(Bt) eggplant, delayed ripening papaya and Golden Rice.
This claim will be backed up with scientific facts by
advocates of biotech crops in a seminar today, Friday, at
the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and
Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) at the UP Los Banos
campus in Laguna.
At least 80 students and teachers from various schools
will be attending the seminar organized by UP Los Baños-Office
of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE),
Crop Protection Cluster, the National Institute of
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH),
Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP), Biotech
Media and Advocacy Resource Center (BMARC), Jose Burgos
Media Services, Program for Biosafety Systems Philippines
(PBS) and the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center (BIC.)
The seminar starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 5 p.m.
Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, director of UPLB BIOTECH,will
welcome the seminar participants while Abraham J.
Manalo, BCP executive secretary, and UPLB Chancellor Dr.
Luis Rey I. Velasco will deliver messages.
Manalo is a policy and planning specialist whose work
includes agricultural policy, biotechnology and biosafety,
government reorganization and development planning.
He has wide experience in providing management and
technical support in coordinating activities related to
policy formulation, institutional strengthening,
constituency building, information, education and
communication (IEC) and public awareness.
Dr. Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza of the UPLB-Institute of
Plant Breeding (IPB) will provide updates on transgenic
papaya with delayed ripening trait in her capacity as
project leader.
For Bt eggplant, which is being tested at UPLB, Dr.
Desiree M. Hautea will be the main discussant.
She is the regional coordinator of the Agricultural
Biotechnology Support Project II at UPLB-IPB.
Dr. Antonio A. Alfonso, chief science research specialist
at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), will
tackle the immense potential of Golden Rice to address the
worsening vitamin A deficiency in the Philippines, which
afflicts up to 19 million children and 1.9 million
lactating mothers.
PhilRice is also working on Golden Rice strains that
resist tungro and leaf blight, which are two major
problems among rice growers.
BMARC executive director Dr. Edita T. Burgos will deliver
the closing remarks.
Jenny A. Panopio of SEARCA BIC and Carlo Custodio Jr. of
PBS will be the moderators.
