• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Premature and unfair.
This was the reaction of Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz to the joint statement issued by organic farming advocates, church leaders, and civil society groups, who are up in arms over the proposed amendments to the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) ordinance approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental nearly two decades ago.
Diaz described the joint declaration as “premature,” noting that a public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9.
The multi-sectoral advocates oppose GMO testing in Negros Occidental, which has been recognized as the “Organic Capital of the Philippines.” Their joint statement emphasized that introducing GMO testing “undermines decades of work that positioned Negros Occidental as a national leader in organic farming, food sovereignty, and ecological sustainability.”
Diaz stated that the public hearings will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to voice their opinions and concerns regarding the proposed amendments.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has requested the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to conduct the review with the aim of potentially amending the existing ordinance.
Diaz also noted that organic farming advocates have received support from the provincial government.
“I think we deserve to be treated more fairly before condemning us,” he said.
He explained that the proposed changes are intended to allow commercial farming in Negros Occidental, in addition to the province’s existing focus on organic farming.
“We will still support the organic movement. But we will also support other industries and practices,” Diaz said.
He cited significant investments in the local swine, poultry, and game fowl industries, which currently depend on importing animal feeds due to insufficient local production.
“We have multi-billion peso swine, game fowl, and poultry industries, but we are not supporting them. We have to buy feeds from other provinces, which really costs a lot,” Diaz lamented.
He added that the lack of feedstocks has hindered the establishment of a feed mill in the province.
“Our farmers had a hard time securing feeds during the pandemic,” he said.
Edgardo Uychiat, president of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation, Inc. (NISARD), emphasized that the province’s organic success story is incompatible with genetic modification.
“Organic farming cannot co-exist with GMO crops,” Uychiat said. “Let us protect our children and future generations from the hazards of pesticides and industrial agriculture.”
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza underscored the moral and spiritual dimensions of the issue.
“We are stewards, not owners, of this land. To test GMOs in Negros Occidental is to sow seeds of greed where God calls us to sow seeds of life,” he said. “A single GMO test plot can undo years of farmer-led progress. Once contamination begins, there is no turning back. That is why Negros Occidental stands firm: no GMOs, no exceptions—because our sovereignty, biodiversity, and public health are not for negotiation.”
An ordinance providing rules and guidelines on the research, development, handling, use, transboundary movement, release into the environment, and management of genetically modified organisms within the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Negros Occidental—and for other purposes—was approved on its first reading by the provincial council during its regular session on Sept. 2.
Diaz said the review seeks to provide farmers with the freedom to choose between commercial and organic farming methods, fostering a more diverse and robust agricultural sector in Negros Occidental. He added that the province has devoted lands exclusively to organic farming for 18 years.
“The provincial government is more than willing to help the organic movement in whatever way they want,” Diaz said. “But not 100 percent of land should be exclusively used for organic,” he stressed.
Negros Occidental has been GMO-free since 2007, under Provincial Ordinance No. 007, which prohibits the entry, importation, cultivation, and trade of GMO plants and animals. The province is also set to host the 2027 Organic World Congress. | GB
