BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE

GOVERNMENTA REPORT BY GROUP 4 OF 8-MITOCHONDRION

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or

make useful products, or “any technological application uses

biological system, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products of processes for specific use.

WHAT IS BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE GOVERNMENT?

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GOVERNMENT

Biotechnology and government is the use of biology with technology for the use of government for the good of its citizens. It can be used

to improve their health, for agriculture and many more.

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GOVERNMENT

WHAT DOES NCBP STAND FOR?

NCBP stands for the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines, the country’s lead

regulatory agency tasked with the formulation and implementation of

biosafety policies and the monitoring of research activities and experiments being

conducted on LMOs.

WHY WAS IT ESTABLISHED?

In the 1990s, when new methods of genetic manipulation in plants,

microorganisms and animals were continuously being developed, the

Philippine government saw the need for the establishment of a body that would aid the country in harnessing the benefits of biotechnology while at the same ensuring

its safe and responsible application.

On March 2006, the function and scope of the Committee was further broadened and

strengthened through President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s issuance of Executive

Order No. 514 which decreed the establishment and implementation of a National Biosafety Framework. This was

initiated for the following reasons:

WHEN WAS IT ESTABLISHED?

a. Rapid expansion of the use of modern biotechnology;b. Growing concern over modern biotechnology’s potential impacts on the environment, human health as well as on social and cultural well-being;

c. Promote the safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology and its products as one of the several means to achieve and sustain food security, equitable access to health services, sustainable and safe environment and industry development;

d. Enhance the existing biosafety framework to better respond to the challenges presented by further advances in modern biotechnology and to comply with the administrative requirements of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The countries biosafety regulatory system follows strict scientific

standards and has become a model for member-countries of the ASEAN

seeking to become producers of agricultural biotechnology crops.

WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS AND.POWERS.OF.NCPB?

Biosafety policy functionsAccountability functionsScientific functionsCapacity building functions

WHAT IS THE CARTAGENA BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL?

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CBP) is an international agreement on biosafety,

as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically

modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

WHAT IS IRRI?

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international independent research and training organization with headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna in the Philippines and offices in

sixteen countries. The non-governmental organization (NGO) was established in 1960 to

develop new rice varieties and rice crop management techniques with finding

sustainable ways to improve the well-being of poor rice farmers and consumers as well as the

environment in mind.

WHAT IS PCAARRD?The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) is a council of the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines government.

The council aims to help national research and development efforts in agriculture, forestry, and natural resources of the Philippines. It does so by assisting with planning strategies, formulating policies, and programs for development. It is the body responsible nationally for programming and allocating government and external funds for R&D, and monitors and evaluates these programs for effectiveness.

WHAT IS FDA?

The Food and Drug Administration of the or FDA, formerly the Bureau of Food and Drugs or BFAD) was created under the

Department of Health to license, monitor, and regulate the flow of food, drugs,

cosmetics, medical devices, and household hazardous waste in the

Philippines.

REGULATION OF THE RELEASE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

Governments have taken different approaches to assess and manage the risks associated with the use of genetic

engineering technology and the development and release of genetically modified organisms (GMO), including genetically

modified crops and genetically modified fish. There are differences in the regulation of GMOs between countries,

with some of the most marked differences occurring between the USA and Europe. Regulation varies in a given country depending on the intended use of the products of the genetic engineering. For example, a crop not intended

for food use is generally not reviewed by authorities responsible for food safety.

REGULATION OF THE RELEASE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

There is broad scientific consensus that food on the market derived from GM crops poses no

greater risk than conventional food. There is no evidence to support the idea that the

consumption of approved GM food has a detrimental effect on human health. Some scientists and advocacy groups, such as

Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund, have however called for additional and more rigorous

testing for GM food.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

BIOTECHNOLOGY IN ASIAIndia and China are the two largest producers of

genetically modified products in Asia. India currently only grows GM cotton, while China produces GM varieties of

cotton, poplar, petunia, tomato, papaya and sweet pepper. Cost of enforcement of regulations in India are generally higher, possibly due to the greater influence farmers and

small seed firms have on policy makers, while the enforcement of regulations was more effective in China.

Other Asian countries that grew GM crops in 2011 were Pakistan, the Philippines and Myanmar. Japan requires

labeling so consumers can exercise choice between foods that have genetically modified, conventional or organic

origins.