Shoe-makers push repeal of ‘rugby’ rule

LOCAL shoemakers are asking the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) to repeal a rule that requires adding mustard oil on toluene-based contact cement, which is more popularly known as “rugby,” an industry official said.

Roger Py, Philippine Footwear Federation Inc. director general, told reporters that DDB Regulation No. 6 titled “Classifying Toluene-Based Contact Cement Products Without At Least Five Percent [5 per;cent] Mustard Oil Content as Dangerous Drugs,” will hurt their business, as most shoe manufacturers in the country use rugby as adhesive.

DDB Regulation No. 6 aims to tone down the active ingredient toluene, whose aromatic and addictive properties are present in contact cements. Some street children abuse rugby by sniffing it.

Py said the regulation has imposed “steep” fees for companies that will secure licenses or permission to legally use contact cement for their businesses.

Also, adding mustard oil may make rugby less adhesive, he said.

Py said the industry wants the formulation of contact cement products added with mustard oil be tested first to know if they will remain adhesive.

Besides, mustard oil is carcinogenic, thus can also harm a person’s health, he said.

“This regulation will be saving street kids, but it will be killing our factory workers,” Py said in Filipino.

“If they want to reduce the incidence of rugby-sniffing, they should instead intensify their monitoring of abusers,” he added.

The Philippine Footwear Federation counts among its members 85 of the country’s shoe manufacturers.

Sales of shoes in the country last month dropped 20 percent following a seasonal surge due to the resumption of classes, the official said.

He said the slowdown in the economy has prompted consumers to save and spend less, so manufacturers are on a wait-and-see stance. “Right now, no one wants to invest in new shoe production machinery, as we are uncertain of the local market.”

Py also said the group of shoe exporters from Taiwan that was initially interested to relocate production lines to the Philippines temporarily deferred its plans, as orders from the US have declined due to the global economic slowdown.

“But we’re still hoping they [Taiwan Footwear Manufacturers Association] will not cancel their plans,” he said. –Ben Arnold O. de Vera, Reporter, Manila Times