Willingness to pay for PPE
Education and the belief that gloves would cause pasma significantly
affected farmers’ willingness to pay for the gloves (Table 5).
The more educated the farmer, the more he was inclined to
pay for the gloves; while a farmer who believed that wearing
gloves would cause pasma, the more he was less inclined to pay
for the gloves. Forty-one per cent of the respondents acknowledged
that using gloves might cause more harm than protection
specifically pasma, because the hands would be muggy, which is
in agreement with their perceptions about pesticides (Table 3).
On the other hand, age and farm size significantly affected
farmers’ willingness to pay for the masks. Farmers who were
more willing to pay for the mask were young, and working on a
larger area. Notably, younger farmers did the spraying, which
is strongly associated with the concept of pesticide immunity or
kaya ng dugo. Also, the larger the farming area, the greater the
exposure to pesticide sprays.
Among the labourers, income and belief in pasma were significant
factors contributing to the willingness to pay for the
gloves. Income significantly contributed to the labourers’ willingness
to pay for the masks but not for farmers. This indicates
the profound disadvantage of a farm labourer in protecting
himself from the hazards caused by pesticides to his health. The
wage rate for agricultural farm workers in Central Luzon was
US$7 and US$4 in 1991 and 2002, respectively. Aside from the
low pay for farm work, the availability of work itself was uncertain
for a hired farm worker on a daily basis. Thus, income or
the absence of it, presents a dilemma for the labourer and his
family: the uncertainty of having something to eat today or the
probability of his being sick in the future.