by Jeffrey M. Tupas, Philippine Daily Inquirer

HUNDREDS of environmentalists gathered to show their opposition against what they called the “short sighted and alarming stand” of some village heads from Davao City’s Third District on the issue of whether or not it is appropriate to declare moratorium on pineapple and banana plantation expansion.

“A moratorium must immediately be declared before it’s all too late. We can’t allow the destruction of the environment, of our current and future sources of water, to happen. We have to act now before it’s all too late,” said Lia Jasmin Esquillo, executive director of environmental group Interface Development Inteventions, Inc. (Idis).

The mobilization came after the seemingly loss of interest showed by City council Committee on Environment and Natural Resources chaired by councilor Arnulfo Cabling to propose a resolution declaring a halt in the expansions.

“We have to wait for the result of the studies being conducted by the DENR and City planning office before we have to decide,” Cabling said.

Apparently, this developed when the village chairs junked the moratorium during a committee hearing called by Cabling two weeks ago. This was also followed by the reported move of councilor Condrado Baluran, chair of committee on agriculture and member of Cabling’s committee, to gather the signatures of the village heads to stress their position.

Reports said Baluran wanted to present the signatures to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who earlier ordered for the implementation of the moratorium. The move was to clearly persuade Duterte to change his heart.

But suddenly, faced by hundreds of demonstrators, Baluran sang a different tune. He even hinted that he is for the environment.

“I did not endorse a manifesto or any document. There is a manifesto but it was just handed to me when the barangay captains attended the committee hearing,” Balurfan said.

He also denied having encouraged the village heads to convince environmentalists and non-government organizations that they are against the moratorium on plantations being pushed.

But during the said committee hearing, Baluran told the village chiefs that “you have to convince these non-government organizations that you came here in full-force and that you are against the proposed moratorium.”

This has alarmed environmentalists as it reportedly showed the seemingly lynching and double-edged position of Baluran on the moratorium being pushed by various groups.

“I hope he would see the gravity of what we have been fighting for. If indeed he did not endorse the manifesto and that he did not back the barangay chairmen, well, that is something that environmentalists should be happy about,” Esquillo said.

Members of the community and school-based concerned mountaineers Kinaiyahan Amomahon, Ubanan ug Bantayan (Kauban) Movement, also staged a vigil Monday night in front of the Sangguniang Panglunsod Hall as a prelude to the mass rally.

Kauban Movement, like IDIS, is a member of Panaghoy sa Kinaiyahan-Coalition for Mother Earth or Panaghoy, a loose coalition of non-government organization, people’s organizations, and concerned individuals.

Televangelist Apollo Quiboloy also threw his support to the fights of the protesters. Hundreds of Quiboloy followers were also present during the rally to air their opposition to the operations of the banana and pineapple plantations.

Hundreds of students from the exclusive Quiboloy-owned Jose Maria College were delivered to the venue onboard three buses.

Quiboloy’s prayer mountain in Tamayong , Baguio District has been swamped by aphids and this was blamed on the aerial spraying practice of a banana plantation in the area. Some residents of Tamayong also complained of skin diseases and other illnesses because of the excessive use of chemicals by the plantations.

Sonshine Philippines Ministry volunteer Fritz Nabarroza said Quiboloy is throwing his support to the environmentalist because “we are against anything that destroys life and environment…they are evil and we are here to fight them.”

“Some of our members are victims of these plantations’ operations. We can’t take all these sitting down. The fight to save the environment is the fight to save lives…we are supposed to be stewards of God’s creation,” Nabarroza said.

Ruben “Boy” Deduro, President of Davao City Coastal Marine Environment Protector, Inc., also lambasted the plantations’ use of chemicals saying “we catch all their wastes…their poisons.”

“I dread the day that the sea will no longer deliver us fish because of these plantations’ use of deadly chemicals…we also blame these plantations for the build up of silt in the Davao Gulf,” Deduro said.

Environmentalists have repeatedly sounded the alarm against the encroachment of plantations in environmentally critical areas like rivers and upland watershed areas. The group is also calling for the banning of aerial spraying.