“Invest in our planet!”

Today’s Earth Day reminds us to invest in our planet and not allow “climate change, man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade that can accelerate the speed of destruction of the planet.”

We welcome and commend the issuance of the Supreme Court, last April 18, of a “writ of kalikasan in the case of MASIPAG (Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura, et al) vs. Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, et al which sought to stop the commercial release of genetically modified rice and eggplant products.”

On October 12, 2022, petitioners, led by MASIPAG “filed a Petition for Writ of Kalikasan and Continuing Mandamus (With Prayer for Issuance of Temporary Environmental Protection Order) before the Supreme Court seeking the issuance of a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) directing respondents Department of Agriculture (DA) to (a) refrain from commercially propagating Golden Rice and issuing biosafety permits for commercial propagation of Bt Eggplant; (b) cease and desist from commercially propagating Golden Rice and Bt Eggplant until such time that proof of safety and compliance with legal requirements is shown; (c) declare all biosafety permits for Golden Rice and Bt Eggplant null and void; and (d) perform independent risks and impact assessments, obtain the prior and informed consent of farmers and indigenous peoples, and implement liability mechanisms in case of damage, as required by law.”

Among others, “the petitioners alleged that: both Golden Rice and Bacillus thuringiensis Eggplant (Bt Eggplant) are genetically modified organisms, that Golden Rice has been modified by inserting a gene from maize and a gene from bacteria found in soil which allows the plant to biosynthesize beta-carotene in the edible parts of rice, and that Bt Eggplant was designed so that the plant would produce its own toxin, to kill the fruit and shoot borer which is one of several common pests that consume and damage eggplants.”

Respondents-Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Secretary of the Department of Health, the Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine Rice Research Institute, and University of the Philippines – Los Baños (UPLB)- were required by the SC “to file a verified return within 10 days from service.”

Yesterday, April 21, an Earth Day Press Conference was organized by the Save Cebu Movement to “reiterate its call to stop the reclamation projects in Cebu and revoke the permits and clearances for the reclamation projects, which is expected to cover 3,041.65 hectares of the municipal waters in Cebu.

“Of the 52 reclamation projects approved by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) as of February 28, 2023, 10 projects are located in the island of Cebu - (Lapulapu (2), Cordova (2), Mandaue (3), Consolacion (2), and Minglanilla(1). two of these are already underway in Minglanilla and Mandaue City.

“These projects will cover 2946.65 hectares of municipal waters in Cebu. There is another planned 95-hectare reclamation project in Catmon.”

The Save Cebu Movement “vehemently opposes the approval of the Cebu Provincial Board of the proposed 100-hectare reclamation in Minglanilla and the proposed 254-hectare reclamation in Cordova, Mactan Island in March 2023.

“Instead of investing in environmentally-destructive projects like reclamation, the government should invest in nature-based solutions, mobilize the full force of government’s mandate and resources to comprehensively prepare the people of the worsening climate impacts, address vulnerability and risks, prepare the climate mitigation and adaptation measures, and fully integrate this in the local development plans.”

Everyone is enjoined to unite and support the call for governments to implement “real climate solutions, not reclamation,” and to invest in and prioritize our people, our province, our country, our planet.