Author : Ilaga, Alice

Summary : The use and commercial application of the tools of modern biotechnology and its being pro-people is one big irony that many would say and agree with. However, the reality is the contrary. Through the Department of Agriculture's Biotechnology Program, the modern biotechnology sector has somehow carved out a niche of its own in the public sector arena of modern biotechnology research. The DA Biotech Program has funded several research and development projects in the government research labs to develop local products of modern biotechnology using indigenous crops - such as our local hybrid rice and papaya and other crops. In the near future the product of these researchers will bear the 'Pinoy GM' fruit of this labor and reaches full commercialization, this will surely belie that great irony that this technology is "foreign domination" of local agriculture. In this case, this will be more that just Pinoy GM but rather it's People's GM. Isn't that revolutionary? Isn't that People Power?