Top Filipino scientists have urged the Supreme Court to junk a petition filed by environmental groups against the field testing of genetically modified eggplant in the country. Emil Javier, president of the National Academy of Science and Technology and former president of the University of the Philippines, said “Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant is potentially the best environmentally friendly technology for eggplant production.” [...] He argued that the filing of the petition “is not in the national interest, and the academy, together with UP and the mainstream, reputable scientists from the local and global community strongly support agricultural biotechnology.”