Category: Articles

ROXAS, ISABELA | February 28, 2023 – One of the licensed dealers in Roxas, Isabela, was issued with Stop Use, Move, Sale (SUMS) order on February 21, 2023, after selling a counterfeit “Brodan” product.

This was verified by Planters Product Incorporated during the inspection conducted by Provincial Officers (PO) Robert Salvador and Rhyemark Credo following instructions to investigate reports of alleged fake product distribution from Regional Officer (RO) Leonardo Bangad.

According to the technical staff of Planters Product Incorporated, original packaging bottles should have ‘MB’ written at the bottom instead of ‘JV.’ These letters are the manufacturer’s code to determine product authenticity.

“Selling counterfeit products could endanger the farmers and put the public at risk. Thus, FPA seriously prohibits product sale in the market,” RO Bangad said.

The team also found an unregistered herbicide product with the brand name “Power Glypo 480 SL” at the store. The said product was sealed and signed by PO Salvador indicating that it should not be moved or opened until the company complied with the registration process.

FPA RFU II will continue to inspect dealers in the region to ensure that the products sold are licensed under FPA. ###

CAGAYAN VALLEY | February 21-23, 2023 – The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) Region II conducted a province-wide inspection on February 21-23, 2023, to monitor the compliance of fertilizer and agricultural pesticide handlers in Cagayan.

Out of 30 establishments, 16 farm supply stores operated without a license and have not yet attended an Accredited Safety Dispenser (ASD) training. Most owners are beneficiaries of the Balik Pinas Balik Hanapbuhay (BPBH) program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The team educated the handlers on their committed violations and the process of applying for a license to operate (LTO). Those without ASD were strongly advised to attend the training on March 1 and 2, 2023, in Iguig, Cagayan, which is a prerequisite for securing LTO.

“In the meantime, this will serve as a warning for you. You should apply for a license and attend the training before selling,” Provincial Officer Henry Cayaban, Jr. warned one of the dealers.

Moreover, Stop Use, Move, and Sale (SUMS) orders were also issued to Solana West Farmers’ Cooperative (SOWESTFACO) in Ubong, Solana, Cagayan for selling unregistered products like ‘S Killer’ molluscicide and ‘Turbo kill’ insecticide. The said products are manufactured and formulated by Synergi Group Incorporated, which was found unlicensed handler under FPA.

The three-day inspection started from lower Cagayan, which includes the municipalities of Solana, Enrile, and Tuguegarao City, onto the municipalities of Sta. Teresita, Buguey, Camalaniugan, Lallo, Aparri, Abulug, Allacapan and Ballesteros. ###

DAVAO CITY | February 28, 2023 – Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority – Fertilizer Regulations Division (FPA-FRD) together with FPA Davao Region conducted a series of spot inspections to 11 major fertilizer handlers on February 6-10, 2023, in Davao City and the provinces of Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur.

The said inspection aimed to monitor their compliance with quality, process flow, and safe handling set by the Agency, with which all handlers passed.

FRD also monitored banana plantations to gather sufficient information for the proposal of new guidelines for fertilizer aerial application. This is in line with the concern on the aerial spraying of pesticides in Davao Del Sur raised by the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).

The team also audited on the FPA Davao Region’s license issuing procedure on the final day of their visit to ensure compliance with P.D. 1144, its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and ISO 9001:2015 standards.

The 5-day visit was spearheaded by Deputy Executive Director for Pesticide Mr. Eric Divinagracia, along with FRD Senior Agriculturist Marlo Deblois, Agriculturist II Mr. Jesson Garcia, FPA Regional Officer Marrisa Napalit, and Provincial Officers Louie Palarao, Cheery Agrade, and Imelda Rasay. ###

DAVAO DEL NORTE | FEBRUARY 28, 2023 – The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority Davao issued Notice of Violations (NoVs) to thirteen establishments (13) after conducting Clean-Up Drive (CUD) operation in the municipalities of San Isidro and Asuncion in Davao del Norte last February 15, 2023.

Violators were determined to lack the License to Operate (LTO) as a dealer, and the storekeepers are not accredited safety dispensers. One of them was issued with Stop Use, Move, Sale Order (SUMS) for selling expired products.

FPA advised the unlicensed handlers to attend the ASD training held last February 23, 2023, in Tagum City.

The ASD training is a prerequisite in securing a license to operate as a dealer of fertilizer and pesticide (F/P) products that aims to train store owners/proprietors, Individual Business Owners (IBOs) on the proper provision of guidance among end-users relative to the safe handling of products.

In addition, the team paid a courtesy visit to the Municipal Agriculture’s Office in San Isidro and distributed IEC materials.

The CUD operation, spearheaded by Regional Officer (RO) Marrisa Napalit, aimed to monitor distant agricultural areas where marketing of such agricultural inputs can possibly occur. ###

QUEZON CITY | February 24, 2022 – As the agency is gearing towards digitalization, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) inked its collaboration with Landbank of the Philippines for the online payment of accreditation services on February 24, 2023, at the FPA Board Room, Quezon City.

FPA OIC Executive Director Julieta Lansangan and the Landbank EDSA-NIA branch Head Marilou M. Saturno, led the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) witnessed by the FPA Management Committee.

Through this alternative payment system, clients for accreditation, such as Accredited Responsible Care Officer (ARCO), Certified Pesticide Applicator (CPA), Accredited Safety Dispenser (ASD), and researchers, can now pay fees online. This partnership would greatly benefit the clients for easy access and minimize recurrent transactions in the Central Office.

Ms. Saturno provided a walkthrough of the online payment processing using the LinkBiz Portal and assured FPA that any modification for improvement would be applied as soon as all transactions, including licensing, will be integrated in the future.

Here are the easy steps of paying on Link.bizportal:

1. Access https://www.lbp-eservices.com/egps/portal/Merchants.jsp and choose Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority.

2. Choose the type of accreditation you’re paying for.

3. Fill in the required information. Do note that amounts are fixed for specific accreditation type.

DIGOS CITY, DAVAO DEL SUR | FEBRUARY 23, 2023 – FPA Deputy Executive Director (DED) for Pesticide, Mr. Eric Divinagracia, and Provincial Officer (PO) Imelda Rasay joined the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) research committee meeting as one of the Technical Working Groups (TWG) to discuss concerns on aerial spraying of pesticide in the province last February 10, 2023, at DENR-PENRO Conference Hall in Digos City.

DENR, NEDA, Office of the Civil Defense, Tourism, and City and Provincial LGUs, have set up local guidelines to regulate modern crop protection technologies like drone spray applications, especially in Brgy. Kapatagan, Digos City, where banana plantations are located.

During the session, PO Rasay highlighted the memorandum circular issued by FPA on Good Agricultural Practices for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for use as spraying (MC no. 28 s. 2018). In addition, Ms. Rasay mentioned that FPA is already regulating Drone Spraying Operator Companies by accrediting their Pesticide Applicators and Spray Operation Crew, aside from their license as Drone Controller from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

Moreover, PO Rasay discussed the drone application of pesticides, including the safety procedures in pesticide spraying, safe handling of pesticides, and pesticide safety – post application. She emphasized during her discussion the equipment needed, recommended flying altitude of drone sprayers, proper transportation of pesticides, and reports required after spraying.

DED Divinagracia also informed the committee that the lists of approved chemicals for specific crops for drone spraying are available on the FPA website.

“There will be no problem with the application, exposure limit from excess mist/drifts, and wind velocity as far as the formulation and the proper guidelines are followed,” Mr. Divinagracia added while citing its advantages from conventional practices.

The PAMB and the rest of the TWGs are set to finalize their local guidelines and will adopt the memorandum issued by FPA regarding Drone Aerial Spraying in Davao del Sur. ###

ILOILO CITY | February 15, 2022 – As part of the ongoing monitoring for the distribution of the Fertilizer Disbursement Voucher program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) Region VI conducted a warehouse inspection at Brgy. Ingore, Lapaz, Iloilo City on February 15, 2023.

Regional Officer (RO) Noel Negre inspected the warehouse storage of La Filipina Uy Gongco and conducted random weighing of 50-kg fertilizer bags to ensure that the stocks sold to the public were within the standards implemented by the agency. As a result, it was recorded that the said warehouse followed the protocols and passed the inspection.

In addition, RO Negre informed the handler on the importance of regular calibration of weighing scales to ensure that the scale is within the standard test weight. He also recommended purchasing an electronic weighing scale to countercheck if there are discrepancies in determining the weight of an object.

With the ongoing Fertilizer Disbursement Voucher program of the DA, FPA is mandated to assure the public of an adequate supply of fertilizer, monitor the inventory and price, and check the weight of fertilizer being sold in the market through random weighing. ###

Quezon City | February 10, 2023 – To introduce and explain the international standard on conformity assessment in relation to the monitoring and enforcement function of Regional Field Units, the FPA Regional Field Unit NCR conducted an Awareness Webinar on ISO/IEC 17020:2012 held on February 2, 2023 via zoom.

The event was participated by more than one hundred FPA personnel nationwide including representatives from the Fertilizer Regulations Division and the Pesticide Regulations Division.

“As a regulatory agency, there is need for us to build competence in performing inspection and for the impartiality and consistency of our inspection activities,” exclaimed Maribel Querijero, Regional Officer of FPA NCR.

She explained that FPA, as an inspection body, carry out assessments on behalf of private clients including fertilizer and pesticide handlers. Along the process, the Agency provides and explains information about the conformity of inspected items with FPA regulations and standards.

ISO/IEC 17020:2012 “covers the activities of inspection bodies whose work can include the examination of materials, products, installations, plants, processes, work procedures or services, and the determination of their conformity with requirements and the subsequent reporting of results of these activities to clients and, when required, to authorities.”

Moreover, inspection parameters include matters of quantity, quality, safety, fitness for purpose, and continued safety compliance of installations or systems in operation. The general requirements with which these bodies are required to comply in order that their services are accepted by clients and by supervisory authorities are harmonized in this International Standard.

Related trainings on the implementation and audit are currently in the pipeline to be attended by FPA Regional and Provincial Officers, and FRD and PRD representatives. ###

References: International Standard Organization. (2012). ISO/IEC 17020:2012(en) Conformity assessment — Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection. Retrieved https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso-iec:17020:ed-2:v1:en

DAET, CAMARINES NORTE | February 10, 2023 – 20 Barangay Agricultural Extension Workers (BAEWs) learned the safe use of agricultural inputs and Balanced Fertilization Strategy (BFS) during the Capability Enhancement Training of Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) at Wiltan’s Hotel, Daet, Camarines Norte on February 6-8, 2023.

The team promoted BFS as an alternative for inorganic fertilizer consumption since prices are still at their heights nowadays.

BFS is a program recommended by FPA and other DA agencies that applies the 4Rs in fertilization: Right Source, Right Placement, Right Amount, and Right Rate to help enhance soil health and productivity, prevent declining soil fertility, and improve fertilizer availability and costs.

Further, due to the pesticide poisoning cases reported to FPA, the team also equipped the AEWs with safe agricultural processes, especially the importance of reading the pesticide label and safe handling of the said products. It is important to note that awareness could serve as a precaution to avoid pesticide poisoning in the field.

Moreover, provincial officers warned the participants about the increasing number of fake and off-specification fertilizers in the market. They urged them to double-check the products through the FPA website.

Regional Officer (RO) Gabriel Atole led the discussion along with Provincial Officers (PO) Cris Legaspi and Winsor Nueva.

The training on the Capability Enhancement for Farmer Leaders: “Facts in Field: A Training on Pest and Nutrient Management for Barangay Agricultural Extension Worker (BAEW) aimed to train the participants with knowledge and skills on the updated pest and nutrient management in the field. ###

QUEZON CITY | February 10, 2022 – Representatives from the FPA participated in the Local Practitioners’ Round Table Discussion on the Agrobiodiversity Component of the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP) organized by the Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PANAP) held on January 26-27, 2023 at Cocoon Boutique Hotel, Quezon City..

The team was composed of Maribel M. Querijero, Supervising Agriculturist; Mirasol O. Bacarisas, Officer in Charge – PMID; and, Mike P. Cuento, Agriculturist II. They provided inputs on the trends, concerns, and management of agricultural pesticides in the Asia Pacific, which served as one of the topics during the first day of the event.

Ms. Quijano reported that there are more than 500 unregistered pesticides present in the market globally without bioefficacy trials or testing, causing human illnesses such as autism and ADHD in children, and cancer.

Moreover, Ms. Querijero shared FPA’s mandate to ensure product efficacy and minimize the risk inherent in the use of pesticides to protect human health and the environment.

“As one of the food safety regulatory agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA), we work for the farmers. For instance, we educate them about maximum residue levels (MRLs), post-harvest interval (PHI), and toxicity, among others, for them to make their crop produce safe for consumption,” Querijero added.

She enlightened the group that the active list of thirty (30) banned and nineteen (19) restricted pesticides as well as registered pesticides in the country can be found on the FPA website.

Likewise, she explained that FPA focuses on the regulation of agricultural pesticides while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in charge of regulating household pesticides. ###