KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PNA) - A farmers' group has called for an immediate moratorium on the planting of the controversial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn in the country, raising fears that the genetically-engineered crop could be again the cause of illnesses that recently hit several residents of at least two farming villages in Mindanao.

Francis Morales, advocacy officer for Mindanao of the Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Pra sa Pagunlad ng Agrikultura (Masipag), said they are now investigating the "unusual illnesses" that downed residents of barangay Tuka in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat and of barangay Kalapagan in San Mariano, Davao Oriental, supposedly after eating and being exposed to Bt corn.

"This is very alarming because these two new cases clearly show that Bt corn is not safe for huhmans," Morales told PNA.

In San Mariano, he said the Social Action Center (SAC) of the Diocese of Mati reported that several residents of barangay Kalapagan turned "yellowish" and became weak after allegedly eating grilled Bt corn sometime last month.

He said the case was documented by the diocese and a report was already submitted to the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace of the CAtholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.

In Bagumbayan, Morales said nore than a dozen farmers and residents of barangay Tuka complained that they fell ill two weeks ago after being exposed to the flowering Bt corn planted in their village.

"Some of them experienced nose bleeding, vomiting, fever and other flu-like symptoms," Morales said.

He said such symptoms were similar to those experienced two years ago by residents of sitio Kalyong in barangay Landan in Polomolok, South Cotabato where the first case of alleged harmful effects of the flowering Bt corn was documented.

In April this year, the same illnesses were reported to have hit at least a dozen residents near a Bt corn plantation in barangay Rotonda in this city.

The incident in Sitio Kalyong gained global attention when Dr. Terje Traviik, a scientist from the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, claimed a study on the blood samples of 39 B'laan residents from the area yielded positive of exposure to Bt toxin.

Morales said they plan to extract anew the blood samples of the affected residents in San Mariano and Bagumbayan for further scientific and medical testing.

He said they are considering tapping anew the services of Traviik, who is now reportedly conducting a study on "cause and effect" of the Kalyong incident in relation to the Bt corn toxin.

Morales said they have also started a campaign among farmers in Bagumbayan to stop planting Bt corn in the area.

Morales said they are also closely watching other villages is Bagumbayan wherein over 50 percent of the town's 67,295 hectares of agricultural lands are presently planted to corn.

Meantime, the Sultan Kudarat agriculture office said they have not received any report about the alleged downing of residents in barangay Tuka, Bagumbayan due to Bt corn.

"We don't know anything about that yet but we will immediately refer the matted to the Bagunbayan agriculture office," provincial corn coordinator Inocencio Padilla told PNA in a phone interview.