02/09/2025
𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐏𝐄𝐍̃𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐌𝐒 (𝐆𝐌𝐎) 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄
We are the organic hotspot of the Philippines. Since the 1990’s Negros Occidental is at the forefront of the organic movement, and other provinces and even Southeast Asian countries learned from us. Do we just forsake that pride and heritage?
Let us be aware of the facts:
1. European countries like Germany, France, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Luxembourg have banned the cultivation of GMO’s in their territories.
2. In Africa, Zambia, Sudan, Zimbabwe will not even accept GMO contaminated food aid together with Tanzania.
3. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Peru, Ecuador, and even Bhutan reject GMO.
What do they know that our provincial leaders may not be aware of? Let’s study the science-based opposition to GMO’s:
1. They may say that there is no study that empirically concludes that GMO is bad for health reasons. That is correct. That is why we must be wary and very careful of adapting GMO in our province precisely for that reason.
There is a lack of consensus on the long-term safety of GMO’s. Let us not use Negrenses as experiments.
We are human beings not members or statistics to test and risks until such time as definitive and peer reviewed studies rule out GMO’s risks potentials to human and environmental health.
Let us not exchange short-term economic benefits for our long-term health.
Our leaders should lead in protecting our land, people, plants and our environment from the uncertainties of the long-term effects of genetically modified organisms in our province.
2. Has our provincial leaders studied the environment risks? Like biodiversity losses? Pesticide resistance? Effect on traditional farming systems? And gene transfer to wild species?
3. How are we protecting our local and organic agriculture systems and markets?
4. Will our sustainability be affected by becoming dependent on foreign seed companies?
5. How are we protecting our “natural farming” traditions?
So many uncertainties and yet a provincial ordinance will be passed without any public hearing on matters that affects our present and future generations.
Why? Why? Why?
𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄, 𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐌𝐎’𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐒 𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋.
𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐧̃𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐚 𝐉𝐫. – 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐧̃𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐚 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬
