BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance prohibiting the selling, purchasing, and use of pens with lead content in the city and providing penalties for violation of the measure.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog stated that it shall be a policy of the local government to prohibit the selling and purchasing of pens with lead content and using it to paint homes, schools, day care centers, parks and playgrounds, decorative applications, private or public buildings or structures, pedestrian lanes, signages among others.
Further, the ordinance stipulated that the local government through the Bids and Wards Committee (BAC), City Health Services office, and the City General Services Office shall adopt a ‘lead safe pen procurement policy’ to ensure that only certified lead safe pens and products are purchased pursuant to government regulations to protect employees, customers and the public against the harmful effects of lead exposure.
Under the proposed ordinance, any individual, private or public office, or business establishment, found to have violated pertinent provisions of the measure shall be penalized with a fine of P3,000 for the first offense, a fine of P4,000 for the second offense and a fine of P5,000 and cancellation of business permit in the case of a business establishment selling pens with lead content for the third offense.
The ordinance tasked the City Health Services office, The City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO), and the City General Services Office to conduct monitoring on compliance and ensure the proper implementation of the local legislative measure in the different parts of the city.
Moreover, the City Health Services Office, the CBAO and the GSO shall prepare the implementing rules and regulations to effectively and efficiently implement the pertinent provisions of the measure to include the listing of all pen brands with lead content and creation of a working committee, if necessary, to fully implement the provisions of the ordinance.
Subsequently, the crafted implementing rules and regulations shall be submitted to the City mayor and to the City Council for their perusal and approval.
The ordinance also mandated the City Public Information Office under the City Mayor’s Office and the Public Information officer of the City Council shall ensure the widest information dissemination of the ordinance to guarantee full compliance of the public to the said measure.
The ordinance claimed that lead pens for home use continue to be widely produced, sold, and used in developing countries like the Philippines despite the fact that most highly industrialized countries have already banned lead pens for household use more than 40 years ago.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified lead as one of ten chemicals of major public health concern, needing action to protect the health of workers, children, and women of reproductive age and that it is currently developing guidelines on the prevention and management of lead poisoning, which will provide policy-makers, public health authorities, and health professionals with evidenced-based guidance on the measure that they can take to protect the health of children and adults from lead exposure.
The ordinance was referred to the proper committee for study and recommendation whether or not it will be subjected to second and third readings. By Dexter A. See
