Hybrid eggplant violates law of nature: bishop

A LOCAL church leader has spoken up regarding the Bt talong (Bacillus thuringiensis), saying that it violates the law of nature and should not be promoted for public consumption.

Bishop Modesto Villasanta of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) said that Bt talong is only good for scientific research purposes, thus, it should not be introduced to local farmers for reproduction.

Villasanta said that while it is true that an educational institution has all the rights for further researche, the same right is also bound by certain limitations.

"Maayo man ang ilang tumong pero ang mga possible na maidulot ana ang dili ta sigurado (Their intention is good but the possible outcome is something we're not sure of)," Villasanta said.

The controversy on Bt talong sprouted from the move of the state-run University of the Philippines in Mindanao (UPMin) based in Mintal, Davao City, to conduct a field test of the genetically modified specie of eggplant, which according to critics poses potential problems in the community as well as to other crops.

The City Government of Davao also showed its opposition to the field testing, saying it violates the city's ordinance on organic farming.

Last week, Mayor Sara Duterte ordered the uprooting of the crops that have been planted in the compound of UPMin.

The groups opposing the field test as well as the local government echoed the same concern that it may contaminate other crops and cause other future problems preconceived by Dr. Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, an Indian scientist and expert on genetically modified crops. (Jereco O. Paloma)