MANILA, March 18 Asia Pulse - Filipino scientists have developed another genetically modified (GM) plant which is expected to be commercially released soon.

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

"The technology is already available here, but we still have the field tests," he said.

If approved, this new papaya variety will be the second GM plant to be grown in the Philippines -- the first was the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn which was approved for commercialization in December 2002 despite opposition from cause-oriented groups.

Ringspot disease can cause severe damage to papaya. It was discovered in the country during the 1990s.

The gene for the GM papaya was first developed in Hawaii and has been used by scientists of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) in the development of new variety that can resist ringspot virus.

Pecson said the new papaya variety solved the problem in Hawaii, which had reduced papaya production due to the disease.

He expressed hope that non-government organizations will eventually stop their protests on the propagation of genetically modified plants, saying that scientists have proven that these crops are safe.

When multinational company Monsanto started its field-test of Bt corn in the different parts of the country, cause-oriented groups protested what it said were the possible bad effects that the product would bring to human and the environment.

The GMO opposers asked the government to compel companies producing such products to label them so that consumers would have the choice.

However, Pecson said the labelling of GM products is unnecessary, considering that these products have been proven safe scientifically.