Mr. Emil Q. Javier (left photo), president of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), discusses the benefits of transgenic crops in world agriculture during a media briefing organized by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Thursday, February 12 at the Richmonde Hotel in Pasig City. Javier points out that the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) has led to higher productivity, less production costs and reduced use of environmentally harmful chemicals. Meanwhile, Randy Hautea (extreme right, right photo), global coordinator and Southeast Asia Center director of ISAAA, says during the same briefing that Filipino researchers hope to commercially release Golden Rice, a vitamin A-fortified variety of rice, by 2012. Hautea says that the Philippines would probably be the first country to commercialize the Golden Rice, which is being developed only in the country through the efforts of the Philippine Rice Institute and International Rice Research Institute or IRRI. (PNA photos by Boy Antonio).

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