Who is Parochial and Selfish in the Issue of GMOs?
The debate on genetically engineered organisms in agriculture has reached a new peak with the recent flurry of statements and actions from both sides of the issue. The Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan (AGHAM) being an organization of patriotic and progressive scientists is making this statement to put forward our position as scientists and clarify certain issues related to genetically engineered organisms and its social impacts. Recently, the Biotechnology Conference of the Philippines (BCP) and some newspaper opinion pages sought to limit the discussion on genetically engineered (GE) organisms to a purely scientific and technical debate. They brand those who oppose GE organisms as “parochial” and “selfish”, blocking the national biotechnology agenda to the detriment of the Filipino people. On the contrary, limiting the issue of genetic engineering on a purely technical and scientific level is actually the narrow and myopic view of the issue. Indeed, t
