GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
Philippines Supreme Court bans development of genetically engineered products
Manila, 11 December 2015 - Farmers and consumers, together with environmental organization
Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura
(MASIPAG), and other petitioners, welcome the permanent ban on field trials of Bt talong and
the temporary ban on the development of genetically modified organisms (GMO)s in a landmark
decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines which was announced earlier this week.
The high court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeals which granted the Writ of Kalikasan
to Greenpeace Southeast Asia, as well as several activists, academics, and politicians, in what
the petitioners call ‘a major victory for Filipino farmers’.
The Supreme Court affirmed the May 2013 Court of Appeals order for the government to
prepare an immediate plan of action to rehabilitate field trial sites and protect, preserve, and
conserve the environment, and recommend policies and measires to reform the present
regulatory process.
The temporary ban is in place until a new ‘administrative order’ takes effect, and includes the
highly controversial ‘Golden’ rice, an experimental project by International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) that is currently back at the laboratory stage due to poor performance [1].
The Supreme Court decision sets a global precedent as it is the first legal decision on GMOs in
the Philippines using the writ of kalikasan (environment) - a legal environmental remedy found
only in the Philippines. The court is also the first in the world to adopt the precautionary principle
- that it is best to err on the side of caution in the absence of scientific consensus - regarding
GMOs in their decision.
The decision of the high court means that the DA and the Department of Science and
Technology are barred from issuing any approvals for genetically modified (GM) crops pending
the crafting and approval of a new Administrative Order. The court order will also have an
impact on the trading of GM crops. In 2014, the US exported US$ 784M worth of GM crops and
products to the Philippines [2].
“It is high time that the Philippine government also looks at new, innovative and science-based
ecological farming,” says Virginia Benosa-Llorin, Food and Ecological Agriculture Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia - Philippines.
Notes to Editor:
[1] The IRRI on the status of GE “Golden” rice: http://irri.org/golden-rice/faqs/what-is-the-statusof-the-golden-rice-project-coordinated-by-irri
[2] 2014 US exports of GE crops and products to the Philippines:
http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Agricultural%20Biotechnology%20An
nual_Manila_Philippines_7-10-2015.pdf
[3] The petitioners to the case are: Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), Magsasaka
Siyentipiko sa Pagpapaunlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), Rep. Teodoro Casino, Dr. Ben
Malayang III, Dr. Angelina Galang, Mr. Leonardo Avila III, Ms. Catherine Untalan, Atty. Maria
Paz Luna, Mr. Juanito Modina, Mr. Dagohoy Magaway, Dr. Romeo Quijano, Dr. Wency Kiat,
Atty. H. Harry Roque Jr., Former Sen. Orlando Mercado, Mr. Noel Cabangon, , Mayor Edward
Hagedorn, Mr. Edwin Marthine Lopez
Media contact:
Dr. Chito Medina
Executive Director of MASIPAG
Email: cmedina@masipag.org Mobile: 0917-5442196
Virginia Benosa-Llorin, Food and Ecological Agriculture Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia - Philippines
Email: vbllorin@greenpeace.org Mobile: +63 917 822 8793
Angelica Carballo Pago, Media Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia - Philippines
Email: apago@greenpeace.org Mobile: +63 998 959 5785