Establishment of Pesticide Analytical Laboratories in Major Areas of the Country

February 8, 1980

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 986

WHEREAS, the Government has launched several intensified food production programs that brought about the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties; aisa dc

WHEREAS, to realize potential yields of the new varieties and to avoid yield losses caused by various pests, agricultural pesticides are necessary inputs;

WHEREAS, improper pesticide usage presents grave risks to users and the public in general because of the inherent toxicity of these compounds and their persistence in the environment;

WHEREAS, there has been created in the Bureau of Plant Industry a Pesticide Analytical Laboratory with facilities for pesticide residue and formulation control;

WHEREAS, data generated by this Laboratory and its monitoring component will be used for the establishment of guidelines for pesticide standards, specifications, and a residue tolerance system applicable to the Philippines; acd

WHEREAS, it now becomes imperative to have a pesticide data generating network that is relevant and on a scale that is truly national;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, do hereby order and direct:

1. That there shall be established within the Bureau of Plant Industry three satellite pesticide analytical laboratories in major areas of the country. These satellite laboratories shall be charged with the following specific functions;

a. To determine pesticide residues in agricultural products in order to protect the local and international consumers from possible health hazards;

b. To check on possible indiscriminate use and application of pesticides on food crops and other agricultural products; aisa dc

c. To determine pesticide degradation rates for different crops to be able to establish "waiting times" and prepare recommendations to improve/change agricultural practices; and

d. To determine and evaluate practices on the use of pesticides for possible modification resulting in acceptable low residues in agricultural products.

The locations of these laboratories shall be: Baguio for Northern Luzon; Mandaue City for the Visayas; and, Cagayan de Oro for Mindanao.

2. That sample collection centers shall be established in the different regions. A satellite lab will service the regional sample collection center within its area of coverage. cd

The lab in Northern Luzon will service Reg. I and II.

The lab in Visayas, Reg. VI, VII, and VIII.

The lab in Mindanao, Reg. IX, X, XI, and XII.

The Central Lab in Manila, Reg. III, IV, and V.

3. That pesticide mobile labs shall be assigned to designated key areas to collect field samples, be an instrument in informational drives on pesticides handling and safety, and be a rolling clinic for pesticide poisoning cases.

4. That pesticide surveillance teams shall be created in the framework of the BPI Surveillance and Early Warning System to collect samples for analysis, monitor pesticide consumption and identify problem areas as far as non-regulated pesticide use is concerned.

5. That the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority and the Bureau of Plant Industry cooperate and coordinate with each other in the monitoring, evaluation and documentation of all data generated so that practical guidelines for national pesticide standards, specifications and tolerance may be prepared and implemented.

6. That the budgetary requirements for the operation and maintenance of this pesticide data generating network shall be provided for in the national budget by way of the regular budgetary appropriations.

This Letter of Instructions shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 8th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty.