Various stakeholders in the agriculture sector from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao on Monday held the first Biotechnology Information Organization Network (BIONet) National Congress in Bahay Kalinaw at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City to support the resounding call for poverty eradication through the responsible use of biotechnology in the Philippines.

The environment group Greenpeace today lambasted the Department of Agriculture for allegedly flip-flopping on an earlier order revoking the authorization for the use of a genetically modified corn called MON863, which the group has found to be toxic. Mindanao is the country’s largest corn producer where many of these GMOs have been cultivated.

In a chance meeting last Friday, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap told this writer that he has ordered BPI to withdraw its approval for MON 863. ”There are other, less controversial seeds in the market,” he added.

Yap has never given this corner reason to doubt his word—and his decision on MON 863 will probably be welcomed by Greenpeace and others.

The work of press agents consists of not just getting the media to carry news favorable to their clients, but also to suppress information inimical to their business. Jargon in the traditional newsroom has an aptly descriptive phrase for it: ”Kill story!” One story that has suffered down play—as of this writing—comes from a scientific study, which found that genetically modified (GM) corn approved by Philippine authorities shows signs of toxicity to mammals. The giant agribusiness multinational Monsanto markets the GM corn in several countries, including ours, for animal feeds, food processing and human consumption.

A multisectoral group opposing the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country today called for the immediate recall from the market of a corn strain produced by biotechnology company Monsanto that allegedly contain toxic elements.Eliezer Billanes, chair of the Socsksargends Agenda, said a study released today by environmental group Greenpeace showed that Monsanto’s (MON) 863 YieldGard Rootworm was affirmed by scientists to contain elements that may potentially cause liver and kidney toxicity.

The Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE), a non-government organization, has urged the Bureau of Plant and Industry to turn down the application of a German company for its genetically modified rice varieties to be used for feed, food, and processing. The LLRice 62 (LL stands for Liberty Link) is a genetically modified rice variety developed by Bayer Crop Science, a German company based in the United States.

Church leaders in Manila have asked the Philippine president’s intervention in sales of genetically engineered rice reportedly unsafe for consumption. In separate letters on Feb. 9 and 13, respectively, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila and Father Benito Tuazon, head of Manila archdiocese’s ecology desk, urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to ban Uncle Sam Texas Long-Grain Rice, variety 9LLRice 601, from supermarkets.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales has added his voice to the growing criticism of the government for allowing the sale of a genetically engineered US rice product in major supermarkets. In a letter dated February 9 that was released Wednesday, Rosales asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to recall from the market Uncle Sam Texas Long Grain Rice, which is being distributed by Purefeeds Inc. ”We believe that we should strongly oppose any experiment or attempt to use genetically engineered food that is not safe or good to the environment,” Rosales said.

Greenpeace today moved to block Bayer"s application for the approval of the genetically-modified (GMO) rice LL62 for "direct use in food, feed, and processing" in the country at the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) in Malate. Questioning the expected approval of the GMO rice strain by the bureau’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel, the environmental group is set to submit a comprehensive dossier opposing GMOs, particularly the genetically-engineered (GE) Liberty Link (LL) rice, to oppose Bayer’s move to legalize LL62 for human consumption.

Negros officials and representatives from the private sector believe that in a few years, a shared goal of making the island the organic food bowl of Asia can be achieved.