Manila — The Philippine’s move to address chemical safety through the formulation of the National Chemical Safety Management (NCSM) Program has gathered support from different government and non-government groups including Health Care Without Harm-Asia Pacific.
In a Technical Working Group meeting held on April 26 at Aloha Hotel in Manila, representatives from government agencies on health, environment, food and drug, fertilizer and pesticide, science and technology, economic development, labor; as well as key persons from academe, non-government organizations, and chemical industry reviewed the NCSM with focus on the proposed activities corresponding to its five objectives:
- To formulate strategies to minimize the risks associated with chemical use, production and trade;
- To improve the knowledge of stakeholders on chemical management;
- To strengthen the governance and coordination of agencies involved in chemical management;
- To promote capacity-building and technical cooperation among stakeholders; and
- To prevent illegal trafficking of toxic and dangerous chemicals in the country. From the first round of workshops, stakeholders have identified gaps in the implementation of the NCSM covering the areas of legislation, information gathering and dissemination, capacity for risk assessment and interpretation, risk management policy and precautionary principle approach, capacity for implementation and enforcement, capacity to respond to emergencies, capacity for rehabilitation of contaminated sites, and capacity for treatment of cases and effective resources.
- In the successful implementation of a comprehensive national program that will effectively tackle the gaps in chemical management in the Philippines, the TWG affirmed the importance of consultations with stakeholders and the collaborative effort of the different government agencies, legislators, civil societies and chemical industry. HCWH-Asia Pacific is an active member of the TWG.