Move to lift ban on GMO bucked

Three Catholic bishops in Negros Occidental are opposing a proposal to lift a ban on the entry of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the province.

- ~ Bella Cariaso

In a statement, Archbishops Patricio Buzon, Louie Galbines and Gerardo Alminaza of Bacolod, Kabankalan and San Carlos, respectively, said the removal of the GMO ban would endanger public health and threaten the livelihood of local farmers.

The bishops said the repeal of the ordinance, which prohibits cultivating GMOs anywhere in the province, threatens the ecological identity that Negros has built for nearly two decades.