CHURCH leaders, civil society groups, scientists, and organic farming advocates in Negros Occidental urged the provincial government, local municipalities, national agencies, and academic institutions to maintain the genetically modified organism (GMO)-free policy without exemptions.
This followed the signing of a declaration on September 1, 2025, opposing GMO testing in Negros Occidental, a province recognized as the “Organic Capital of the Philippines.”
The September 1 signing brought together a broad coalition of leaders, including Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos and Fr. Julius Espinosa of Caritas Bacolod, along with farmer groups, indigenous communities, and environmental advocates.
Civil society organizations such as the Nisard Foundation, IFOAM Asia, Kaisahan, Masipag, and grassroots associations from across Negros Occidental also signed on.
The joint declaration comes as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) deliberates on an ordinance that would allow the entry of GMOs into the province.
The signatories said introducing GMO testing could undermine decades of work that established Negros Occidental as a national leader in organic farming, food sovereignty, and ecological sustainability.
“Negros Occidental must remain GMO-free. Its destiny lies in being a model for ecological food systems, not a testing ground for technologies that threaten our land, our health, and our future,” the declaration stated.
It also urged greater investment in organic farming, agroecology, and farmer-led research that offer tested solutions to hunger, poverty, and climate change.
“GMOs have no place in organic agriculture, nor in the future of Negros Occidental,” the declaration further said.
Negros Occidental first declared itself GMO-free in 2007, a decision that helped establish its reputation as a hub for organic farming in the Philippines.
For nearly two decades, the province has promoted chemical-free production, farmer-led innovations, and sustainable food systems that benefit both producers and consumers.
The declaration noted that permitting GMO testing would directly contradict this identity.
“Once GMOs enter the environment, coexistence is impossible, and organic certification is jeopardized,” the declaration said.
Advocates also raised concerns that genetic modification could undermine local food security.
“GMOs compromise food sovereignty. Seed ownership shifts from farmers to multinational companies, eroding community control over food systems,” the declaration added.
Alminaza underscored the moral and spiritual dimensions of the issue.
“We are stewards, not owners, of this land. To test GMOs in Negros Occidental is to sow seeds of greed where God calls us to sow seeds of life,” Alminaza said.
“A single GMO test plot can undo years of farmer-led progress. Once contamination begins, there is no turning back. That is why Negros Occidental stands firm: no GMOs, no exceptions—because our sovereignty, biodiversity, and public health are not for negotiation,” Alminaza added.
Edgardo Uychiat, IFOAM World Board Member and president of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation, Inc. (Nisard), also said that the province’s organic success story is incompatible with genetic modification.
He said organic farming cannot co-exist with GMO crops.
“Let us protect our children and future generations from the hazards of pesticides and industrial agriculture,” Uychiat said.
For the signatories, keeping the province GMO-free is both a safeguard and an opportunity, allowing Negros to remain a center of organic farming in the Philippines and a trusted source of safe, sustainable food for future generations.
Moreover, groups such as IFOAM – Organics International have long maintained that GMOs are fundamentally incompatible with organic agriculture and pose unacceptable risks to ecological systems, farmers’ rights, and consumer trust.
The advocates noted that Negros Occidental’s resistance to GMO entry reflects growing caution in other parts of the world, where restrictions on GMO cultivation exist due to environmental and health concerns.
By defending its organic heritage, they said that Negros strengthens its place within an international community of regions committed to sustainable and just food systems. (MAP)