The Catholic Church is seeking a dialogue with President Arroyo to appeal for the banning of aerial spraying of pesticide in banana plantations in Mindanao for the sake of the people there.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said they intend to bring to the President’s attention how the people of Mindanao have suffered because of aerial spraying.

“They beg for the safety of their lives, livelihood, and the future of their children,” he said in their letter to the President dated Oct. 20.

Pabillo, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace, met with some members of the Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (MAAS) on Friday at the Arzobispado de Manila in Intramuros.

MAAS is composed of residents living near or inside banana plantations in Mindanao such as those in Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Compostela Valley.

Liezel Bacalzo of Davao City explained why they want the President to ban aerial spraying not only in Mindanao but throughout the country as well.

“Every time they conduct aerial spraying our eyes become watery. We experience difficulty in breathing
because of its foul smell,” she said.

“Even our water and food are already contaminated with pesticide, making our stomach ache and our skin itchy,” Bacalzo said.

She said they tried to seek the help of their local government but were not successful, that’s why they decided to bring their cause here in Manila.

“We decided to bring our cause here in Manila to appeal to the different agencies of the government -- the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, and Department of Agriculture (DA) to come up with an administrative order banning aerial spraying in the whole Philippines,” Bacalzo said.