The SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA BIC) together with its partner agencies, successfully enlightened media practitioners from the Visayas region on the potential benefits of biotechnology to agriculture and to the environment.

Dubbed ‘Creating Public Awareness, Knowledge and Understanding of Biotech Crops’, the media workshop held at the Sabin Resort Hotel, Ormoc City, Leyte on 12 May 2009 convened about 20 media practitioners coming from all over the Visayas region. The event was also widely attended by key researchers from the region, and some members of the Local Government Units (LGUs), NGOs, and private sectors.

Experts from the community shared their knowledge on the principle, concepts and status of biotech crops globally. Likewise, participants were updated by Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) on the R&D initiatives of the country as well as the biotech crops in the pipeline which are hope to be available in Philippine market in the next three to five years. Project Development Specialist and Secretariat of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines, Ms. Julieta Fe Estacio, briefed the participants on the safety assessment procedure being undergone by biotech crops prior to commercial release. According to Dr. Emiliana Bernardo, notable scientist and member of the Bureau of Plant Industry’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel, “A GM crop is proven safe unless it underwent rigorous safety and risk assessment processes”. Dr. Bernardo shared her experiences in monitoring the safety of Bt corn during its development, and pre-and post-release in the country in 2002. Bt corn is the first biotech crop approved for propogation in the Philippines.

The media workshop was organized by SEARCA BIC in cooperation with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), PCARRD, Program for Biosafety Systems - Southeast Asia, and the Visayas State University.

(Rochella B. Lapitan, SEARCA BIC).