Spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Education, and Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippines celebrates the 4th National Biotech¬nology Week next week with the theme “Making Biotechnology Work for You.” Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine.

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotech¬nology as “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.” Biotechnology is often used to refer to genetic engineering technology of the 21st century, however the term encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying biological organisms according to the needs of humanity, going back to the initial modifications of native plants into improved food crops through artificial selection and hybridization. (Wikipedia)

The emergence of modern biotech¬¬nologies in the areas of agriculture, medicine, and chemistry has been a widely followed topic over the recent years. Breakthroughs have been achieved by Filipino scientists in harnessing biotechnology for food, biofuels, and the environment. Studies and research on biofertilizers, ethanol production-inducing bacteria, micronutrient enhancement, and improved crops like corn, sugarcane, coconut and various vegetables are also on going.

Being a member of the Asean, the Philippines, along with the other 9 Asean Member States are all signatories to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. An international agreement adopted in 2000, the Protocol highlights the need to ensure that maximum benefits are reaped from biotechnologies, while minimizing possible risks to humans and the environment. The Protocol also seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and living modified organisms (LMOs). It was set in place to ensure an adequate level of protection in the field of the safe transfer, handling, and use of LMOs. Safety in biotechnology or biosafety is a key concern among Asean Member States. Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are all in the process of developing their respective biosafety frameworks, policies, and laws.

Led by Rodrigo Fuentes, a Filipino, the Asean Center for Biodiversity (ACB) is an intergovernmental organization that promotes biodiversity conservation in the Asean region. It assists Asean Member States in carrying out scientific risk assessments on GMOs, and enforcing biosafety regulations by enhancing institutional capacity. A series of workshops, the latest of which was conducted in Vietnam on 20-22 November 2008, have been conducted to promote a better understanding of the Cartagena Protocol’s biosafety provisions among those who are involved in regulatory assessment and biosafety compliance activities in the Asean region. Through these workshops, ACB helps countries deliver their commitment under the Protocol.

The ACB calls on the Asean govern¬ments to continue establishing clear mechanisms that will ensure the balance between achieving biotechnology’s economic benefits and ensuring the safety of humans and the environment from its potential adverse effects. Further it calls on scientists, businessmen, members of the academe, farmers, investors, and the general public to contribute their share in establishing adequate safety measures that will give consumers an increased confidence in biotechnology products, thereby making biotechnology work safely.