POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato --  More than 100 tribesman turned themselves for a medical examination here Friday after they were hit by several illnesses allegedly caused by the controversial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn planted in their village.

The Justice and Peace Desk of the Diocese of Marbel mobilized the medical mission after receiving health complaints from B'laan residents of this barangay's sitio Kalyong, arising allegedly from actions caused by the flowering of the Bt corn produced by seed-giant Monsanto.

Sister Susan Bolanio, JPD coordinator, said her office received the complaint of more than 50 natives on August 6, prompting her to immediately organize the medical mission that was coordinated with Dr. Edgardo Sandig, provincial health officer of South Cotabato province.

In her letter to Sandig, Bolanio said the symptoms allegedly caused by the Bt corn that hit the natives range from gastrointestinal pain, vomiting, headache, cough and running nose. Bolanio attached the names of the afflicted villagers in her letter to Sandig.

But Monsanto officials quickly denied that Bt corn caused the diseases afflicting the natives. The government approved Monsanto's application for the commercialization of Bt corn in December 2002.

"This is first time I heard that the Bt corn is allegedly causing such health problems. Thousands of hectares of lands have been planted with Bt corn. I'm sure the illness that struck them were not brought by the [transgenic crop]," Dr. Arnold Estrada, Monsanto product development manager, told TODAY in a telephone interview Saturday.

Estrada, however, gave an assurance that the company will look into the report to douse "ill-perceived' notions about Monsanto's Bt corn, reiterating the transgenic plant's safety to human health and the environment.

Bolanio, who also admitted that the health problems experienced by the natives could not be directly linked to Monsanto's Bt corn, said they would ask some of the afflicted to undergo toxicology tests to determine whether the symptoms almost at the same period. [It was] very unusual because this has never happened to the community, but only now that Bt corn has been planted in the area," the nun stressed.

According to her and Gloria Sabit and Cecilio Gabalunos Sr., who also work for the Catholic Church, some five bags of Bt corn YG 818 Dekalb have found their way into the area.

Gabalunos, Social Action Center coordinator for the Good Shepherd Parish in Polomok town, claimed that Arlene Amarille told him that she and her husband, Boy, a barangay kagawad, bought five bags of YG 818 from Monsanto for planting in their farmlands here.

Dr. Edwin Dipus, Polomok health officer who examined the patients, said there's no evidence that the illness that hit the natives were caused by the Bt corn.

"The sickness that befell the natives were also common in other areas of the municipality where there's no Bt corn. We have to find out if Bt corn really caused the illness. We have to ask the toxicology experts," said Dipus.

Dipus noted that the illness that struck the villagers were mostly respiratory-track infections, cough, fever, running nose and some skin diseases.

Samuel Malayon, a B'laan living two meters from a Bt-corn field, said he experienced vomiting during, the pollination period of the crop in July.

Malayon claimed that his daughter, Maryjane, 23, experienced the same symptom, but with the fever. The four-month-old child of Maryjane was also hit by a fever. All other members of the Malayon family became ill. They all live under one roof.

The Malayon family had abandoned their house near the BT corn field and sought refuge at the heart of barangay Landan.

Their neighbor also claimed to have suffered various symptoms starting mid-July, henceforth, several residents interviewed for this report said.

Opong Labua, 45 whose house is located some 100 meters from the Bt-corn field, said they could smell a strong odor allegedly coming from the transgenic plants. He said vomiting and cough also downed his entire family.

Benta Dealoma, 40 purok president, said this was the first time the community was hit by various illness almost at the same time.

He urged authorities to determine whether the Bt corn brought the disease, adding that if it will be found out that the transgenic crop has caused the health problems, they would not allow the controversial crop in their area.

"There's no good planting it [Bt corn] if it imperils our lives," he said in Ilonggo.