Science, benefits, and safety of biotech crops in the Philippines,
particularly the promising fruit and shoot borer resistant
Bt 'talong' (eggplant), was discussed by experts to more
than 200 college students of Central
Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) in a symposium
titled "Creating Awareness, Knowledge and Understanding
of Biotech Crops" last January 17, 2011.
In his opening message, Dr. Leonardo D. Sureta, Dean of
the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Environmental
Management, CBSUA, emphasized that the symposium is an opportunity
to acquire knowledge and gain appreciation for research
endeavors and collaboration of their university on biotechnology.
Dr. Eden C. Paz, Vice President for Academic Affairs of
CBSUA, averred they can analyze the positive and negative
issues of Bt eggplant. She said that it is important to
recognize the different techniques of biotechnology and
more importantly, its contributions, such as that in plant
variety improvement. She also pointed out that the only
way that the poor can increase their income is to increase
their productivity, and that application of modern biotechnology
can greatly help.
In the symposium proper, the development of the project
and the science behind the upcoming fruit
and shoot borer resistant Bt eggplant was discussed
by Dr. Lourdes Taylo, entomologist and study leader of Bt
eggplant project in the University
of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB). She gave an update
on what is being done in research and development, and how
it has progressed from technology acquisition until its
current research phase under the multi-location trials.
She also shared the Bt eggplant's potential benefits and
opportunities, and clarified it is as safe to humans and
other non-target insects, based on the long history of safe
use of the Bt technology.
Another entomologist, Mario Navasero of UPLB, discussed
the safety assessments for non-target arthropods and the
complementation of the use of Bt eggplant with other control
tactics in the context of Integrated Pest Management program
for eggplant. Dr. Evangeline de la Trinidad of the Regional
Crop Protection Center, Region V, also talked about her
roles as an Institutional Biosafety Committee member, a
monitoring arm of the Bureau of Plant Industry, in ensuring
safety of biotech crops prior to commercial deployment based
on science-based risk assessment and management.
The symposium was co-organized by CBSUA, Department
of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office, the International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA), Agricultural
Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSPII), the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID),
and the Southeast
Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in
Agriculture-Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA BIC).
For more updates about the symposium and biotechnology
developments in the Philippines, visit http://www.bic.searca.org
or email bic_at_agri.searca.org.
(Jenny
A. Panopio and Sophia
M. Mercado)
