FEB.

10, 2012 DATE

NR # 2675B
REF. NO.

Solon seeks mandatory GMO labeling

A lawmaker has filed a bill requiring the mandatory labeling of food and food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the country. Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat (Lone District, Ifugao) authored House Bill 5701 in recognition of the Constitutional right of every Filipino to be protected by the State in regard to their health and instill health consciousness, to maintain a balanced and healthful ecology, to be informed and educated about the food that they eat, as well as to ensure the maintenance of an effective food regulatory system. The measure seeks to amend Republic Act 7394 otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines, said Baguilat, chairman of the House Committee on National Cultural Communities. According to Baguilat, more than two decades have passed since genetically-modified plants, animals and processed products (GMOs) were introduced in the global market and the country has openly allowed the entry of these GMO products in the local markets. Baguilat said these food products range from meat to vegetables which unknowingly but unwillingly, to some, use and ingest these GMO products. For even as the global recognition and scientific evidence of the risks to health and the environment has been mounting, we still have not responded to the steady infiltration of these products, Baguilat said. The bill proposes to amend Article 77 (e) of R.A. 7394 on additional labeling requirements, indicating particularly whether it contains genetically-modified organisms or if it is a product of genetic engineering technologies and add the words and potential allergenicity especially if it contains genetically-modified organisms or is a product of genetic engineering technologies in the warning of toxicity. The bill also amends Article 84 of the same law to include the words food products, Art. 84 (b) to include the words natural or unprocessed, with genetically modified organisms or processed using genetic engineering technologies and Article 153 (e) (5). Under the bill, Section 4 (g), Section 10 (l) and Section 15 (c) (e) and (l) of Republic Act 3720 otherwise known as the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act are also amended. The Departments of Health (DOH), Agriculture (DA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in consultation with the concerned business and industry representatives, government agencies and civil society organizations are mandated to promulgate the necessary regulation for the effective implementation of this Act. Violators shall be penalized with twelve years imprisonment or a fine of P200,000 or both. (30) lvc