THE Philippines has underscored the crucial role that can be played by biotechnology in resolving the food-security problem confronting nations all over the world during the food summit organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Italy.

While biotechnology is not the panacea to food shortages, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the judicious use of biotechnology could lead to “long-term solutions to dwindling inventories and other crop-production woes.”

Yap highlighted the experience of the Philippines in applying biotechnology in food production. He cited current efforts to develop virus- and pest-resistant rice varieties and seeds that can survive abnormal weather patterns such as dry spells and flash floods.

“Ultimately, biotechnology has evolved to be the hope in securing food for the world’s growing population,” said Yap.

Yap said the “biotechnology revolution” has benefited Philippine agriculture in terms of increasing “overall productivity through increased farm yields and competitive agricultural products that would translate into higher farmers’ incomes.”

“It is true that biotechnology is not the panacea to all our food-security needs and economic-development crusades,” Yap said. “But we consider it as one of the means to pursue agricultural modernization and achieve our national economic goals.”

The DA chief pointed out that in the Philippines, the government has applied biotechnology to produce high-value products from traditional crops such as rice, papaya and coconut and in improving carabao reproduction, upgrading the country’s livestock industry and boosting production in the fisheries sector.

Yap said the Philippines is committed to “build an encouraging policy environment that values partnerships with more advanced international biotechnology research-and-development  institutions and supports the science and community through an intellectual-property protection and incentive system.”

He noted that the US Agency for International Development has been highly supportive in developing bioengineered crops like pest-resistant banana and cassava, and nutritionally enhanced and drought-tolerant rice varieties.

Earlier, the Philippines proposed the establishment of a food reserve that will provide a mechanism necessary to match the current supplies of food inventories held by food producers to the demand of net food importers.

DOMESTIC manufacturers will be seeking an official scrutiny of the books of accounts of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), independent power producers (IPPs) and other power industry players by the Commission on Audit (COA) to determine who among them are really making huge profits and are to be blamed for high power costs.

THE national government estimates that there is at least $3.76 billion worth of projects in the pipeline for funding by the World Bank (WB) from 2008 to 2010 and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2008 and 2009.

THE Philippines has underscored the crucial role that can be played by biotechnology in resolving the food-security problem confronting nations all over the world during the food summit organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Italy.

BELIEVING that the bill seeking the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) would not be approved before Congress adjourns sine die on June 13, a militant legislator proposed a compromise that before going on break, Congress should reaffirm the Department of Agrarian Reform’s budget for 2008.

THE board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has overturned its previous policy giving full blanket authority to the secretary of labor to approve the renewal of license of manpower agencies sending Filipino labor abroad.

THE Delegation of the European Commission in the Philippines (EC) has urged Philippine exporters to its member-states to register chemical substances contained in their products to be able to qualify for the new rules adopted on June 1.

SEMIRARA ISLAND, Antique—Amid opposition and issues raised by environmental groups against the use of coal to fuel power generating facilities, the Department of Energy admits that removing coal-fired power plants in the generation mix could result in power shortages.