MANILA, Philippines—Science Communicators Philippines, CropLife Philippines, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will jointly organize a media forum on biotechnology research and development (R&D) and regulatory landscape in the Philippines on 14 October 2025 at the Century Park Hotel. The event will be livestreamed simultaneously via Zoom and Facebook Live.
The forum will convene media practitioners and science communicators from mainstream print, broadcast, and online media to discuss recent advances in agricultural biotechnology R&D, policy frameworks, and enabling programs that support its safe and responsible use in addressing food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agricultural development in the country.
The program will feature a plenary session with presentations on the global landscape of agricultural biotechnology and ongoing research and innovations in crop biotechnology, particularly in staple crops and vegetables such as rice, corn, and eggplant, which contribute to improving food security and nutrition in the Philippines. In addition, a study examining the factors that have influenced the adoption of biotech corn among Filipino farmers following the 2015 Supreme Court ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will also be discussed.
The plenary session will be followed by a panel discussion focusing on policies and programs that catalyze an enabling environment for biotechnology uptake in the Philippines. The discussion will center on regulatory policies, public acceptance, and farmers' experiences in adopting biotech corn. Panelists will include key representatives from the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), DA Biotechnology Program Office, the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) of the Philippines, and the farmer sector.
The forum is one of the lead-up activities to the National Biotechnology Week, leading to its official celebration on 28–30 October 2025. It aligns with SEARCA's SUSTAIN Southeast Asia framework under its 12th Five-Year Development Plan, which advocates the sustainable transformation of agri-food systems through innovations that empower smallholder farmers, strengthen food security, and enhance climate resilience. The event also aims to boost science communication and collaboration among the scientific community, regulators, and the media.