CropLife rep cites irony of Pan-Pacific farmers learning from RP with GM crop moratorium in place
Margust Dela Cerna | August 19, 2024
Despite the ongoing moratorium on GM crops BT eggplant and Golden Rice ordered by the Court of Appeals in Manila, farmer groups from the Pan-Pacific still pushed through with their plans to visit the Philippines to learn about developments made by the country in terms of biotechnology.
According to CropLife Philippines Executive Director Ramon Abadilla, this should be a wake up call for the court to reverse its decision, given that other countries are recognizing the country’s milestones borne through years of research and development.
“Sa totoo lang, it’s ironic that other countries want to learn from us and yet, we do not trust the gains that we made through biotechnology and how it can positively address issues on food security, climate change and health. These are all supported by years of study,” lamented Abadilla. “Mas bilib pa sila sa atin kaysa sa sarili nating mga kababayan.”
Delegates from the Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program, made up of farmer-leaders, scientists, academic media, government officers, and policymakers, are currently in the country to visit to biotech farms, research facilities, and seed processing plants to set benchmarks on stringent, science-based regulatory processes ensuring the safety of biotech crops for humans, animals, and the environment.
Abadilla further said that the milestones made by the Philippines in terms of science and technology has become an inspiration for some countries who are only now starting their journey with GM crops. It can be recalled that scientists and academics came together at the heels of the court’s decision to debunk its basis and decry lack of proper representation of the scientific community in their deliberations since the claims of harm to human health has been resolved by researches conducted in the past 30 years.
“Sa totoo lang, it’s ironic that other countries want to learn from us and yet, we do not trust the gains that we made through biotechnology and how it can positively address issues on food security, climate change and health. These are all supported by years of study,” lamented Abadilla. “Mas bilib pa sila sa atin kaysa sa sarili nating mga kababayan.”
Delegates from the Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program, made up of farmer-leaders, scientists, academic media, government officers, and policymakers, are currently in the country to visit to biotech farms, research facilities, and seed processing plants to set benchmarks on stringent, science-based regulatory processes ensuring the safety of biotech crops for humans, animals, and the environment.
Abadilla further said that the milestones made by the Philippines in terms of science and technology has become an inspiration for some countries who are only now starting their journey with GM crops. It can be recalled that scientists and academics came together at the heels of the court’s decision to debunk its basis and decry lack of proper representation of the scientific community in their deliberations since the claims of harm to human health has been resolved by researches conducted in the past 30 years.
