Leaders of church, environment, organic farming and civil society groups issued a joint declaration on Tuesday, Sept. 2, opposing the testing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Negros Occidental.
“Negros Occidental must remain GMO-free. Its destiny lies in being a model for ecological food systems, not a testing ground for technologies that threaten our land, our health, and our future,” they said.
“GMOs have no place in organic agriculture, nor in the future of Negros,” they added.
The groups issued the joint declaration in reaction to a proposed ordinance certified as urgent by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, entitled: “An ordinance providing for the rules and guidelines on the research, development, handling, use and transboundary movement, release into the environment, and management of genetically modified organisms (GMO) within the territorial jurisdiction of the Province of Negros Occidental, and for other purposes”.
Negros Occidental Board Member Andrew Montelibano, chair of the SP Committee on Environment, said the ordinance was passed on first reading and a public hearing is set next Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The joint declaration said, “we, the undersigned organizations, communities, and individuals committed to the protection of people, planet, and future generations, hereby issue this declaration in firm opposition to the testing, introduction, or cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Negros Occidental.”
Negros Occidental is globally recognized as the “Organic Agriculture Capital of the Philippines,” the declaration said.
The province has for decades stood as a beacon of organic farming, food sovereignty, and sustainable rural development, they said.
“Allowing GMO testing within this island not only contradicts its long-standing identity as a GMO-free zone but also places at risk the integrity of organic systems painstakingly built by farmers, local governments, and civil society,” they said.
IFOAM – Organics International and its regional bodies, such as IFOAM-Organics Asia, have consistently taken a strong position against GMOs, they said.
“For IFOAM, GMOs are fundamentally incompatible with organic agriculture. They pose unacceptable risks to ecological systems, farmers’ rights, and consumer trust. Organic farming is rooted in health, ecology, fairness, and care – values that are directly contradicted by the corporate-driven, high-risk model of genetic engineering,” they said.
They cited the following reasons for their opposition to allowing GMOs in Negros Occidental:
*GMOs violate the principles of organic agriculture. They reduce biodiversity, disrupt ecosystems, and foster dependency on external inputs and corporations;
*The risk of contamination threatens the very foundation of Negros’ organic sector. Once GMOs enter the environment, coexistence is impossible, and organic certification is jeopardized;.
*GMOs compromise food sovereignty. Seed ownership shifts from farmers to multinational companies, eroding community control over food systems;
*Public health and ecological safety cannot be guaranteed. Independent studies continue to raise questions about the long-term impacts of GMOs on health and the environment; and
*Negros has already chosen a different path. Its GMO-free status is not only a legal framework but also a moral and cultural commitment to protect its people, lands, and future generations.
The Negros Occidental provincial government, together with municipal and city governments, national agencies, and academic institutions, should uphold and enforce the GMO-free policy of Negros Occidental with no exemptions or compromises, the joint declaration said.
They should also reject and block any proposals for GMO testing or cultivation, whether in laboratories, research stations, or farmlands, and strengthen support for organic farming, agroecology, and farmer-led innovations that provide real solutions to hunger, poverty, and climate change, it added.
The provincial government should also protect the rights of farmers and consumers against corporate-driven technologies that endanger health, biodiversity, and sovereignty, the joint declaration said.
The declaration against GMOs was signed by Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos, Edgardo Uychiat – Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (NISARD) Foundation, Ramon “Chinchin” Uy Jr. – International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Asia, Almario Senoro – Negros Island Organic Producers Association, Eric Gonzales – Sipaway Seagrass Guardians, Pastor Jerry A. Dionson – Tabunan Small Farmers Irrigators Association, Pastor Selvestre Estrao – Vermiculture Producers Association Negros;
Gerry Ledesma – Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc., lawyer Andrea Si – Development Advocates for Women Network Inc. and the Provincial Council for Women, Rhodora Martinez – Victorias Organic Farmers Association, Jonathan Camanso – Confederation of Indigenous Peoples Organizations in Southern Negros Occidental Inc. Fr. Julius Espinosa – Caritas Bacolod, Joshua Villalobos – Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and Environment (NICE), Gil Portillo – Kaisahan ng mga Kilusang Magsasaka sa Pilipinas (KAISAHAN);
Jet Orbida – Peacepond Farmers Association, Grid Alila – Consumers Collective – Negros, Dennis Omison – Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), Darlene May Casiano – cacao farmer, Isidro Genol Jr. – PDG, Girlie Arilla – Modesto Jalandoni Farmers Association and Fr. Juluis Tormis of the Lunhaw Integral Ecology Ministry, and Ruth U. Gamboa, – professor of Biology from the University of the Philippines Mindanao.*
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