THERE is growing noise across Negros Occidental.
Thirty-one groups—composed of Catholic church leaders, civil society, the academe, women’s organizations, NGOs, indigenous peoples, organic farming advocates, youth groups, scientists, and others—are protesting the provincial government’s plan to allow the entry of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The provincial government’s purpose is to produce enough feedstock using GMO-embedded seeds, particularly corn, to attract investors to establish feed mills in the province—feed mills intended for the billion-peso swine, poultry, broiler, livestock, and game fowl industries.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II explained simply: without sufficient feedstock, no investors will come to put up feed mills. At present, organic or conventional feedstock sources are no longer enough to sustain the needs of livestock, swine, and poultry.
GMO-FREE
But protesters, led by no less than San Carlos Bishop Gerry Alminaza, contend that Provincial Ordinance No. 07, series of 2007, remains in effect. This ordinance declares Negros Occidental the “Organic Farming Capital of the Philippines.”
Disregarding this 18-year-old local statute—crafted during the time of the late Gov. Joseph Marañon—would dishonor its essence: to make Negros Occidental GMO-free for future generations.
Bishop Alminaza delivered the sharpest rebuke: “The seed with GMO is the seed of greed.”
He further warned: “A single GMO test plot can undo years of farmer-led progress. Once contamination begins, there is no turning back.”
PROTESTATION
On September 1, a joint declaration opposing the entry of GMOs in Negros Occidental was signed.
Eight days later, on September 9, a public consultation was held at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall. Anti-GMO advocates trooped to the capitol, bringing scientists and experts to counter the provincial government’s claim that GMOs are no longer harmful.
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) maintains that genetically modified food available in global markets is as safe as conventional food, organic advocates in Negros remain firm: GMOs still pose a threat to human health and the environment.
STARK CONTRAST
Edgar Uychiat, top executive of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation (NISARD) and a known organic farming advocate, argued that allowing GMOs into the province runs counter to Provincial Ordinance No. 07-2007.
This ordinance prohibits the entry, planting, growing, selling, and trading of GMO-embedded plants and animals in Negros Occidental.
Uychiat stressed that this very law enabled Negros Occidental to beat Australia in winning the bid to host the Organic World Congress 2027. The triennial global gathering, organized by the respected International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), brings together organic farmers, producers, researchers, advocates, and policy experts worldwide.
Because of this “organic capital” distinction, Bacolod was also chosen to host Terra Madre on November 19–23 this year. Terra Madre, organized by the Slow Food Movement that began in Madrid, Spain, celebrates food culture and advocates “good, clean food.”
YOUTH POWER
Joshua Villalobos, convenor of the youth group Negros Initiative for Climate and Environment (NICE), declared that GMOs are “bad for the environment.”
He criticized what he described as the “railroading” of an ordinance meant to amend Provincial Ordinance No. 07 to pave the way for GMO entry.
Villalobos noted that approving the ordinance on second reading last August 29 without prior public consultation was unacceptable. NICE, he vowed, will remain vigilant.
P12-B INVESTMENT
Now, the name of Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has been dragged into the issue once more.
Protesters claim that the provincial government’s push for a pro-GMO ordinance is motivated by a promised ₱12-billion investment from Ang’s company.
In 2023, Gov. Bong Lacson revealed that Ang was considering investing ₱12 billion in feed mill, poultry, and broiler projects in the Philippines—with Negros Occidental among his top choices.
Bishop Alminaza vowed to oppose GMO entry at all costs. If the “GMO war” pushes forward, it will mark the third round of his battle with San Miguel. He already defeated Ang’s coal-fired power plant and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in San Carlos City, both of which SMC eventually abandoned.
“This third case on GMOs,” Alminaza declared, “I will not rest. I will fight what I believe is disastrous for humans, plants, and animals.”
BANNED IN OTHER COUNTRIES
An AI-assisted research reveals that several countries still ban GMOs outright.
These include:
* European Union – France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Italy
* Africa – Algeria and Madagascar
* South America – Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Other countries, meanwhile, use a case-by-case approval system instead of blanket bans.
The lesson is simple:
1. An active ordinance already exists—so why not honor it?
2. There is strong opposition—so why not listen first?
Railroading a pro-GMO ordinance invites doubt and fuels protest.
Right now, there is an escalating squabble—an unhealthy exercise in governance. Protesters insist their voices must be heard now, before they wake up one day to find GMOs everywhere in the province.
For them, this is not just a statement but a mission—an everyday fight to keep Negros Occidental GMO-free./PN
