Biotechnology is a multi-disciplinary field which may be defined as any technique that uses living organisms or

substances from those organisms to make or modify a product, to improve plants or animals, or to develop
microorganisms for specific uses.8 Its many applications include agricultural production, livestock, industrial
chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
In 1979, President Ferdinand Marcos approved and provided funding for the establishment of the National Institute
for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) at UPLB. It is the premier national research and
development (R & D) institution applying traditional and modern biotechnologies in innovating products,
processes, testing and analytical services for agriculture, health, energy, industry and development.9
In 1990, President Corazon C. Aquino signed Executive Order (EO) No. 430 creating the National Committee on
Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP). NCBP was tasked, among others, to identify and evaluate potential hazards
involved in initiating genetic engineering experiments or the introduction International Service for the Acquisition
of Agri-Biotech<br/>Applications, Inc. vs. Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), 776 SCRA 434, G.R. No.
209271, G.R. No. 209276, G.R. No. 209301, G.R. No. 209430 December 8, 2015

Held:
Environmental Law; Balanced and Healthful Ecology; The Supreme Court (SC) recognized the public right of
citizens to a balanced and healthful ecology which, for the first time in our nations constitutional history, is
solemnly incorporated in the fundamental law.Oposa v. Factoran, Jr., 224 SCRA 792 (1993), signaled an even
more liberalized policy on locus standi in public suits. In said case, we recognized the public right of citizens to a
balanced and healthful ecology which, for the first time in our nations constitutional history, is solemnly
incorporated in the fundamental law. We held that such right need not be written in the Constitution for it is
assumed, like other civil and political rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, to exist from the inception of mankind
and it is an issue of transcendental importance with intergenerational implications. Such right carries with it the
correlative duty to refrain from impairing the environment.
Same; Citizen Suits; The liberalized rule on standing is now enshrined in the Rules of Procedure for Environmental
Cases which allows the filing of a citizen suit in environmental cases.The liberalized rule on standing is now
enshrined in the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases which allows the filing of a citizen suit in
environmental cases. The provision on citizen suits in the Rules collapses the traditional rule on personal and
direct interest, on the principle that humans are stewards of nature, and aims to further encourage the
protection of the environment. There is therefore no dispute on the standing of respondents to file before this
Court their petition for writ of kalikasan and writ of continuing mandamus. International Service for the Acquisition
of Agri-Biotech<br/>Applications, Inc. vs. Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), 776 SCRA 434, G.R. No.
209271, G.R. No. 209276, G.R. No. 209301, G.R. No. 209430 December 8, 2015

Environmental Law; Precautionary Principle; In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach
shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or
irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective
measures to prevent environmental degradation.The precautionary principle originated in Germany in the
1960s, expressing the normative idea that governments are obligated to foresee and forestall harm to the
environment. In the following decades, the precautionary principle has served as the normative guideline for
policy-making by many national governments. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the
outcome of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro,
defines the rights of the people to be involved in the development of their economies, and the responsibilities
of human beings to safeguard the common environment. It states that the long term economic progress is
only ensured if it is linked with the protection International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-
Biotech<br/>Applications, Inc. vs. Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), 776 SCRA 434, G.R. No. 209271,
G.R. No. 209276, G.R. No. 209301, G.R. No. 209430 December 8, 2015

of the environment. For the first time, the precautionary approach was codified under Principle 15, which
reads: In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States
according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific
certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental
degradation.
Same; Same; By applying the precautionary principle, the court may construe a set of facts as warranting
either judicial action or inaction, with the goal of preserving and protecting the environment.Under this
Rule, the precautionary principle finds direct application in the evaluation of evidence in cases before the
courts. The precautionary principle bridges the gap in cases where scientific certainty in factual findings
cannot be achieved. By applying the precautionary principle, the court may construe a set of facts as
warranting either judicial action or inaction, with the goal of preserving and protecting the environment. This
may be further evinced from the second paragraph where bias is created in favor of the constitutional right of
the people to a balanced and healthful ecology. In effect, the precautionary principle shifts the burden of
evidence of harm away from those likely to suffer harm and onto those desiring to change the status quo. An
application of the precautionary principle to the rules on evidence will enable courts to tackle future
environmental problems before ironclad scientific consensus emerges.
Same; For a biodiversity-rich country like the Philippines, the natural and unforeseen consequences of
contamination and genetic pollution would be disastrous and irreversible.Eggplants (talong) are a staple
vegetable in the country and grown by small-scale farmers, majority of whom are poor and marginalized.
While the goal of increasing crop yields to raise farm incomes is laudable, independent scientific studies
revealed uncertainties due to unfulfilled economic benefits from Bt crops and plants, adverse effects on the
environment associated with use of GE technology in agriculture, and serious health hazards from
consumption of GM foods. For a biodiversity-rich country like the Philippines, the natural and unforeseen
consequences of contamination and genetic pollution would be disastrous and irreversible. International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech<br/>Applications, Inc. vs. Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines),
776 SCRA 434, G.R. No. 209271, G.R. No. 209276, G.R. No. 209301, G.R. No. 209430 December 8, 2015