![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/op2.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has made another leap in the field of genetic engineering as \u201cGolden Rice\u201d is given permission to be cultivated on the vast farmlands of the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A product of almost a decade of scientific persistence, Golden Rice is enriched with beta carotene \u2014 a nutrient convertible to vitamin A which gives the rice its \u201cgold\u201d appearance. In alliance with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), DA-PhilRice\u2019s Golden Rice will serve as a countermeasure against the prevalent Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) that undermines the immune response, leading to early blindness among children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Various agrarian organizations, however, loath Golden Rice\u2019s future entry to the market through a joint obstructive call. Its mandate of combating malnutrition, regulation, and safety upon public consumption maintain to be pointers that entail further screening from its proponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked for his stand on the Golden Rice sponsorship by the DA-PhilRice, Dr. Charito \u201cChito\u201d Medina from Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG) says that toxicity feeding tests are not undertaken. These tests involve Golden Rice\u2019s immediate effects on the people but instead the proponents focus on the amount of Vitamin A acquired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAng ginamit lang nila ay computer database comparison. Contentious ang sabihing safe ang Golden Rice dahil walang feeding tests na ginawa,\u201d said Dr. Medina added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2013, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Deputy Secretary-General Willy Marbella joined his fellow farmers in an indignation protest against the trial domestication of Golden Rice in Pili, Camarines Sur as it was perceived to be a vessel of contaminants. The group proceeded to charge into the planting fields to uproot rice stalks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2020, DA-PhilRice initiated a public comment drive on the proposed propagation of Golden Rice in consideration of the feedback and concerns that the masses might have. Despite this agenda, however, Neth Da\u00f1o from Rice Watch Action Network, Inc. looks at DA-PhilRice in disbelief. Da\u00f1o insists that Golden Rice evaluation reports have not been clearly disclosed to the public. Reviews regarding the effects of Golden Rice\u2019s to a person\u2019s health and to his or her socioeconomic status <\/strong>remain missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trinidad Domingo, a farmer identified as part of Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK), suggests instead intensifying the campaigning for non-GMO alternatives; namely, carrots, squash, and spinach. All contain rich amounts of nutrients such as beta-carotene. This nutrient is known to improve one\u2019s eye health, immune system, and skin condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The commercial propagation of Golden Rice begs the question: Who owns the technology? GMOs (genetically modified organisms) such as Golden Rice are protected by intellectual property rights which puts our small farmers at the mercy of transnational corporations that own the technology,” Da\u00f1o added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hence, the Golden Rice, despite its claimed benefits, is not a panacea for nutritional deficiencies. It also poses a threat against the impoverished by taking away the market for Filipinos\u2019 food staple and putting it in the hands of the powerful few. Capitalists, likewise, will keep on exploiting farmlands. Meanwhile, harassment awaits our farmers as they resist and persist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last December 2020, law enforcers led by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Region 6 red-tagged and massacred 9 Tumandoks as alleged members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People\u2019s Army (CPP-NPA). This cold-blooded killing was part of the anti-communist-terrorist operation of the administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey were civilians and not armed combatants,\u201d human rights group Panay Alliance Karapatan defended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With rampant attacks of the Duterte regime against the peasantry, the agricultural industry will continue to face scarcity that starves children of the marginalized. Never disheartened, the flame that signifies their cry for justice, and right to territorial entitlement, adequate facilities, and financial aid burns even brighter, exposing wounds inflicted by their perpetrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Featured image courtesy of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The commercial propagation of Golden Rice begs the question: Who owns the technology?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,11,12],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[122],"class_list":["post-1802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news","category-news","category-news-features"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/golden_rice-1-scaled.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3898,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2022\/02\/22\/short-lived-and-unsustainable-experts-debunk-marcoss-masagana-99\/","url_meta":{"origin":1802,"position":0},"title":"Short-lived and unsustainable: experts debunk Marcos’s Masagana 99","author":"Staff","date":"22 February 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Presidential frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos falsely claimed that his father\u2019s \u201cMasagana 99\u201d was a success and wants to bring it back despite several studies showing how it bankrupted rural banks and forced thousands of farmers into debt.\u00a0 Marcos made this claim during the presidential debate hosted by Sonshine Media Network International\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-6.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1382,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2021\/06\/10\/bite-the-hand-that-refuses-to-feed-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":1802,"position":1},"title":"Bite the hand that refuses to feed you!","author":"emdeborja","date":"10 June 2021","format":"image","excerpt":"Duterte has planted the seeds of terror. Now he will reap an unyielding resistance. In the first year of his term alone, there have been 68 documented killings of farmers. The fields of Negros Island, in particular, have been mercilessly marred with blood\u2014 a fraction spilled by the nine farmers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opinion"","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/km-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/km-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/km-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/km-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/km-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3520,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2022\/01\/22\/bite-the-hand-that-refuses-to-feed-you-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1802,"position":2},"title":"Bite the hand that refuses to feed you!","author":"Staff","date":"22 January 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The life of a farmer tells a tale of irony, but it also recounts a tale of resistance. Farmers have long persisted even as they are impaired by landlessness and dismal working conditions. They valiantly fight to own the land that is rightfully theirs. Even with death threats hanging over\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opinion"","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/121586011_2865934523626138_4597685691444977926_n-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/121586011_2865934523626138_4597685691444977926_n-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/121586011_2865934523626138_4597685691444977926_n-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/121586011_2865934523626138_4597685691444977926_n-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/121586011_2865934523626138_4597685691444977926_n-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/121586011_2865934523626138_4597685691444977926_n-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4682,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2022\/06\/21\/marcos-will-not-solve-ph-agri-fisheries-woes\/","url_meta":{"origin":1802,"position":3},"title":"“Marcos will not solve PH agri-fisheries woes”","author":"Staff","date":"21 June 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Fisher\u2019s group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya (PAMALAKAYA) lambasted President-elect Marcos\u2019s decision to act as agriculture secretary at the start of his term. They said that aside from Marcos\u2019s lack of experience in the sector, he has never presented concrete plans to resolve the sector\u2019s worsening woes.\u00a0 PAMALAKAYA pointed out\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sinag-web-banner-4-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sinag-web-banner-4-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sinag-web-banner-4-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sinag-web-banner-4-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sinag-web-banner-4-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sinag-web-banner-4-1.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3801,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2022\/02\/14\/presyo-ng-langis-tataasan-na-naman\/","url_meta":{"origin":1802,"position":4},"title":"Presyo ng langis, tataasan na naman","author":"Staff","date":"14 February 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Kaakibat ng pagtaas ng presyo ng langis ay ang pagtaas din ng iba pang pangunahing bilihin.\u00a0 Ang presyo naman ng palay ay patuloy na bumabagsak na siyang nagdudulot ng matinding krisis sa mga magsasaka. Isang oil price hike na naman ang inaasahan sa susunod na linggo. Ang presyo ng mga\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/sinag-web-banner-27-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/sinag-web-banner-27-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/sinag-web-banner-27-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/sinag-web-banner-27-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/sinag-web-banner-27-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/sinag-web-banner-27-1.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4167,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2022\/03\/22\/duterte-amends-law-allowing-full-foreign-ownership-on-public-services\/","url_meta":{"origin":1802,"position":5},"title":"Duterte amends law allowing full foreign ownership on public services","author":"Staff","date":"22 March 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On March 21, Monday, President Duterte signed amendments on the Public Service Act into law that will lessen restrictions on foreign investments over \u201cpublic services and their franchises, equipment, and other properties.\u201d \u201cNo franchise, certificate, or any other form of authorization for the operation of a public utility shall be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sinag-web-banner-9-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sinag-web-banner-9-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sinag-web-banner-9-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sinag-web-banner-9-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sinag-web-banner-9-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sinag-web-banner-9-1.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":122,"user_id":9,"is_guest":0,"slug":"csspsinag","display_name":"Staff","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/194807626fee183640d3de57e788ba7c8c0d40bd86bfc1237bed56bcd3832c1b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1802"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"