Manila (6 October) -- The Philippine bio-safety standards and regulations have been cited in several international fora as a model in the region for its science-based, transparent and responsive system. The professionals behind the bio-safety regulations are people of impeccable reputation from the academe and scientific community and will not tolerate the entry of materials which will ruin Philippine agriculture.

Parallel safety assessments of every GM crop applied for commercial use are performed not only by several government regulators, but by independent scientists and technical experts in the field of human, animal and environmental safety.

This parallel safety assessment by internal and external reviewers, though stringent according to international standards is being resorted to ensure optimum product safety before any GM crop is commercialized.

Director Alice Ilaga, head of the Department of Agriculture's Biotechnology Program Office (BPO) assured the public that all genetically modified organisms (GMOs) approved for commercial release in the Philippines are safe.

All 44 GMOs approved for commercial release by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), an agency attached to the DA, were carefully evaluated by experts even after having been approved by equally competent regulatory bodies of other countries.

The BPI is the sole government agency responsible for the final approval or rejection of GMO applications for food, feed, processing or for propagation. (PIA)