Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said yesterday that the provincial government will stand firm in its stand against the entry of GMO (genetically modifiedorganism) products into Negros Occidental.

“We have an ordinance, they cannot come in. In Negros we are GMO-free, we are an organic island,” he said, stressing the need for vigilance against such products.

(.....) Chito Media, MASIPAG national coordinator, said in a press release that Golden Rice has not been tested for safety.

The testing of golden rice to determine its agronomic traits through open field testing in Pili, Camarines Sur was strongly opposed by farmers and consumers, who uprooted the genetically modified rice, it said.