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THE
Department of Agriculture (DA) is standing by the
national policy on modern biotechnology and rejected the
call of Gov. Joseph Maranon of Negros Occidental for
support in banning genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
in the province.
Agriculture Undersecretary Bernie G. Fondevilla, in a
letter to Maranon, said the DA is prevented from
imposing a GMO ban, saying it runs counter to the
national policy of promoting the safe and responsible
use of modern biotechnology.
Fondevilla was reacting to an earlier letter from
Maranon asking the DA to support the province’s campaign
to promote the province as an organic-food island.
Subsequently, the campaign calls for the banning of
GMOs
Maranon’s called the attention of the DA last month and
asked for its “active participation and support” in
imposing the ban on the entry, importation, growing,
planting, selling and trading of GMO plants and animals.
Maranon
also asked the possibility of integrating or pairing a
monitoring stations to be put up by the provincial
government with the existing quarantine arrangements of
the DA in entry points in Negros.
Fondevilla, however, said that the DA respects the
decision of the provincial government of Negros
Occidental to ban GMOs in the province to achieve its
vision of becoming the country’s first organic-food
island.
But he
cited the national policy issued by President Arroyo on
July 16, 2001, which states that the Philippines
“promotes the safe and responsible use of modern
biotechnology as one of several means to achieve and
sustain food security, equitable access to health
services, sustainable and safe environment, and industry
development.”
According to Fondevilla, the policy directed the DA,
along with the health, environment and natural
resources, trade and industry departments, and other
concerned agencies of the government, to formulate
directives and regulations, on the access and use of
modern biotechnology products.
Subsequently, he said, the DA issued Administrative
Order 8s 2002, or the rules and regulation governing the
importation and release into the environment of plant
and plant products derived from modern biotechnology.
Further,
on March 17, 2006, he said President Arroyo issued
Executive Order 514, which establishes the National
Biosafety Framework, which strengthens the National
Biosafety Committee of the
Philippines.
“The
role of the DA regulations is to provide Filipino
farmers a wide array of available technologies for
agriculture production and ensure that the products of
these technologies are determined safe by DA regulatory
agencies consistent with standards on food, feed and
environmental safety,” he said.
He cited
as an example the list of approved products in the
registry of regulated articles for propagation, or
direct use for food, feed and processing into food and
feed issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry.
The
products, he said, are now commercially available in the
market.
Fondevilla said the DA is barred from banning such GM
products, which have been declared safe.
However,
he said, the DA respects their decision to establish the
province as an organic food island, saying the DA is
also promoting organic agriculture through compliance
with organic standards and certification and
accreditation systems. |
