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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DA to comply with SC's order vs propagation of genetically modified rice, eggplant

DA to comply with SC's order vs propagation of genetically modified rice, eggplant

Published Apr 25, 2023 08:47 am
The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant and Industry (BPI) said on Tuesday, April 25, that it will comply with the Supreme Court’s (SC’s) issuance of “Writ of Kalikasan” which temporarily halted the government from commercially propagating genetically modified (GM) rice and eggplant. “We have not yet received a copy of the writ, but rest assured that BPI shall review and comply with the writ as necessary,” BPI Spokesperson Diego A. Roxas told the Manila Bulletin. Meanwhile, he assured the public that genetically modified crops with biosafety permits from the BPI are safe. “We also assure the general public on the safety of GM crops issued a biosafety permit by the BPI.” During the SC’s full court session in Baguio City on April 18, the “Writ of Kalikasan” was issued by the high court. Reports said the writ directed the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Health (DOH), the director of the Bureau of Plant Industry, the Philippine Rice Research Institute, and the University of the Philippines in Los Baños in Laguna to file a verified return within 10 days from notice. The SC reportedly acted on the petition for a Writ of Kalikasan filed by several groups led by the Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura (Masipag). Various environmental groups have lauded the high court for issuing the “Writ of Kalikasan” against the release of GM crops. For one, Greenpeace Southeast Asia said that the “decision is a win for farmers and Filipinos who have long opposed genetically-modified (GM) crops and the harm they bring to the people and the environment.”
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