The Nov. 18, 2004 column, "Bt corn ailments in Mindanao,' written by Mr. Bernardo Lopez is yet another calculated move to picture biotechnology as a monster, and that it would do no good to the country.

I beg to disagree.

Mr. Lopez has been in the forefront of the anti-biotechnology movement in the country and it is but normal for him to continue his impassioned attacks, even if they are full of inconsistencies and are, in the main, baseless.

Since he sees nothing correct in biotechnology, it is but natural for him to engage in twisting facts, misinforming and scaring the public in the process. To him and his allies, the real gains and health-friendly attributes of biotechnology are an illusion.

Mr. Lopez's article is a complete rehash of previous stories. The claim of Norwegian scientist Dr. Terje Traavik that Bt corn toxin caused an unusual outbreak of illnesses in a remote village in Mindanao is being challenged by Dr. Nina Gloriani Barzaga of the University of the Philippines-Manila College of Public Health.

Moreover, Dr. Traavik has yet to come up with pertinent scientific data to establish his claim, before going to town and causing panic among the people. I visited the site of Traavik's study, along with a medical team from UP Manila and the Department of Agriculture, to verify if ever the reported poisoning took place.

During our inspection and consultation early this year, Barzaga told journalists that Traavik's statement that "blood samples from several people in Southern Philippines carried increased levels of three different target antibodies showing evidence of an immune reaction to the Bt toxin built into the maize gene to combat pests" needs to be evaluated based on the basic principles of immunology and immunobiology.

According to her, it is important that Traavik specify which isotypes of antibodies were found to have increased in these individuals, the levels of increases, and the specific antigenic epitopes that these antibodies recognized. His data should also be able to establish that the presence of these antibodies correlated with clinical signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity (or any biologic activity) among these individuals. Barzaga also challenged Traavik to provide the medical world with the scientific data to prove his claims, as well as the details or methods of his study. Thus far, he has failed to comply.

Barzaga, who is also the director of the Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology-National Institutes of Health Philippines and research director of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, earlier assailed Traavik for causing 'undue public panic' when he disclosed to the media the results of his inconclusive preliminary study.

"It is also important for Traavik to indicate what types of tests were performed, and in which laboratories these tests were performed. There are accepted standardized and validated procedures used in any allergenicity testing," she said.

Another puzzle in Mr. Lopez's article is the mention of a certain Dr. Shrimohan Jain of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whom Mr. Lopez quoted as saying in a Manila seminar recently that "while plant-to- plant transfer of gene traits is less risky, plant-to-animal is very dangerous because of unpredictable mutations that may produce monsters such as pesticide-resistant "super-weeds" or "runaway species."

There is consensus that the consequence of transfer depends upon the trait encoded and its interaction with the environment. Thus, the regulatory agencies require thorough studies of GM crops on a case by case basis. In the case of Bt corn, which is the only crop approved for commercial planting in the Philippines, there is no shred of evidence that the Bt corn will turn into a weed. Just for the record, has anybody ever seen a stalk of corn growing in areas where it is not cultivated?

Would Mr. Lopez comment on the fact that more and more governments (18 so far) are now approving the use of genetically modified crop like Bt corn, GM canola, Bt cotton, and GM soybeans?

I am sure that no one wants to play "mini God" in this endeavor, but we all have a role to provide for the future so that the entire human race will survive.

BENIGNO D. PECZON, Ph.D.
President
Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, Inc.
Rm. 303, Puno Bldg., 47 Kalayaan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City