ALABEL, Sarangani - Another genetically modified plant is expected to be released for mass production here.

Dr. Bienvenido Pecson, Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines president, said Filipino scientists are now perfecting a papaya variety that can resist the ringspot disease.

First developed in Hawaii where ringspot virus was prevalent in 1990s, Mr. Pecson said the gene for this variety has been developed by the scientists of Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development, an agency under the Department of Science and Technology using the Hawaiian technology.

Leading the development of this new papaya variety is Dr. Desiree Hautea, Mr. Pecson added.

"The technology is already available here, but we still have the field tests," he told journalists during a forum on biotechnology here.

If approved, the new papaya variety will be the second engineered plant to be grown here after the government approved the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn for commercial application in December 2002, despite opposition from cause-oriented groups.

Mr. Pecson said the new papaya variety solved the problem of Hawaii, which used to be hit with reduction in papaya production due to ring spots.

Mr. Pecson hopes that nongovernmental organizations will eventually stop their protests on the propagation of genetically modified plants, saying that scientists have proven that these are safe.

When multinational company Monsanto started its field test for its Bt corn in South Cotabato, cause-oriented groups held protests because of the possible bad effects that the products would bring to humans and the environment.

Although lately, protest actions were not as massive as before, these groups asked the government to at least compel companies producing engineered products to label these products so that consumers will have the choice.

This demand has fallen on deaf ears as even those proposals on the issue which were filed in Congress did not get enough support.

However, Socorro Requiza of the Konsumo Dabaw, a consumerist group, said the seeming refusal on the part of the national government to heed her group will not stop it from continuing with its battle.

"We just hope that eventually the government will really listen to us before it becomes too late," said Ms. Requiza.

But Mr. Pecson said the labelling is not needed anymore considering that the products were proven safe scientifically.