DAVAO CITY – Concerned groups at the forefront of the campaign to preserve Davao’s environment welcomed the opening of the Chemistry Analytical and Research Laboratory (CARL) of the Ateneo de Davao University last March 10, 2011. Executive Director Lia Esquillo of the Interface Development Interventions, Inc (IDIS) said that the newly opened scientific facility is […]
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2 banana plantations violate buffer zone policy
DAVAO CITY – An environment group said two banana plantations in Davao City have not complied with the 50-meter buffer zone requirement. An environmental research commissioned by the Interface Development Interventions (Idis) in several banana plantations in Davao City’s third district showed that two plantations violate the 50-meter buffer zone policy. Lawyer Glocelito C. Jayma, […]
Mayor’s order to ban chemicals hailed
DAVAO CITY- An environment group welcomed Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s directive to stop the use of chemicals in combating the rat infestation that has plagued farms in the hinterlands. Lia Esquillo, executive director of the Interface Development Interventions Inc. (IDIS), said the directive was in tune with the city’s direction toward ensuring a healthy […]
IDIS joins calls for DA to rehabilitate Mindanao’s watersheds
DAVAO CITY – A local environmental advocacy group welcomed the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) recommendation that the Department of Agriculture and local government units should prioritize watershed rehabilitation in Mindanao to lessen the impact on farming systems in the island. The Interface Development Interventions, Inc, (IDIS) which advocates for the preservation of […]
Organic farming advocates challenge UPMin to show proof that latest talong plantings are not Bt-modified crops
DAVAO CITY – An island network representing organic farmers and their support groups is challenging the University of the Philippines Mindanao’s (UPMin) assurance that the latest round of eggplant trial testing at its campus site in Bago Oshiro does not involve the genetically modified Bt talong. Go Organic Mindanao (GOM) in its press statement said […]
UPMin challenged: be upfront on the nature of Bt talong field testing
DAVAO CITY – Organic groups in Davao challenged the University of the Philippines in Mindanao (UPMin) to be transparent on the true nature of the genetically modified Bt eggplant field testing. Previous statements prepared by UP Mindanao officials on the nature of experimental trials are now cast in doubt as copies of the contract have […]
Ban all GM crops, groups ask city council
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews) — Groups promoting organic agriculture urged the City Council to reject not only Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) eggplant, the first genetically modified vegetable scheduled for commercialization next year, but also all genetically modified crops in Davao City.
Lia Esquillo, executive director of the Interface Development Interventions Inc., made the call during the city council committee on agriculture hearing also attended by scientists and proponents of Bt eggplant.
Citywide network of small organic farmers call on City Council to support the City decision to terminate Bt talong testing
DAVAO CITY – The Go Organic – Davao City (Go DC), a citywide network of small organic farmers and their support groups called on City Councilors to support the City Mayor’s decision to terminate the genetically modified Bt talong field testing at the UP Mindanao even as the project proponents are hell-bent on pursuing the project.
New international study shows Bt gene to be toxic
DAVAO CITY – Organic farming advocates in Davao welcomed the latest independent study which revealed that the consumption of the Bt eggplant can cause inflammation, reproductive disorders and liver damage. The Institute for Independent Impact Assessment in Biotechnology released a report prepared by Lou Gallagher, an environmental epidemiologist and risk assessment expert from New Zealand […]
Cancellation of permit to test genetically modified eggplant hailed
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Advocates of sustainable agriculture welcomed the decision of the Bureau of Plant Industry to cancel the permit to test-grow genetically modified eggplant, locally referred to as “BT talong.”
The bureau had granted the permit to the University of the Philippines in Mindanao and the Visayan State University in Baybay, Leyte.