietly tolerated, if not outright permitted, due to fragmented regulation and poor inter-agency coordination.

Currently, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), maintains the official list of banned and restricted pesticides. The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) oversees chemical control from an environmental standpoint. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Department of Health (DOH) regulates household and urban pesticides (HUPs), ensuring these do not contain banned ingredients. Add to this the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), that oversees trade practices and consumer safety.

But who is in charge when the interests of these departments overlap, or worse, conflict? Does the EMB have veto power if the DA tolerates a pesticide already banned in Europe or the US? Does the FDA have enforcement teeth in provincial markets? Is the DOH involved early enough, or only after illnesses and deaths are reported?

This is not just a policy vacuum. This is a coordination crisis.

Historically, the response has been to form Technical Working Groups (TWGs), ad hoc by design, to recommend actions on such multi-agency matters. But in the face of ongoing and long-term risks, what we need now is not another temporary TWG—we need a permanent Cabinet Cluster for Chemical Safety and Public Health.

Why a Cabinet Cluster?

Cabinet Clusters already exist in our governance system. They are permanent inter-agency groupings designed to coordinate policy and implementation on major national concerns—like Security, Justice and Peace; Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation; or Human Development and Poverty Reduction.

Chemical safety and pesticide regulation merit that level of importance. The impacts are cross-cutting: health, environment, food security, labor, trade, and even international diplomacy, since we are party to the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions.

A Cabinet Cluster would ensure that decisions regarding hazardous agricultural and household chemicals are not made in isolation by the DA, FDA, or DENR, but through a unified policy framework. It would mandate shared databases, synchronized bans and enforcement protocols, joint inspections, and joint messaging. It could also include representation from watchdog groups like BAN Toxics and academic institutions that can provide science-based evidence.

What This Cabinet Cluster Would Do

1.   Unify Regulatory Lists and Criteria
The FPA, FDA, and EMB should maintain a consolidated registry of all banned, restricted, and permitted chemicals—accessible to the public and regularly updated. Bans abroad (e.g., from the EU or WHO lists) should trigger automatic local reviews.

2.   Harmonize Enforcement Protocols
The Cluster can establish shared enforcement mechanisms. Right now, one agency may confiscate a product while another allows its continued sale. Local Government Units (LGUs) and market inspectors often don’t even know which chemical is banned and by whom.

3.   Conduct National Awareness Campaigns
The average consumer, and even many farmers, remain unaware of the dangers posed by outdated or counterfeit pesticides. This Cluster should spearhead a national information drive, translated into local languages and targeted at both urban and rural markets.

4.   Fund Research and Promote Eco-Friendly Alternatives
Safer alternatives exist, such as integrated pest management (IPM), biopesticides, and organic farming methods. But they require education, funding, and rollout plans. The Cluster could oversee grant programs or subsidies for farmers transitioning away from hazardous chemicals.

5.   Push for Legislative Reform
With a unified front, the Cluster can recommend comprehensive pesticide and herbicide control legislation to replace the current patchwork of executive orders, department circulars, and outdated laws.

Accountability and Transparency

An online platform under the proposed Cluster should show which chemicals are banned, which are under review, and what the health and environmental risks are. Citizens must be empowered to report illegal sales and improper use, and violators—importers, manufacturers, retailers—must face real penalties.

Selling banned chemicals isn’t just a regulatory lapse. It’s a crime against public health. And we must stop treating it as mere oversight or “miscommunication between agencies.”

Final Thoughts

To paraphrase an adage: “If everyone is in charge, no one is accountable.” A Cabinet Cluster on Chemical Safety and Public Health will assign clear responsibility, provide structured coordination, and set a national direction on the use of insecticides and herbicides.

We cannot continue treating this as a niche issue for the EMB or the FPA to handle alone. It is time to elevate this to the Cabinet level—before the next generation of Filipinos inherits poisoned soil, contaminated food, and irreversible health burdens.

It’s not enough to say “let’s ban what others have banned.” Let us lead where we can, follow where we must—but above all, act now.

Let convergence begin, at the top.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

09-04-2025