Former Pest Exterminator and DDT User Dies | Photo 02

Baguio City, Philippines: Former Pest Exterminator and DDT user Marcelo Tibaldo dies and left a legacy of environmental consciousness to his townmates. He has completed the marathon of life reaching the finish line at age 78. Hired as a Disinfector and Pest Exterminator by the Baguio Health Department in the late 50s, he fought the spread of the dreaded Malaria by spraying creeks and garbage bins with DDT. Sometime in the 60s, the World Health Organization banned the use of DDT due to its proven cancer causing effect and this caused Tibaldo to resign from his work after 20 years of government service when his bid for a hazards pay was not granted by the Baguio City government. He then engaged in buying and selling of scraps and engaged in the junk shop business that allowed him to send his children to college. The junk shop business and its recycling component became a boom towards the nineties due to felt environmental consciousness among many. Photo shows young Marcelo Tibaldo during a Baguio Day civic parade carrying a spray can as a Pest Exterminator or "Disinfector" in charge of spraying mosquito infested areas with DDT.