• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Organic farming advocates have found an ally in Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez, who also expressed his opposition to the proposed genetically modified organism (GMO) regulatory ordinance being deliberated by the Negros Occidental Provincial Board.
“Saying no to GMO is the best thing to do,” Benitez said during a press briefing in Talisay City on Sunday (Sept. 14).
Advocates are strongly opposing the testing, introduction, or cultivation of GMOs in Negros Occidental, which they said is globally recognized as the “Organic Agriculture Capital of the Philippines”.
Benitez noted that Negros Occidental had the ordinance since 2007.
“It is now 18 years. The question is, why only now, and why the need to change?”, he asked.
The provincial government’s legal-scientific team, which supports the enactment of the GMO regulatory ordinance, maintained that the measure would “safeguard food security, protect farmers, and embrace science-based innovation while upholding the province’s organic identity.”
Third District Board Member Andrew Montelibano, who chairs the committees on agriculture as well as environment and natural resources, acknowledged that GMOs are prevalent.
“Whether we like it or not, GMO is everywhere,” he said.
While expressing continued support for organic farming, he added: “We believe that it is not sufficient to go fully organic for the rest of our lives.”
Vice Governor Jose Benito Alonso also voiced support for a combination of GMO and organic farming.
“Let us be realistic. As the population increases, we need to combine both, otherwise, we will go hungry,” Alonso said.
In terms of corn production, Benitez said Negros Occidental is the highest contributor in Western Visayas in 2024, which was 46.51 percent.
Negros Occidental also won the bidding to host the 2027 Organic World Congress, where Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and almost all the mayors of the province were present, Benitez recalled.
“We have also the Terra Madre Slow Food advocacy on Nov. 19 to 24. So, the question is, why,” Benitez again asked.
Earlier, Lacson has committed continuing support to the organic agriculture movement.
“The organic movement will continue. You can expect support from the province,” he said. | GB
