Biotechnology experts guaranteed the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) food products that have been approved for commercial release in the Philippines saying the welfare of the consumers and the general public is their primary concern in approving or rejecting GMO applications.

All GMO applications that have been approved for commercial release in the Philippines, thus, passed the stringent biosafety regulatory process that are at par with other international standards, says Dr. Saturnina Halos, head of the DA Biotechnology Program Office (BPO).

The Philippines has so far approved 44 GMO products that were also approved for commercial release in other countries, according to Halos. Most of these GMO products are food.

Director Alicia Ilaga, head of the DA Biotechnology Program Office (BPO) said the Philippine biosafety standards and regulations have been cited in several international fora as a model in the region for its science-based, transparent and responsive system.

DA Administrative Order No. 8 issued in 2002 embodies the rules and procedures adopted by the Philippines through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), to protect end-users, consumers and the environment from harm.

Moreover, she said the professionals behind the biosafety regulations in the Philippines are people of impeccable reputation from the academe and scientific community and will not tolerate the entry of materials that will compromise the safety of the consumers and the general public.

The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), an attached agency of the DA, she added, remains as the sole government agency responsible for the final approval or rejection of GMO applications, whether they are safe for food, feed, processing or for propagation.

However, she said parallel safety assessments are performed to make sure that the GMO crop applied for commercial use are safe and pose no harmful effect to their intended users.

"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," she added.

"This parallel safety assessment by internal and external reviewers, albeit quite stringent according to international best practices, is being resorted to, to ensure optimum product safety before any GM crop is commercialized," she stressed.

Ilaga issued the statement, as she took the cudgel for the DA BPI which is constrained by a lower court from publicly discussing the manner by which the office approves GMO application because of an ongoing case.

Moreover, the official said anti-GMOs advocates are consulted, with some actively participating in the approval process.

"All GMOs approved for commercial release in the Philippines have undergone science-based risk assessment and safety regulation. Scientists make sure these GMOs are as safe as their non-GMO counterparts," she said. –Biolife News Service