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Spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture,
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of
Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Education,
and Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippines
celebrates the 4th National Biotechnology Week next week with the
theme “Making Biotechnology Work for You.” Biotechnology
is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture,
food science, and medicine.
The United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as “any technological
application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or
derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for
specific use.” Biotechnology is often used to refer to
genetic engineering technology of the 21st century, however the term
encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying
biological organisms according to the needs of humanity, going back
to the initial modifications of native plants into improved food
crops through artificial selection and hybridization. (Wikipedia)
The emergence of modern biotechnologies
in the areas of agriculture, medicine, and chemistry has been a
widely followed topic over the recent years. Breakthroughs have been
achieved by Filipino scientists in harnessing biotechnology for
food, biofuels, and the environment. Studies and research on
biofertilizers, ethanol production-inducing bacteria, micronutrient
enhancement, and improved crops like corn, sugarcane, coconut and
various vegetables are also on going.
Being a member of the Asean, the
Philippines, along with the other 9 Asean Member States are all
signatories to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. An international
agreement adopted in 2000, the Protocol highlights the need to
ensure that maximum benefits are reaped from biotechnologies, while
minimizing possible risks to humans and the environment. The
Protocol also seeks to protect biological diversity from the
potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and
living modified organisms (LMOs). It was set in place to ensure an
adequate level of protection in the field of the safe transfer,
handling, and use of LMOs. Safety in biotechnology or biosafety is a
key concern among Asean Member States. Cambodia, Laos,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are all in the
process of developing their respective biosafety frameworks,
policies, and laws.
Led by Rodrigo Fuentes, a
Filipino, the Asean Center for Biodiversity (ACB) is an
intergovernmental organization that promotes biodiversity
conservation in the Asean region. It assists Asean Member
States in carrying out scientific risk assessments on GMOs, and
enforcing biosafety regulations by enhancing institutional capacity.
A series of workshops, the latest of which was conducted in Vietnam
on 20-22 November 2008, have been conducted to promote a better
understanding of the Cartagena Protocol’s biosafety provisions
among those who are involved in regulatory assessment and biosafety
compliance activities in the Asean region. Through these workshops,
ACB helps countries deliver their commitment under the Protocol.
The ACB calls on the Asean governments
to continue establishing clear mechanisms that will ensure the
balance between achieving biotechnology’s economic benefits and
ensuring the safety of humans and the environment from its potential
adverse effects. Further it calls on scientists, businessmen,
members of the academe, farmers, investors, and the general public
to contribute their share in establishing adequate safety measures
that will give consumers an increased confidence in biotechnology
products, thereby making biotechnology work safely.
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