Author : Zamora, Oscar B.

Summary : The present debates about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are becoming more and more highly polarized. Worldwide debate over its potentials, benefits, risks and implications to society has intensified as the products have moved from the laboratory to the field and from research to commercial application. In the Philippines, Monsanto's MON 810 (DK 818, Yieldgard) became the first commercially available biotech food crop in Asia after the Department of Agriculture (DA) approved its commercialization and distribution last December 5, 2002 with the issuance of DA Administrative Order No. 8 (AO8). The approval process was mainly science-based, with the regulators mainly on the limited literature provided by the applicant (Monsanto). While many detractors of GE maintain that the issue of Bt corn is social economic, ethical and political in nature as much as technical and scientific, it is obvious that these issues are beyond the capability of existing Philippine regulatory bodies and committee to resolve. Without giving in to the narrow view that Bt corn is only a scientific and technical issue, there are also many reasons, grounded in Science, to be concerned about Bt corn in the Philippines. The current debate on the use of GM crops should not deprive the Filipino farmers of scientific advances that benefited farmers in other countries to increase their productivity. Our farmers should be given the freedom of choice on what technology to use and what variety to plant in their farms. Filipino farmers are intelligent enough to determine whether the Bt corn technology is applicable to them. Let us give them the chance to evaluate it themselves.