RP urged to follow Aussie move banning corn variety

MANILA, Philippines - Environmentalist group Greenpeace urged the Philippine government Friday to reassess its inadequate policies on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and revoke its approval of a corn variety that has been banned in Australia since early this month. In a statement, Greenpeace said that MON 863 (also known as YieldGard Rootworm) a GMO corn variety, must be band in the country as it has not yet been proven 100-percent safe for human consumption. In fact, the group said, Australia has already banned that corn variety early July. MON 863, a GMO BT corn manufactured by Monsanto, had been genetically tampered to contain bacteria bacillus thuringiensis enabling the grain to produce its own toxic insecticide to kill rootworm insects in the soil, and also contains gene coding for antibiotic resistance. In 2007, an independent study conducted in France showed that laboratory rats fed with the GMO corn displayed kidney and liver toxicity. Taking its cue from the study, the Health Ministry of Austria barred the corn variety’s importation to Austria last July 16. “GMOs have never been proven to be safe for the environment. This latest ban in Austria is a recognition of the grave risks inherent to GMOs. This case is especially significant to the Philippines where no GMO application has ever been disapproved, even while our GMO regulatory body does not in actuality test the veracity of the GMO’s safety," said Greenpeace Genetic Engineering Campaigner Daniel Ocampo. MON 863 was approved in the Philippines in October 2003. In March 2007, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap ordered that importation be disapproved after the release of the said French study. The secretary, however, immediately backtracked on his statement and upheld the approval after two days, without ordering further reexamination of the controversial corn. “The Philippine government must not continue to turn a blind eye to the threats posed by GMOs. The government must follow similarly strict GMO regulations that truly protect consumers. As a start, the DA should irrevocably withdraw the approval for MON 863, and reassess all other authorized GMO crops while implementing a moratorium on further approvals," Ocampo Said. - Ma. Fe Nicodemus, GMANews.TV