Philippine Contextualization

Biotechnology in the Philippines is mainly applied in Agriculture because oI the demographic

location and resources available in the country. Other Iields oI application (e.g. medicine,
environmental, etc) is still developing. The Iocus oI the paper in this regard is the application oI
biotechnology in agriculture.

Biotechnology Philippines
The Philippines started its biotechnology programs in 1980 with the Iormal creation oI the
National Institute oI Molecular Biology and Biotechnology(BIOTECH) at the University oI
thePhilippines at Los Baos (UPLB). In 1995, three other biotechnology institutes were
establishedwithin the University oI the Philippines System.They are located in the UP Diliman
campus to Iocus on industrial biotechnology, UP Manila to Iocus on human health
biotechnology, and UPVisayas to Iocus on marine biotechnology.The Philippines is the Iirst
ASEAN country to initiate a biotechnology regulatory system with the issuance oI Executive
OrderNo. 430 in 1990, which established the National Committee on BiosaIety oI the
Philippines(NCBP). The countries biosaIety regulatory system Iollows strict scientiIic standards
and has become a model Ior member-countries oI the ASEAN seeking to become producers oI
agricultural biotechnology crops.

New discoveries:
1. ess weeds, more yield possible through proper flooding
the study determined the Ilood tolerance oI two direct-seeded rice genotypes, IR42, a
high yielding modern cultivar and Khao Hlan On (KHO), a traditional variety and
two weed species, Echinochloa crus-galli and Echinochloa colona, by submerging
them at diIIerent water levels (0, 5, 10, 20, 100 mm) and at various times (0, 2, 4
days) aIter seeding. Overall, during submergence, the two rice genotypes had lesser
reductions in root and shoot growth than the two weeds and that Ilooding two days
aIter seeding was the most eIIicient time to allow germination oI the rice seedlings
yet still eIIective enough to suppress the growth oI weeds.

They also observed that rice can tolerate Ilooding because oI its ability to undergo
anaerobic respiration. However, weeds also have the ability to undergo anaerobic
respiration when Ilooded. This explains why, when Ilooded together with rice
immediately aIter seeding, weeds are able to catch up with the growth oI rice and can
compete and outgrow the germinating rice seedlings.



. Bio-organic fertilizer developed in Pangasinan
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Nov. 13 (PNA) The provincial government distributed to
local Iarmers bio-organic Iertilizers which it developed using chicken manure sourced out
Irom the poultry Iarm oI Governor Amado Espino Jr. in Barangay Portic, Bugallon.
The inputs were developed in Espino`s Iarm where the provincial government set up a
modest processing plant to readily convert chicken manure into cheap but eIIective bio-
organic Iertilizer.

The processing plant adopted the bio-technology perIected by the University oI the
Philippines Los Banos (UPLB).
Provincial agriculturist Dalisay Moya said more Iarmers will get their bio-organic
Iertilizer Ior Iree Ior use by them in their Iarms, consistent with the province`s program
on sustainable agriculture.

Moya conIirmed her oIIice had been tasked by the governor to transIer the technology oI
converting chicken manure into bio-organic Iertilizer to Iarmers.

On the other hand, Rowena de la Cruz, chieI oI the province's Solid Waste Management
OIIice, said the chicken manure coming Irom the governor`s poultry Iarm is a big boon to
the province and the Iarmers.

In launching bio-organic Iertilizer, Espino emphasized the strong need to achieve
sustainable agriculture through the adoption oI organic Iarming in order to help in the
Iight against global warming and climate change.

Farmers thanked the provincial government Ior introducing bio-organic Iertilizer which
they Iound to be a lot cheaper and more eIIective than chemical-based Iertilizers.

Organic Iertilizer costs Irom P300 to P600 per 50-kilo bag as compared to chemical-
based inputs pegged at Irom P800 to P1,100.
. olden Rice
- By nature, vitamin A is almost completely absent Irom rice. Diseases caused by this
deIiciency are widespread in many Asian countries in which the grain serves as a dietary
staple. Through the use oI gene technology, researchers have developed a variety oI the
plant that produces greater proportions oI beta-carotene, a compound which may be
processed by the human body into vitamin A. The rice also displays an enhanced iron
content and, in the grains, the presence oI such enhanced levels oI beta-carotene results in
a yellow tint that has prompted the name oI 'Golden Rice.

Original Iield trials with Golden Rice already took place in Louisiana, USA, in 2004. The
grain was crossed with other rice types that were adapted to local conditions in
developing countries and which are to be distributed Iree oI cost to small Iarmers.

Globally, the Philippines is one oI the most important importers oI rice. Representing six
per cent oI the national land area, only 1.9 million hectares oI irrigated Iields are
available Ior local rice production. In comparison, Thailand and Vietnam cultivate rice on
9.9 and 7.5 million hectares respectively, representing nineteen and twenty-three per cent
oI their land areas.

Genetically modiIied rice has played no role to date in the production oI nutrition.
Nonetheless, in China, India and Indonesia, as well as in the Philippines, its commercial
cultivation may be expected in the near Iuture.

4. Philippines: Strawberry production through tissue culture

Benguet StateUniversity (BSU) researchers are set to revolutionize the country`s
Iledgling strawberry industry that could spread to other high elevation provinces.

They are doing it through tissue, or "test tube", culture oI strawberry planting materials.
Tissue culture is a technique oI growing plant tissues in sterile conditions to eliminate
viruses.

Given the right cultural management, researchers have increased by 500 percent the
number oI runners, or planting materials, to 500 Irom tissue culture planting materials
compared to 50 Irom traditional runners.

They have also increased the number oI large-sized, 30-gram berries up by 30 percent
compared with traditional materials that yielded 90-percent small (5-gram) berries per
runner.

All these mean an increased yield oI up to 20 metric tons per hectare, or a 38 percent
increase compared with the traditional 14 MT per hectare. The tissue culture strawberry
planting materials are also Iree Irom plant viruses.

At 14 MT per hectare traditional yield in 77 hectares oI strawberry Iarms in La Trinidad
alone, the industry is worth P54 million annually. With tissue culture, the yield per
hectare is worth P75 million each year a 30 percent increase.

Since the tissue culture materials were available starting 2007, over 200 Iarmers have
availed oI the new technology.

In 2005 Solimen proposed the tissue culture research to then Commissioner on Higher
Education Dr. Saturnino M. Ocampo. The P1.28 million research grant approved
included the construction oI a tissue culture laboratory and greenhouse.

Researchers continue to use tissue culture to reinvigorate planting materials oI the Sweet
Charlie, the variety that originated Irom the United States and which is used in 99 percent
oI strawberries now grown in the Philippines.
Despite being a relatively small player in the biotech Iield, the Philippines is ranked
eleventh worldwide in terms oI area planted to biotech crops. Biotechnology had to compete
with other reports on political and economic controversies that besieged the Philippines. In this
regard, Philippines is Iacing Iinancial constraints because oI the lack oI support by the
government.