DUMINGAG,
Zamboanga del Sur—At least sixteen municipal mayors planned to start declaring
GMO-free zones thru passing an ordinance and info drive in their respective
towns early next year after learning that such a proactive strategy has worked
in Europe.
“We have long
been into organic agriculture, we have long been defensively against
genetically modified organisms, but bringing the campaign to ban GMOs in a
lighter proactive mood is new for us,” said Dumingag Mayor Nacianceno Pacalioga
Jr., the president of the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities in the
Philippines.
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Mayor Jun Pacalioga congratulates Ruel Anggi, a
model barangay
captain and organic farmer, as Bernward Geier of
IFOAM-Europe
and Joseph Wilhelm of Rapunzel Naturkost-Germany
look on during
the Awards Night ofAraw ng Dumingag last
December 7 at the
Dumingag Cultural Center. (Photo provided)
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German organic
advocates advised the local organic advocates to re-strategize their anti-GMO
position into a pro GMO-free position in a series of forums held recently.
Poised to
declare as GMO-free zones are the municipalities of Dumingag, Molave and
Mahayag of Zamboanga del Sur, Siayan and Sindangan of Zamboanga del Norte,
Bindoy of Negros Oriental, Kauswagan and Kolambugan of Lanao del Norte, Daram
of Samar, Bagulin of la Union, General Nakar of Quezon, Damulog of Bukidnon,
Alegria of Surigao del Norte, Goa of Camarines Sur, Talisayan of Misamis
Oriental and Jimenez of Misamis Occidental.
