PAGADIAN CITY | June 27, 2022 – To strengthen partnership with stakeholders in promoting safe and responsible use of agricultural pesticides, FPA Zamboanga Peninsula oriented 25 Pesticide Field Technicians and company representatives in Zamboanga del Sur at Springland Resort, Pagadian City on June 23, 2022.

The activity aims to orient company frontline workers on FPA mandates and functions, and give updates on the Agency’s guidelines especially product stewardship.

Regional Officer Alex Paalisbo discussed the role of FPA in agriculture and its mandates namely: assure the agricultural sector of adequate supplies of fertilizer and pesticide at reasonable prices, rationalize the manufacture and marketing of fertilizer, protect the public from risks inherent in the use of pesticides, and educate the agricultural sector in the use of these inputs (FPA Mandate).

Provincial Officer (PO) of Zamboanga Sibugay Charlie Limbag tackled the general information on pesticides including the legal basis and definition of pesticides. According to PD 1144, pesticides mean any substance or product intended to control, prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate any pest, whether indirectly or directly. He also identified the different classifications of pesticides and products.

PO of Zamboanga del Norte Dionn Mark Bohol enumerated the requirements for product registration. He also discussed the process flow of registration and the proper labeling requirements. Labels should be provided with readily-understood information on:

• Content of the container and the purpose for which it may be used
• Direction on how to use the pesticide
• Hazards of the pesticide and appropriate precautions to take in its storage, handling and use
• Symptoms and signs of poisoning, and the recommended first aid and medical treatment in the event of poisoning

PO of Zamboanga del Sur Michael Tuico discussed product stewardship and post-registration activities. He mentioned that FPA officials will continue to monitor the companies regarding their compliance with product quality, residue on food and feeds, environment, pesticide poisoning prevention, and proper labeling.

PO of Zamboanga City Paulyn Kim Alfuente elaborated on pesticide poisoning and first aid management. In case of expected poisoning, PO Alfuente enumerated the immediate steps that should be done:

• Check if the person is breathing
• Stop exposure to the position
• Save the pesticide container and any remaining material. Give the readable label or name of chemicals to the physician. If unable to, save a sample of the vomit.

FPA then conducted a pre-test and post-test to gauge the knowledge and learnings of the participants where a significant improvement was observed. FPA RFU 9 promised that they would continue to monitor the compliance of the attendees, especially its product stewardship activities.