The Crop Protection Association of the Philippines (CPAP) and members of
the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines (NAST)
have both released statements urging President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to reconsider
her position and allow the continued experimentation with GMOs in field trials.
The statements are a reaction to a presidential statement in March in which
Macapagal-Arroyo argued that GMOs have potential hazards to human health and
the environment. The groups pointed out that a stringent set of guidelines were
established by the National Committee on Bio safety of the Philippines
(NCBP) to ensure GMO experiments are safe.
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So far, NCBP has only allowed two companies, Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines
and Agroseed Corp, subsidiary of agribusiness giant Monsanto,
to experiment with field trials of Bt corn, a genetically modified product that
contains the Bacillus thuringiensis gene, which is deadly to the Philippines’
greatest agricultural pest, the Asiatic corn borer.
"[Continuing the field tests] is the best way to determine if the technology
is applicable to the Philippines and prove that genetically modified products
are safe. This process is being undertaken by other countries as well, particularly
our neighbours Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia," commented CPAP, pointing
out that once approved, Bt corn will reduce production costs for farmers, who
will no longer need traditional pesticides.
Members of NAST pointed out meanwhile: "Biotechnology products can even
provide greater benefits to consumers, who have always been the ultimate beneficiaries
of product innovations. For instance, modern biotechnology can be a useful tool
to attain greater nutritional security through enhanced products’ vitamin content
and prolonged shelf life. Modern biotechnology can also produce healthier oils
and develop vaccines to fight dreadful diseases like cholera and malaria."
"Scientists recognize that no technology is without risk. However, they
have great confidence in the NCBP, the inter-department agency tasked to regulate
R&D in modern biotechnology…. (The NCBP) has been cautious and stringent
in the implementation of its regulations," the statement continued.
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By GlobalDataGovernment guidelines are currently being drawn up by the Department of Agriculture’s
Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) and the Health
Department’s Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), in order to govern the commercialisation
of food and animal feed products that are developed with biotechnology.
