A three-day training course for biotech regulators of the Department of Agriculture - Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) was held at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on 11 - 13 October 2011. In his opening message, FPA Deputy Executive Director Augusto Canlas considered the training as "...a matter of serious importance in our job as one of the regulating bodies of the government."

Dubbed "Biotechnology 101: Training Course for FPA Regulators in the Region", the participants from Luzon, northern region of the Philippines, learned basic agri-biotechnology tools and applications for crop and animal improvement which are relevant to their tasks as one of the regulatory instruments in biopesticide risk assessments and in obtaining biosafety clearance for pest-protected plants in the country.

An overview of the current global scenario on crop biotechnology adoption and the country's R&D initiatives on agri-biotechnology were shared among the participants. Likewise, they obtained better understanding and appreciation of biotechnology regulations as framework in addressing safety issues of genetically-modified (GM) crops. Lectures on natural products and plant breeding biotechniques such as tissue culture technology, molecular assisted selections, and recombinant DNA technology were also discussed by highly-trained biotech experts from PhilRice. Knowledge they gained from lectures were complemented with biotechnology laboratory demonstrations and hands-on exercises.

"This training inspired me as a public servant as I gained deeper understanding of biotechnology. I can now better explain biotechnology to the farmers in our region," said Imelda Inieto, a regional officer from Bataan. Further, Leo Bungad from FPA Isabela commented, "We can help, as government institution, in explaining biotechnology to our farmers. We will support biotechnology as a tool in promoting food security for Filipino citizens."

The training course for FPA regulators from Luzon is the first in the series of capacity enhancement activities of which the final leg shall be organized next year for the Visayas and Mindanao regional officers. This activity was organized by ISAAA, DA Biotech Program, SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center, Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines and PhilRice. (Jenny A. Panopio and Rochella B. Lapitan)