LOCAL government executives and officials from several towns in Luzon agreed to help propagate genetically engineered crops in their municipalities to ensure food security and alleviate poverty among marginalized farmers in their areas. Mayors, sangguniang bayan members, and line agency officials, who attended on Thursday a forum for local government officials at Annabel's Restaurant in Quezon City, have shown interest in
biotechnology after several scientists and agricultural experts briefed them on the potentials and safe use of biotech products.

"The mayors, vice mayors and the sangguniang bayan hold the key to the successful implementation of the biotech program," said Fr. Noli Alparce, head of the DA-Information and Education Campaign (DA-IEC).

"That is why it is very important that we share with the town executives the information that would convince them to accept and embrace biotechnology as an alternative process to increase their farmers' crop yields." Alparce, Dr. Saturnina Halos, chairman of the Department of Agriculture-Biotech Advisory Group (DA-BAG), Director Alice Ilaga, chief of the DA-Biotechnology Program Implementation Unit (DA-BPIU) and Abraham Manalo, executive director of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines Inc. (BCP), told local officials that biotech products is the wave of the future.

The experts assured them that biotech products are given the strictest regulatory guidelines before they are allowed to be commercially safe and available.

Alparce also told the mayors that biotechnology offers a wide range of application. He said that bio-reactors can be applied in the solid-waste management program of municipalities. He said that he was able to convince Sorsogon Mayor Sally Lee to use composting by the town's solid waste management board and to use bio-reactors to
process solid waste.

"This is the law and maybe you can start to constitute your [town or city] solid waste management board, including the provincial solid waste management board to do it now," Alparce told the mayors. "Biotechnology is a technology that is already available."
He said that local officials should consider the advantages of biotechnology in agriculture and environment. He urged them to inform their constituents on the urgency of the situation.

Ilaga said that 19 biotech products have already been approved for commercialization worldwide after several years of stringent testing proved the products to be safe for food, feed and processing.

"This is very important because new technology will give us new knowledge," Kasibo, Nueva Vizcaya Mayor Romeo Tayaban said. "Even if we only have few farmers planting corn and rice, I believe biotechnology will be a big help to the farmers because it will help them increase their crop yields."

"At first I really don't have any idea on what biotech is all about and we're not even talking about it at all," Cabiao, Nueva Ecija Mayor Gloria Congco said. "Now that I was able to listen [to the lectures], I am starting to think that the Filipinos really need to understand this technology further." Congco said that as chief executive of her town, she will gather her constituents so they may know more about the technology and its application to the agricultural sector. She cited the Vital-N bio-fertilizer that was introduced by Dr. Halos to the mayors.

"I did not know that there was such a fertilizer wherein you can use one pack in exchange for four sacks of fertilizers which means more than half of the price. That is good news for my farmers," Congco said. "We are an agricultural town and we are into rice and sorghum, so this kind of advancement will be beneficial to the farmers.

"I am very interested, in fact I would like my Sangguniang Bayan to listen because they are the ones who would be asking questions so they would be able to understanding the technology," she said. Mayor Jose Dizon of Guimba, Nueva Ecija, said, "In terms of
modern technology we really need it to help the farmers in my municipality.

We are an agricultural town so what we need is a technology that would increase the farmers' products. I see that biotechnology will be a big help to our farmers, especially in the agricultural sector. We are willing to know more about the technology especially with my [municipal] councilors and the farmers so they will have the idea what biotechnology is all about." Guimba has a land area of 25,000 hectares.

At the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) assembly at the Manila Hotel in December 2004, LMP secretary general, Mayor Gerardo Calderon has urged all local town executives to give biotechnology a chance.

Alparce also invited the mayors to the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the LMP and the DA on July 1 at the opening of the Biotechnology Shopping Seminar.