OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    1/25

    OSG

    REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESSUPREME COURT

    MANILA

    PILIPINO BANANA GROWERS ANDEXPORTERS ASSOCIATION, INC.,ET AL.,

    Petitioners-Appellees,

    - versus - G.R. No.

    CITY OF DAVAO, ET AL.,Respondent-Appellant,

    x-----------------------------------------------x

    COMMENT FOR THE REPUBLIC OF THEPHILIPPINES

    The Office of the Solicitor General, on behalf of the Republic

    of the Philippines, unto this Honorable Court, most respectfully

    states:

    PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

    This is an appeal from the Decision dated January 9, 2009 of

    the Court of Appeals Cagayan de Oro City, which reversed and

    set aside the September 22, 2007 Decision of Branch 17 of the

    Regional Trial Court of Davao City. The dispositive portion of the

    decision reads:

    WHEREFORE, premises considered,the appeal is GRANTED. The assailedSeptember 22, 2007 Decision of theRegional Trial Court (RTC), 11th JudicialRegion, Branch 17, Davao City, upholdingthe validity and constitutionality of Davao

    1

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    2/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 2Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 2 of 25x=================x

    City Ordinance No. 0309-07, is herebyREVERSED and SET ASIDE.

    FURTHER, the Writ of PreliminaryInjunction dated 28 January 2008 enjoiningthe City Government of Davao, and anyother person or entity acting in its behalf,from enforcing and implementing City

    Ordinance No. 0309-07, is hereby madepermanent.

    SO ORDERED.

    (CA Decision, p. 43)

    In its brief, respondent-appellant assails the Court of

    Appeals in rendering the questioned decision on the following

    grounds:

    I

    THE COURT OF APEALS ERRED IN RULING THAT THE THREE-MONTH PERIODCONSTITUTES UNLAWFUL MEANS

    II

    THE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED IN RULING THAT THERE WAS FORFEITURE OFPROPERTY WITHOUT DUE PROCESS OF LAW

    III

    THE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED THAT THERE WAS VIOLATION OF EQUALPROTECTION BECAUSE OF FAILURE TOMAKE A DISTINCTION AS TO THE KIND OFSUBSTANCE

    IV

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    3/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 3Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 3 of 25x=================x

    THE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED IN RULING THAT THE NATURE OF THE GENERALWELFARE CLAUSE OF THE LOCALGOVERNMENT CODE REQUIRED ACTUALHARM

    ANTECEDENT FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

    The facts, as determined by the Court of Appeals1, are as

    follows:

    On January 23, 2007, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao

    enacted Ordinance No. 0309-07, Series of 2007, entitled AN

    ORDINANCE BANNING AERIAL SPRAYING AS AN AGRICULTURAL

    PRACTICE IN ALL AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES BY ALL

    AGRICULTURAL ENTITIES IN DAVAO CITY.

    Ordinance No. 0309-07 was approved by the Mayor of

    Davao City on February 9, 2007, and took effect on March 23,

    2007, presumably thirty (30) days from its publication in the

    Mindanao Pioneer. Pursuant to Section 5 thereof, the Ordinance

    was to be enforced starting June 23, 2007, three (3) months after

    such effectivity.

    1 CA Decision, dated January 9, 2009

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    4/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 4Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 4 of 25x=================x

    On April 25, 2007, Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters

    Association, Inc (PBGEA), a non-stock corporation composed of

    corporate banana plantations, and two (2) of its members, the

    Davao Fruits Corporation and the Lapanday Agricultural and

    Development Corporation, filed before the trial court a Petition

    (With Prayer for the Issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order

    and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction), which case was docketed

    as Civil Case No. 31,837-2007 for injunction.

    The City of Davao was impleaded as the lone respondent in

    the petition. However, on May 8, 2007, a Motion for Leave to

    Intervene and Opposition to the Issuance of a Preliminary

    Injunction was filed by herein intervenors-appellants Wilfredo

    Mosqueto, Marcelo Villaganes, Crispin Alcomendras, Corazon

    Sabinada, Geraldine Catalan, Julieta Lawagon, Rebecca

    Saligumba, Florencia Sabandon, Carolina Pilongo, Alejandra

    Bentoy, Ledevina Adlawan, and Virgina Cata-ag, invoking their

    constitutional rights to health and to a healthful and balanced

    ecology.

    On May 21, 2007, petitioners-appellees opposed the motion

    to intervene because intervenors-appellants failed to show their

    alleged right to intervene, and that the motion was pro forma as

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    5/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 5Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 5 of 25x=================x

    it did not contain a notice of hearing. They also alleged that the

    motion was insufficient in form and substance since it was not

    accompanied by a pleading-in-intervention. Intervenors-

    appellants filed their Answer-in-Intervention on May 22, 2007.

    On May 28, 2007, respondent-appellant filed an Answer

    arguing the validity of Ordinance 0309-07 and praying that the

    petition be dismissed for lack of merit. On June 4, 2007, the trial

    court issued an Order granting the motion to intervene and

    admitting the Answer-in-Intervention filed by intervenors-

    appellants. Petitioners-appellees Motion for Reconsideration

    thereof was denied in an Order dated June 20, 2007.

    In a separate Order also dated June 20, 2007, the trial court

    granted petitioners-appellees application for a writ of preliminary

    injunction against the actual enforcement on June 23, 2007 of the

    aerial spraying ban, finding that the period of three months is

    unreasonable and/or physically impossible for contrary parties to

    adopt measures in opting to follow said ordinance in going into

    other spraying method. Thus, in its June 25, 2007 Order, the trial

    court enjoined respondent-appellant and intervenors-appellants

    from enforcing Ordinance 0309-07 for a period of three (3)

    months, from June 23, 2007 to September 23, 2007.

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    6/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 6Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 6 of 25x=================x

    The case was referred to mediation before the Philippine

    Mediation Center. Mediation between the parties eventually

    failed. The pre-trial conference proceeded on August 14, 2007

    where petitioners-appellees and intervenors-appellants admitted,

    among others, that fungicides were aerially sprayed over banana

    plantations to contain the proliferation thereon of the Black

    Sigatoka fungus. The Pre-trial Order was issued on September 3,

    2007.

    Trial commenced on September 10, 2007 and proceeded

    until the case was submitted for decision pursuant to the trial

    courts September 21, 2007 Order. On September 22, 2007, the

    trial court rendered a Decision which disposed of the case as

    follows:

    WHEREFORE, finding the subjectordinance No. 0309-07 valid andconstitutional in all aspect (sic) of thegrounds assailed by the petitioner, said cityordinance No. 0309-07 is sustained of itsvalidity and constitutionality.

    Accordingly, the order of this court

    dated June 20, 2007, granting the writ ofpreliminary injunction as prayed for bypetitioner is ordered canceled and set asideas a result of this decision.

    SO ORDERED.

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    7/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 7Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 7 of 25x=================x

    On September 25, 2007, petitioners-appellees filed a Notice

    of Appeal to the Court of Appeals.

    On January 9, 2009, the Court of Appeals rendered the

    assailed Decision reversing the decision of the trial court.

    As a result of the timely appeal of herein respondent-

    appellant and the assumption of jurisdiction by this Honorable

    Court, the Office of the Solicitor General was hereby ordered to

    file a Comment for the proceedings in the Supreme Court.

    ARGUMENTS

    I. The Court of Appeals erredin ruling that the three-

    month period constitutesunlawful means

    Subject of this discussion is Section 5 of the challenged

    Ordinance, which states:

    Section 5. BAN ON AERIAL SPRAYING Aban on aerial spraying shall be strictly

    enforced in the territorial jurisdiction ofDavao City three (3) months after theeffectivity of this Ordinance.

    In ruling that the three-month interim period from the

    effectivity of the Ordinance to its strict implementation is

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    8/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 8Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 8 of 25x=================x

    unreasonable, oppressive and impossible to comply with, the

    Court of Appeals gave undue credence to the self-serving

    evidence presented by the petitioners-appellees to the effect that

    the other alternatives to aerial spraying would either need a

    longer time to effect an actual shift, and/or would pose serious

    detriments to their businesses and laborers.

    Before proceeding with the discussion, it must be stressed

    that Davao Citys Ordinance 0309-07 enjoys the presumption of

    validity accorded to the acts of the Legislature. There being a

    presumption of validity, the necessity for evidence to rebut it is

    unavoidable, unless the statute or ordinance is void on its face.2

    When the constitutionality of such act is challenged, the burden

    of proving beyond reasonable doubt that the ordinance is

    unconstitutional rests on petitioners-appellees' shoulders, a

    burden which they sorely failed to discharge in the present

    petition.

    The tests of a valid ordinance are well established. For an

    ordinance to be valid, it must not only be within the corporate

    powers of the LGU to enact and be passed according to the

    procedure prescribed by law, it must also conform to the

    2 Samson and Gavilan v. The Hon. City Mayor of Bacolod City and the Hon City

    Council of Bacolod City, G.R. No. L-28745 October 23, 1974

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    9/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 9Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 9 of 25x=================x

    following substantive requirements: (1) must not contravene the

    Constitution or any statute; (2) must not be unfair or oppressive;

    (3) must not be partial or discriminatory; (4) must not prohibit but

    may regulate trade; (5) must be general and consistent with

    public policy and (6) must not be unreasonable.3 The evidence

    presented by the petitioners-appellees, as will be discussed later,

    falls short in proving that the subject Ordinance does not conform

    to such substantive requirements.

    Further, the City of Davao has consistently contended that

    the enactment of Ordinance 0309-07 is an exercise of its police

    power. As regards such exercise, the applicable doctrine is that

    local governments may be considered as having properly

    exercised their police power only if the following requisites are

    met: (1) the interest of the public generally, as distinguished from

    those of a particular class, require its exercise and (2) the means

    employed are reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of

    the purpose and not unduly oppressive upon individuals. In short,

    there must be a concurrence of a lawful subject and a lawful

    method.4

    3 Social Justice Society vs. Atienza, G.R. No. 156052, 13 February 2008.4 SJS v Atienza, ibid.

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    10/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 10Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 10 of 25x=================x

    The Court of Appeals has squarely ruled that it is within the

    mandate and authority of the City of Davao to enact Ordinance

    No. 0309-07 since it is a measure that has an ostensible lawful

    subject, that is, the protection of the public health and the

    environment against the alleged harmful effects of aerial

    spraying of pesticides or fungicides.5 Thus, the main point of

    contention herein is whether or not the same Ordinance makes

    use of unlawful means to achieve its purpose.

    In the case at hand, petitioners-appellees alleged that the

    imposition of the three-month period constitutes an unlawful

    means for the exercise of police powerthat it is oppressive,

    unreasonable and impossible to comply with thus making the

    Ordinance void and unconstitutional. To bolster their claim,

    petitioners-appellees presented the testimonies of PBGEA

    Chairperson Dr. Maria Rita G. Fabregar, Engr. Magno P. Porticos

    and CPA Maria Victorina Cembrano. The testimonies of the first

    two witnesses were relied on to establish that a complete shift to

    truck-mounted spraying, allegedly the least harmful and most

    efficient alternative to aerial spraying, would take at least three

    (3) years, while the testimony of the last witness was cited to

    prove the high capital requirement for the shift to truck-mounted

    5 CA Decision, dated January 9, 2009, p. 14

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    11/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 11Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 11 of 25x=================x

    spraying and that the other forms of spraying, namely manual or

    back-pack spraying and sprinkler spraying, would pose

    insurmountable consequences to the business and its laborers.

    To this, an additional witness was presented, Dr. Anacleto

    Pedrosa, Jr., who testified that a shift to manual or backpack

    spraying or sprinkler spraying would imperil not only banana

    production but also the health of workers because the same are

    the least safe and least efficient methods of spraying. The

    witness explained that the workers will be drenched with the

    water solution which might prove detrimental to their health and

    that this would require a larger volume of water, pesticides and

    fungicides.

    While such concern for the health of their workers is worthy

    of praise, it is virtually an admission that continued exposure to

    the water solution creates a health risk among those exposed.

    True, aerial spraying only causes indirect exposure but its reach

    is more widespread. More people are exposed to the harmful

    pesticides and fungicides, and over time, the toxins would

    accumulate, causing health problems to the hundreds of people

    exposed. This is not to say that we should sacrifice the lives of

    the plantation laborers in exchange for the well-being of entire

    towns. What we advocate is for a more effective and efficient way

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    12/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 12Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 12 of 25x=================x

    to limit the adverse effects. It is common sense that it is easier to

    manage health risks when only a few people are exposed to the

    contaminant. It is especially true in this case wherein the only

    people who are exposed to the chemicals (i.e. plantation workers)

    are also under the direct control of those who will eventually be

    liable for the injuries they may sustain from the continued

    exposure. This will create direct accountability and an incentive

    for the plantation owners to take the necessary precautions to

    avoid or minimize their workers exposure to chemicals, such as

    using masks, goggles, gloves and protective/impenetrable

    clothing.

    As to the feasibility of the alternative spraying methods,

    there is an absolute dearth of evidence that manual or backpack

    spraying and sprinkler spraying cannot be implemented within

    three months. There is no showing that there is a lack of

    manpower or unavailability of equipment and protective gear.

    There is no evidence as to the impossibility of obtaining the

    necessary funds to shift to these methods. Even the evidence

    presented as to the feasibility of truck-mounted boom spraying is

    not enough to show that it is absolutely impossible to effect the

    shift. As discussed in the Dissenting Opinion of Justice Borja, to

    which we fully subscribe to, temporal and logistical constraints

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    13/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 13Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 13 of 25x=================x

    are overcome if sufficient financial resources are committed to

    the undertaking.6 Here, there is no clear showing that petitioners-

    appellees do not have sufficient financial resources to shift to

    truck-mounted spraying. They merely showed their unwillingness

    to part with the needed amount. Moreover, it was not proven that

    the inefficiencies created (i.e. need for more water pesticides and

    fungicides, uneven application) would be so great as to amount

    to oppression or prohibition of trade. While the shift may result to

    fewer yield and profits for the plantation owners, such is not

    enough to declare the Ordinance invalid especially when the

    health benefits to a greater number of city residents clearly

    outweigh the business losses.

    Besides, Davao City is not the first to legislate against aerial

    spraying. The Provincial Boards of Bukidnon and North Cotabato

    have previously passed a similar legislations. This would at least

    prove that the technology and equipment needed for the

    alternative methods of spraying are readily available in the

    market.

    6 Dated January 9, 2009

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    14/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 14Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 14 of 25x=================x

    Taking everything into consideration, it is clear that the

    Court of Appeals erred in ruling that the Ordinance is oppressive,

    unreasonable and impossible to comply with.

    II. The Court of Appealserred in ruling that therewas forfeiture of propertywithout due process of law

    Another point of contention is Section 6 of the Ordinance

    which states that all agricultural entities must provide for a

    thirty (30)-meter buffer zone within the boundaries of their

    agricultural farms/plantations. It is alleged that such provision

    constitutes unlawful taking of property, in violation of the due

    process clause.

    It is a settled rule in our jurisprudence that not every taking

    is compensable, as it may be justified under the police power.7

    Property condemned under the exercise of police power is

    noxious or intended for a noxious purpose, such as a building on

    the verge of collapse, which should be demolished for the public

    safety, or obscene materials, which should be destroyed in the

    interest of public morals. The confiscation of such property is not

    compensable, unlike the taking of property under the power of

    7 Cruz, Isagani, Constitutional Law (2003), p. 71

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    15/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 15Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 15 of 25x=================x

    expropriation, which requires the payment of just compensation

    to the owner.8

    There is recognized wisdom in the Dissenting Opinion of

    Justice Brandeis, in Pennsylvania Coal Co. v Mahon,9 which states:

    Every restriction upon the use of propertyimposed in the exercise of the police powerdeprives the owner of some righttheretofore enjoyed, and is, in that sense,an abridgment by the State of rights inproperty without making compensation. Butrestriction imposed to protect the public

    health, safety or morals from dangersthreatened is not a taking. The restrictionhere in question is merely the prohibition ofa noxious use. The property so restrictedremains in the possession of its owner. Thestate does not appropriate it or make anyuse of it. The state merely prevents theowner from making a use which interfereswith paramount rights of the public.Whenever the use prohibited ceases to be

    noxious as it may because of furtherchanges in local or social conditions therestriction will have to be removed and theowner will again be free to enjoy hisproperty as heretofore.

    In this case, even if the buffer zone regulation amounted to

    forfeiture of property, still the City of Davao cannot be faulted.

    The City merely exercised police power. The requirement of a

    buffer zone was imposed to avoid or minimize harm to the

    environment and inhabitants. The buffer zone must be planted

    8 City of Baguio v NAWASA,106 Phil. 144 (1959)9 260 US 393 (1922)

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    16/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 16Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 16 of 25x=================x

    with diversified trees that grow taller than are usually planted

    and grown in the plantation to protect those within the adjacent

    fields, neighboring farms, residential area, schools, and

    workplaces.10 Such regulation of the use of the land was clearly

    intended to avoid or minimize the health and environmental risks

    caused by using pesticides and fungicides, a valid subject of

    police power. It must be remembered that petitioners-appellees

    witness, Dr. Pedrosa, admitted the harmful effects of exposure to

    such chemicals. It was also admitted by the witnesses that even

    the alternative methods of spraying would still produce a spray

    drift that would result in indirect exposure of the nearby

    residents. As such, it is but reasonable for the City of Davao to

    ensure that the risks to its residents are minimized to the lowest

    possible extent, if not eradicated. Here, the maxim Salus populi

    est suprema lex finds application. The welfare of the greater

    people must be prioritized over the property rights of the

    plantation owners.

    It is contended that the imposition of the 30-meter buffer

    zone without regard to the size of the landholdings or plantations

    constitutes a violation of the due process clause. Petitioners-

    appellees, however, fail to see that the size of the landholding is

    10 Section 3 (e), Definition of Terms, Ordinance No. 0309-07

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    17/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 17Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 17 of 25x=================x

    not relevant to what the City seeks to avoid. The size of the

    landholding does not alter the reach of the spray drift as this is

    purely governed by air/wind dynamics. The pesticide sprayed on

    the outermost trees of a small plantation would drift in the air for

    approximately the same distance outside the plantation border

    as would the pesticide sprayed on the outermost trees of a large

    plantation. Thus, it is of no moment that the Ordinance did not

    consider the size of the landholding in imposing the 30-meter

    buffer zone.

    Besides, the buffer zone does not completely deprive the

    land owners of its beneficial use. The requirement is it that must

    be planted with diversified trees that grow taller than are usually

    planted and grown in the plantation. The owners can still plant

    fruit-bearing trees as long as they are taller than the banana

    trees in their plantation and are not sprayed by the pesticides as

    well. The ground area between the trees may still be used for

    other purposes like composting. The owners are not at all

    prohibited to find other productive use for the land as long as it is

    planted with taller trees. With proper planning and motivation,

    the buffer zone may still be of some beneficial use to its owner,

    thus proving that the regulation of the land use does not amount

    to indiscriminate and compensable taking.

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    18/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 18Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 18 of 25x=================x

    One last thing, it must be noted that petitioners-appellees

    are already required to maintain a buffer zone as a condition to

    its operations, as imposed by the Department of Environment

    and Natural Resources. Unless they admit that they are not

    complying with the conditions imposed under their current DENR

    permits, the imposition of the buffer zone in the Ordinance would

    not amount to taking because the property in question is already

    devoted to such use as the regulation seeks to impose.

    III. The Court of Appealserred that there wasviolation of equal protectionbecause of failure to make adistinction as to the kind ofsubstance

    The Court of Appeals held that Ordinance No. 0309-07 is

    violative of the Equal Protection Clause of the 1987 Constitution

    because of the sweeping ban imposed on aerial spraying

    regardless of the kind of substance that is to be discharged.

    In the said ordinance, aerial spraying is defined as the

    application of substances through the use of aircraft of any form

    which dispenses the substances in the air. According to the

    Court of Appeals, the ban encompasses aerial application

    application of practically all substances, not only pesticides or

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    19/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 19Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 19 of 25x=================x

    fungicides but including water and all forms of chemicals,

    regardless of its elements, composition or degree of safety.11

    Since the ordinance does not classify which substances are

    prohibited from being sprayed aerially even if reasonable

    distinctions could be made according to the hazards posed or the

    beneficial effects, it was deemed to have been violative of the

    Equal Protection Clause of the.

    There must also be a reasonable relation between the

    purposes of the policy measure and the means. Lack of such a

    reasonable relation will be deemed as arbitrary intrusion and is

    thus violative of the due process clause. The Court of Appeals

    held that the indiscriminate ban on aerial spraying without

    considering the substance to be discharged is not reasonably

    related to the public purpose which the ordinance aims to uphold.

    It is the Solicitor Generals position that the questioned

    ordinance is not violative of the abovementioned Constitutional

    precepts.

    In the first place, the Ordinance aims to uphold the health

    and safety of the residents of Davao City by addressing the

    11 CA decision, dated January 9, 2009, p. 31

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    20/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 20Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 20 of 25x=================x

    problems brought about by air pollution. It does so by

    pinpointing the sources of air pollutants and such sources include

    the substances released through aerial spraying. Thus in a bid to

    prevent the air in the atmosphere from being filled with other

    substances than what is naturally present, the Ordinance seeks

    to ban aerial spraying as an agricultural practice.

    The ban imposed is not indiscriminate as there is no need to

    impose classifications based on the nature of the substance along

    with their benefits and disadvantages. This is clearly seen in

    terms of pesticides and fungicides which do not naturally occur in

    the air and are toxic and potentially harmful to the health of the

    Davao City residents. However, the respondents challenge the

    validity of the prohibition with regard to the aerial spraying of

    water, vitamins and minerals since these substances are not

    harmful per se but are among those banned from being

    discharged through aerial spraying.

    The issue at hand in the ordinance is the aerial spraying of

    pesticides and fungicides as an agricultural practice. Banana

    planters in Davao City have been engaged in this business for

    approximately three or four decades and all this time, it has been

    their practice to aerially spray pesticides and fungicides. Thus it

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    21/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 21Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 21 of 25x=================x

    can be deduced that the term substance in the ordinance refers

    to pesticides and fungicides and not to any other substance.

    Vitamins, minerals, fertilizer or water are not included in the term

    substance since these are not the materials dispersed in aerial

    spraying as an agricultural practice in Davao City. Petitioners are

    not the proper parties to raise such an issue since they are not

    engaged in the aerial spraying of substances other than

    pesticides and fungicides in the first place.

    IV. The Court of Appealserred in ruling that thenature of the generalwelfare clause of the localgovernment code requiredactual harm

    The general welfare clause of the Local Government Code

    states:

    Section 16. General Welfare. - Every local governmentunit shall exercise the powers expressly granted, thosenecessarily implied therefrom, as well as powers necessary,appropriate, or incidental for its efficient and effectivegovernance, and those which are essential to the promotion ofthe general welfare. Within their respective territorial

    jurisdictions, local government units shall ensure and support,among other things, the preservation and enrichment of culture,

    promote health and safety, enhance the right of the people to abalanced ecology, encourage and support the development ofappropriate and self-reliant scientific and technologicalcapabilities, improve public morals, enhance economic prosperityand social justice, promote full employment among theirresidents, maintain peace and order, and preserve the comfortand convenience of their inhabitants. (italics supplied)

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    22/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 22Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 22 of 25x=================x

    The Court of Appeals decision is adopting a wait-and-see

    attitude with regard to determining whether or not the pesticides

    and fungicides disperse through aerial spraying are indeed

    harmful to humans. Evidence was presented to bolster

    arguments which uphold that the pesticides are not toxic as well

    as to support the claim that they indeed are harmful to a persons

    health and safety. The Court of Appeals held that the issue as to

    whether or not the practice of aerial spraying per se and the

    fungicides or pesticides applied on banana plantations are

    inimical to the public health and livelihood, and to the

    environment has not been factually settled.12 For instance, the

    Court notes that the testimonies of the witnesses of respondent

    City of Davao illustrated how some residents of Davao City have

    been suffering from various ailments but these testimonies did

    not prove that the aerial spraying of substances is the proximate

    cause of the various ailments that they allegedly suffer.13

    This stand is made by the Court despite its own admission

    that it is skeptical of the foregoing claims on the seemingly

    foolproof safety of pesticides or fungicides, both as chemical

    substances and in terms of human exposure to the same, since

    petitioners-appellant already admitted that the pesticides or

    12 CA decision, dated January 9, 2009, p. 3013 Ibid., p. 27

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    23/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 23Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 23 of 25x=================x

    fungicides they used would prejudice the health of their workers

    if manually sprayed. The admission would sensibly mean that

    exposure to such substances, even in the diluted form, poses

    danger to the human health.14

    The general welfare clause of the Local Government Code

    allows local government units to exercise powers essential for the

    promotion of, among others, health and safety of its residents.

    To promote health and safety does not mean providing remedies

    when certain events happen which would cause actual injury to

    the residents of the LGU in terms of their health and would

    imperil their lives. Promoting health and safety also means

    preventing the occurrence of certain incidents which could

    logically endanger the residents health and could compromise

    their safety.

    Ordinance No. 0309-07 was enacted by the City of Davao in

    accordance with the powers granted to it by the General Welfare

    Clause of the Local Government Code. The ordinance was meant

    to prevent residents from suffering the possible health effects of

    exposure to pesticides and fungicides dispersed through aerial

    spraying. Although there is a lack of significant scientific findings

    14 Ibid.

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    24/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 24Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 24 of 25x=================x

    which can logically relate the ailments suffered by some

    residents to the aerial spraying of pesticides and fungicides, the

    fact remains that the toxicity of such fungicides and pesticides

    are deemed admitted by the petitioners themselves and the

    Court of Appeals. There is no need to wait for scientific findings

    to actually make the connection or for people to actually start

    suffering the harmful effects of pesticide and fungicide exposure.

    Promotion of health and safety encompasses not only protection

    from the dangers as they are present but also prevention of

    exposure to potentially hazardous situations.

    Withal, as the petitioners-appellees failed to overthrow the

    presumption of validity of Davao Citys Ordinance 0309-07, the

    appealed Decision must be vacated.

    PRAYER

    WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that the Decision of

    January 9, 2009 in CA-G.R. CV. No. 01389-MIN be REVERSED and

    SET ASIDE, and judgment be rendered upholding the VALIDITY

    and CONSTITUTIONALITY of Ordinance No. 0309-07 of the City of

    Davao.

  • 8/3/2019 OSG Comment - Banana Planers vs. Davao

    25/25

    COMMENT FOR REPUBLIC 25Pilipino Banana Growers andExporters, Inc., Et al.,vs. City of Davao,G.R. No. xxxxPage 25 of 25x=================x

    Makati City, February 20, 2009.

    JOANNA EILEEN CAPONESAssistant Solicitor General

    Roll No. xxxxx

    IBP Lifetime Roll No. xxxx

    AIDA ROSE VILLANUEVAAssistant Solicitor General

    Roll No. xxxxxIBP Lifetime Roll xxxx

    OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL

    134 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi VillageMakati City