Courts: The Philippines Is Still Not Ready For GMOs

The Philippines is considered a third world country. Why? In terms of infrastructures, we are behind. Population growth is incontrollable. Not to mention the heavy traffic and poor inflation rate. All these sum up to our incapability to provide top of the line scientific research tools.

Research is the key to improvement. While we are too agog in improving everything all at once, there are just some things that cannot be hurriedly done. In the recent decision of the Supreme Court on the field testing of Bt Talong, it was held that it is void and should be stopped.

One of the petitioners of the case was Greenpeace. It is a non-governmental organization that aims to protect the future from further destruction. According to its page, greenpeace promotes the welfare of the people, the environment and detests environmental criminals and companies that are not able to live up to the promises to safeguard the environment.

While the respondents’ aim was to provide shortcut in production of crops that are staples in our daily lives, it was not enough a reason to disregard the effects of artificial additives and genetic engineering to the source of our food and medicine.

In the United States, there are three bodies that regulate the genetically modified crops. In the Philippines, there are also three institutions. Namely, The National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) with the aid of the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Environment (DENR) and the Health (DOH), The Department of Agriculture (DA) via the Bureau of Plant Industry’s (BPI) Biotech Core Team (BCT); and the so-called independent Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP). These three are in charge of the biosafety, risk assessment and regulation for all GMOs that enter the Philippines.

The question is, whether the Philippine courts are correct in interfering with the regulation of genetically modified food. Generally speaking, the judiciary is part of the government. And the government’s main objective is always for the betterment of its citizens and country. In ruling in favor of the petitioners, the courts were only deciding based on the facts presented to them and based on the fact that, general welfare should be upheld.

Based on the constitution, Judicial power includes the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable, and to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the Government. This sums up my view on why for me, the courts have the right to interfere. A case was presented because the petitioners file a writ of kalikasan alleging that Bt talong trials violate their constitutional right health and balanced ecology. During fact finding and further arguments, they found that safety will be on the line if further field testings on Bt talong will be continued. They were, but doing their job.