Greenpeace calls on Senate to ban genetically-modified (GMO) rice

Manila, 15 September 2008 – Greenpeace today called on the Philippine Senate to enact a legislation to ban the commercialization of genetically-modified rice (GMO) rice.  The call was made at the opening
of a photo exhibit in the Senate halls, featuring the importance of rice in Filipino life and culture and why it must be protected from risky genetic modification.
“Greenpeace is here at the Senate to lobby our senators to enact a legislation to protect our most important staple food from the inherent risks of genetic engineering.  Genetic engineering is an unproven, unpredictable and unnecessary technology.  The resulting genetically-modified food crops threaten human health, the environment, and farmers’ livelihoods,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Genetic Engineering Campaigner Daniel Ocampo.
Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs are products of genetic engineering in which the genes of one species are inserted randomly into the DNA of an entirely different organism in a way that can never happen naturally.  An example is a tomato inserted with genes from a fish to create a vegetable with a longer shelf life, or corn inserted with bacteria genes to create a crop that has its own built-in insecticide. Aside from the fact that the resulting living GMO would never occur in the natural world, the new organism created becomes a living experiment—it is unpredictable and its long term effects on the
environment and human health are unknown.
Greenpeace has been actively campaigning against the commercialization of GMOs in the country and is currently questioning the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) regulation process for GMO crops, which, aside from being unconstitutional, lacks transparency and appears to be heavily influenced by corporate interests rather than the protection of consumers and farmers.  During the past few years, the environment group has noted with growing alarm how the regulatory bodies for GMO crops, the DA as well as the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), have never rejected an application of a GMO despite documented cases on questions of their safety and rejection by other countries, even by countries where they were developed.
Last year, Greenpeace also released a report which details how almost all key personalities involved in regulating the entry of GMOs in the Philippines are members of pro-GMO lobby groups funded directly or indirectly by multinational GMO corporations, or have been involved in research projects and GMO-promotion activities sponsored by GMO lobby groups, or directly by GMO manufacturers.  In the six years since GMOs have been approved in the country, the DA has been approving GMOs at a rate of almost one every month, without adequate public consultation or information.
Greenpeace believes that rice is now under threat.  Currently no GMO rice is authorized for commercialization in the Philippines but the environment group has documented that such experimental rice from the United States has entered the country’s food chain at least twice in the past three years.  The DA has denied both instances but has refused to conduct stringent testing on the said US rice.  The GMO rice strain in the US rice was the result of an abandoned experiment, and its contamination of rice stocks created a major scandal that prompted countries to reject US rice imports in 2006 and 2007.
At present, an application for GMO rice is pending at the DA, but in 2007, petitioners, supported by Greenpeace and SEARICE filed a court case questioning the constitutionality of the existing regulatory
process for GMOs, as well as the lack of public participation in the said approval process.  This led, in September 2007, to the granting of a preliminary writ of injunction on the application of the GMO rice.
The court case is currently on-going.
“The Philippines is a center for rice biodiversity and rice is our most important food.  The clear message then is that the government must reject GMOs and instead look toward a future of farming and food production grounded on the principles of sustainability, protection of biodiversity, and providing all people access to safe and nutritious food,” said Ocampo.

 

Puerto Sepak Takraw team wins 3rd in Kings Cup World Championship

THE SEPAK takraw team of Puerto Princesa won third in the recently held Kings Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand in the men’s double event division and men’s team event division.

Held on August 25-30 this year, the city team bested players from Thailand and Malaysia who were reported to be all hard to beat.

National coach Camilo Apdon said it was hard for the city team to particularly beat players from the two countries because they were very good. Sepak takraw or “foot volleyball” involves stunning athletic moves, such as overhead kicks and flying somersaults.

Meanwhile, Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn lauded the achievement of the city team, saying they gave Puerto Princesa something to be proud of.

“I am not expecting them to win because when they left Puerto Princesa we really had no funds allotted to support them. I am so happy because despite what they lack, they still worked hard to win a bronze medal,” he said.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod, on the other hand, through Councilor Rebecca V. Labit, said they will give focus in the development of the sport in the city as part of its sports tourism capital campaign and to help the sepak takraw players improve their individual skills.

Several Southeast Asian countries claim sepak takraw as their own. The game has been played by the indigenous people of what is now Malaysia since the 15th century. Known as sepak raga—sepak is Bahasa Malaysia for “kick”—the game was played in the courts of early Malaysian royalty. “There are many references to it in Malayan folklore,” according to the International Dictionary of Sports and Games.

When Malaya was under British rule the game was partly replaced by rugby, cricket, and other sports.

However, it survived in rural surroundings where it was a favorite recreation of the Malay peasants.” The game survived because of its simplicity:

All that was required was a woven ball, and the game could be played indoors or out.

Its popularity was reinforced because it required many of the skills of soccer, which was also popular in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.

 

2008 Philippine Bird Festival flies in Puerto Princesa

THE WILD Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) is bringing the 2008 Philippine Bird Festival in Puerto Princesa on September 12-13 with a theme “Aba, Kakaiba!” that aims to acquaint residents of the city and province about different kinds of birds and the protection of their habitat.

The 4th Philippine Bird Festival will be opened at the Puerto Princesa City Coliseum on September 12 by a photo exhibit about various kinds of birds, display, lectures, film showing and other related activities. Entrance to the exhibit is free and all are invited, particularly students.

Meanwhile, before the Philippine Bird Festival, the 1st Bird Conservation Forum will also be held on September 11 at the Asturias Hotel. The forum’s objective is to gather all bird watching hobbyists, conservationist, eco-tour promoters and other stakeholders to discuss the protection, preservation and conservation of their habitats.

City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn expressed full support to the holding of the bird festival, saying he believes that protecting them is important to the ecosystem.

The entire province of Palawan has been declared a Fauna and Flora Watershed Reserve, and, within this, there are other kinds of protected areas including the St Paul Subterranean National Park (which is important for threatened species including Polyplectron emphanum) and the El Nido area (which has been proposed for protection under the Integrated Protected Areas System). Ursula Island (17 ha), 20 km south-east of the southern tip of Palawan is an important roosting and nesting site for pigeons including Ducula pickeringii and the widespread Nicobar Pigeon Caloenas nicobarica (Near Threatened). It was established as a bird sanctuary in 1960, but there has been a significant decline in the numbers of roosting pigeons, from an estimated 150,000 to a few thousand birds over the last 60 years, perhaps owing to the effects of introduced species and human disturbance.

Among the birds known to inhabit the city and province are Palawan Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis), Blue-headed Racquet-tail (Prioniturus platenae), Palawan Tit (Parus amabilis), Sulphur-bellied Bulbul (Ixos palawanensis), Palawan Striped-babbler (Stachyris hypogrammica), and many more. (City Information Office)

 

Greenpeace decks Manila City Hall with demand for RE Bill passage

As the international climate conference in Bali, Indonesia nears conclusion, Greenpeace volunteers today scaled historic Manila City Hall to hang a gigantic banner with the message “Time to Save the Climate. Pass the Renewable Energy Bill Now!,” warning that failure to act could spell doom for some parts of the capital which would be submerged by increasing sea levels.

“We call on the Philippine government to move swiftly from rhetoric to action by enacting concrete solutions to help solve the global problem of climate change. We also enjoin local governments such as Manila, along with Filipino citizens, to join the groundswell of global opinion demanding urgent action to stop this environmental threat, and push for the bill’s speedy enactment,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia spokesperson Lea Guerrero.

The Philippines is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and sea level rise. A recent study by development organization Germanwatch has placed the Philippines as the country most affected by climate change in 2006, due to extreme weather disasters. In an earlier study entitled “The Philippines: A Climate Hotspot,” Greenpeace stated that a partial and conservative projection of a one-meter rise in sea level is projected to inundate the country’s coastlines, covering an area of almost 700 million square meters. Among the coastal areas vulnerable to sea level rise is the country’s capital, Manila, parts of which are already sinking due to subsidence.

Greenpeace has been repeatedly calling on the Philippine government to fast-track the passage of the Renewable Energy (RE) Bill which, once enacted, will catalyze the shift away from the country’s dependency on fossil fuels and pave the path for the massive uptake of renewable energy to help stop climate change.

However, despite official statements constantly affirming the prioritization of the bill, the government has been remiss in ensuring that the RE Bill’s passage is expedited. Last year, the 13th Congress failed to take the opportunity to enact the crucial bill into law. Committee hearings on the RE Bill in the House of Representatives only started last month. In the Senate, the first RE Bill proceeding is expected to start only today. The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting earlier this week also failed to identify the RE Bill as priority legislation despite the government’s subsequent statement in the Bali meeting that the government will soon enact an RE Law.

“In a hundred years the area where Manila City Hall is currently standing could be flooded with seawater, along with Roxas Boulevard and Luneta Park. This can also happen to a thousand other municipalities around the country if little or no action is done to address climate change. The worsening impacts of climate change now being felt with alarming intensity and increasing regularity are telling us that there is no time to lose. In the country’s projected long-term struggle against climate change, the immediate passage of the RE Bill is the first important step,” said Guerrero.

While the major responsibility for stopping climate change rests on the industrialized countries to cut back on their greenhouse gas emissions now, it is equally important that developing countries like the Philippines avoid the mistakes made by the west in building these climate killing and dirty energy sources. Investments in renewable energy systems are envisioned to liberate the country from the treadmill of dirty energy production and use.

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.

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Breast Feeding

President Gloria Macapagala-Arroyo delivers her speech during the “Orientation on Infant and Young Child Feeding for Medical Directors and Chiefs of Hospitals” with the theme “The Breastfeeding Highway Begins at the Hospital” Monday (December 17) at Maynila Ballroom of the Manila Hotel along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. The orientation was highlighted by presentations on current national policies and programs related to infant and young child feeding, latest scientific evidences on breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding within the hospital setting as key strategy to child survival, and ways to implement the Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. With the President in photo are (seated from left) Dr. Nicholas Alipui, representative of the UNICEF; Dr. Soe Nyunt-U, representative for the Philippines- World Health Organization; Health Secretary Francisco Duque III; and Ms. Maria-Bernardita Flores, Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council. (MARCELINO PASCUA/OPS-NIB)

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Roxas disappointed over delay in passage of affordable medicines bill

Senator Mar Roxas said he was disappointed that the House has failed to pass before Christmas a bill to lower local prices of medicines, despite assurances to do so in the previous Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council meeting.

“Ikinalulungkot ko na hindi ito maisasabatas bago pa ang Pasko. Kahit ipasa man ito sa House ngayon o bukas, hindi na ito makaka-bicam at mara-ratify bago mag-break. Huli na masyado,” Roxas, sponsor of SB 1658 or the Quality Affordable Medicines bill, which was passed on final reading at the Senate last November 5, lamented.

“By the time Congress reconvenes, it will be another month. Sana maaga itong naipasa sa mababang kapulungan para naisabatas bago ng Pasko,” he added.

Despite the setback, the Senate Trade Committee Chairman said, “Ngunit ang mahalaga ay maipasa pa rin ito. Mas maganda sana before Christmas, pero kung after Christmas, okey na rin, basta maipasa natin ito.”

As of early afternoon, the House of Representatives has not passed its counterpart to Roxas’ bill, despite an initial commitment at the start of the 14th Congress last July to pass the bill in 45 days. When this was not accomplished, the House targeted the bill’s passage and bicameral approval before Christmas.

The Liberal Party President also noted how Congress also had to deal with bicameral talks for the 2008 budget. The Quality Affordable Medicines bill had been certified by the President as urgent in the last Congress and in the 14th Congress, and was named a priority measure during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council last December 11.

The measure has been Roxas’ major advocacy even during his time as Trade Secretary, when he negotiated for trade concessions to be granted to developing countries under the Trade Related Intellectual Property System (TRIPS) international agreement. First among SB 1658’s provisions are the proposed amendments to the Intellectual Property Code which seek to allow the parallel importation of locally patented drugs and to allow generic manufacturers to test, register, produce patented drugs prior to patent expiry, among others.

The bill also recommends strengthening the Bureau of Food and Drug to serve as a counterfoil to attempts to bring in fake or substandard medicines by allowing BFAD to retain its operating income from fees and other charges so it could upgrade its facilities and beef up its human resources.

The bill also contains provisions allowing the President to impose drug price ceilings in times of calamity, public health emergencies, events that cause artificial and unreasonable price hikes, the prevalence of illegal price manipulation and whenever prevailing prices have risen to unreasonable levels.

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