August 31, 2009
Philippine province to modify GMO ban
The Negros Occidental provincial board has agreed to amend the provincial ordinance banning the entry of products with genetically modified organisms (GMO), to allow GMO products for processing into livestock feeds, among others.
Negros Occidental vice governor Emilio Yulo III said on Wednesday (Aug 26) that the board reached a consensus to amend the ordinance after a series of deliberations and feedback from scientists and experts.
Yulo said majority of the members of various committees who reviewed the ordinance, made preliminary agreements.
He also said that aside from allowing the entry of GMO products for livestock and poultry feed, the council has agreed to allow the entry of non-living GMOs, pharmaceuticals and medical products and the conduct of research and development under strict controlled conditions.
However, he said the amendments would still have to be formally carried out through normal legislative processes. The original ordinance would remain in effect until amended.
The vice governor said the proposed amendments were being drafted and would be referred to the provincial board during a formal session, which would take at least three weeks to amend an ordinance.
Negros Occidental pioneered the ban on GMOs when it passed the ordinance, also called the "Safeguard Against Genetically Modified Organisms," in 2007.
The province, along with Negros Oriental, has been putting measures in place to turn Negros into an organic food island.
In April, the Negros Occidental provincial government upheld the ban by rejecting shipments of illegal GMO corn at the capital''s port in Bacolod City, prompting protests especially from livestock and poultry growers who claimed they were losing millions of pesos because there were no GMO-free feeds in the market.