Advocates from various sectors are calling for Negros Occidental to remain free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) amid reports of attempts to reverse the landmark ordinance banning GMOs in the province.
“We issue this declaration in firm opposition to the testing, introduction or cultivation of GMOs in Negros Occidental. We declare, in unity and with firm resolve: GMOs have no place in organic agriculture, nor in the future of Negros Occidental,” the 22 signatories stated in a document titled “Declaration against GMO Testing in Negros Occidental” released yesterday.
Among the signatories are Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos, Fr. Julius Espinosa of Caritas Bacolod Social Action Foundation, Edgardo Uychiat of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation, and Ramon Uy Jr. of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
In 2007, the provincial board passed Ordinance No. 7, prohibiting the entry, importation, introduction, planting, growing, selling, and trading of GMO plants and animals in Negros Occidental.
Last year, Negros Occidental was selected to host the 2027 Organic World Congress, a triennial event spearheaded by IFOAM that gathers organic farmers, producers, researchers, advocates and policy experts from around the world.
“Negros Occidental is globally recognized as the Organic Agriculture Capital of the Philippines. For decades, it has stood as a beacon of organic farming, food sovereignty and sustainable rural development,” the advocates from the religious, civil society, and organic agriculture sectors said.
They added that “allowing GMO testing within the island not only contradicts its long-standing identity as a GMO-free zone, but also places at risk the integrity of organic systems painstakingly built by farmers, local governments and civil society.”
Citing IFOAM’s strong position against GMOs, they said such are “fundamentally incompatible with organic agriculture” and “pose unacceptable risks to ecological systems, farmers’ rights, and consumer trust.”
They pointed out the risk of contamination that could threaten the very foundation of the province’s organic sector.
“Negros has already chosen a different path,” they said. “Its GMO-free status is not only a legal framework but also a moral and cultural commitment to protect its people, lands, and future generations.”
As such, they demanded that the provincial government, together with the municipal and city governments, national agencies, and academic institutions, “uphold and enforce the GMO-free policy of Negros Occidental with no exemptions or compromises, and reject and block any proposals for GMO testing or cultivation, whether in laboratories, research stations or farmlands.”
“Negros Occidental must remain GMO-free. Its destiny lies in being a model for ecological food systems, not a testing ground for technologies that threaten our land, our health, and our future,” they added. (PNA)