SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Narciso St., Surigao City

LESSON 3.3 GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS: SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND POLITICS

Prepared by: ALBAN, Ricardo III
LOPEZ, Ada Marie L.
PARAJITO, Ryan P.
ZERDA, James Carlo S.
INTRODUCTION
 In 2001, Rosalie Ellasus, a former overseas Filipino worker turned farmer, attended the
Integrated Pest Management- Farmers Field School and was introduced to Bt (Bacillus
thuringiensis) Corn, a genetically modified corn that is resistant to the destructive Asian corn
borer.
 In 1951, the term genetic engineering was coined by Jack Williamson, author of the science
fiction novel Dragon’s Island. Through continuous search for development, genetic engineering
no longer stayed in science fiction novel. It became a reality in science laboratories. The
general process of genetic engineering is the deliberate manipulation of the organism’s genes,
where it may involve transfer of genes from other organism.
 In 1973, antibiotic E. coli bacteria were created.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM- term used for an organism created through genetic
engineering.
GMOs on Food and Agricultural Industries
The Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health (CEEH, 2013) identified the following roles of
GMOs in the food and agricultural industries:
1. Pest resistance- genetically modified plants to resist certain pests. An example is Bt Corn. The
DNA (genome) of the Bt Corn has been modified with the gene of Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil
bacterium that produces proteins which is toxic to corn borers (worms).
2. Virus resistance- genetically modified plants to resist certain viruses. An example is GM
papaya or rainbow papaya. The papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is known to be detrimental to
papaya plants. The protein of PRSV was introduced to the papaya plant through plant tissue
which turned out to be resistant to the virus itself. The effect was like the vaccines humans
have against measles or influenza virus.
3. Herbicide tolerance- genetically modified plants to tolerate herbicide. An example is Roundup
Ready soybean. Glyphosate, an herbicide for weeds, was introduced to soybeans making it
tolerate to the herbicide itself. Farmers then can spray the herbicide killing the weeds but not
the soybeans.
4. Fortification- genetically modified plants fortified with certain minerals. An example is Golden
Rice. Beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, was introduced through biosynthesis genes to
the rice, making the rice grains fortified with vitamin A.
5. Cosmetic preservation- genetically modified plants resist natural discoloration. An example is
Arctic Apple. The apple variety was genetically modified to suppress the browning of apple due
to superficial damage.
6. Increased growth rate- a genetically modified organism that has higher yield in growth than
normal species. An example is AquAdvantage salmon. A gene from an ocean pout, an eel-like
fish was introduced to Pacific Chinook salmon, making the salmon grow faster than its normal
rate.
GMOs in Non-Food Crops and Microorganisms
GMO in non-food crops and some microorganisms involve the following:
1. Flower production- GMOs in flower production are seen in modified color and extended vase
life of flowers. Examples are Blue Roses, which are, in reality, contained 3,5-diglucoside,
together with large amounts of flavonols.
2. Paper production- modified characteristics of trees for higher yield of paper production.
Examples are poplar trees. Lignin is a complex polymer in trees that is removed from wood to
make paper through kraft process, through inserting genes that code for ferulc acid in young
poplar trees, the lignin structure is modified, making lignin easier to breakdown (Veniza, 2014).
3. Pharmaceutical productions- modified plants to produce pharmaceutical products. Examples
are periwinkle plants. Bacterial genes were added to the periwinkle plant to enhance the
production of vinblastine, an alkaloid usually added to drugs for cancer treatments like
Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Runguphan, 2010).
4. Bioremediation- use of modified plants that can assist in the bioremediation of polluted sites.
An example is shrub tobacco or Nicotiana glauca, genetically modified with phytochelatin
TaPCSI1, is used for bioremediation. It shows high level accumulation of zince, lead,
cadmium, nickel, and boron and produces high biomass.
5. Enzyme and drug production- use of modified microorganisms that can produce enzymes for
food processing. Example is CGTase (Cyclomaltodextrin glycosytransferase), an enzyme used
for food flavor enhancer, is produced in higher quantity by bacterium Bacillus which was
genetically modified with the gene of a thermophilic anaerobe, Thermoanaerobacter, carrying
CGTase (Pedersen & Jorgensen, 1995). Another example is artemesin. Artemesic acid is a
compound used for anti-malarial drug extracted from sweet wordwood plant. Through genetic
engineering, it can be synthetically produced by yeast and bacteria with sweet wordwood plant
gene (Zimmer, 2006).
6. GMOs in the medical field- genetic engineering is playing a significant role from diagnosis to
treatment of human-dreaded diseases. It helps in the production of drugs, gene therapy, and
laboratory researches. One classic example is Humulin, the genetically engineered insulin
used by Type 1 diabetes patients who are insulin-dependent. In the past, insulin is extracted
from the pancreases of pigs and cows that have caused allergic reactions to some diabetics
using it. In 1978, researchers from the City of Hope National Medical Center and Genentech
Biotechnology Company were able to produce human insulin. The gene for insulin was
inserted to bacterial DNA that was able to produce almost exactly the same human insulin.
This was a breakthrough in the mass production of human insulin. In 1996, modified human
insulin was approved, called the Humalog.
Benefits of GMOs
 Higher efficiency in farming- with the use of pesticide- resistant/herbicide-tolerant GMO crops,
there will be less use for herbicides/pesticides, and lower cost for labor and cultivation.
 Increase in harvest- GMO crops resistant to pests and diseases means increase in potential
growth and harvest.
 Control in fertility- controlling the purity of the hybrid seeds (GMO seeds) ensures higher
yields.
 Increase in food processing- altered characteristics of GMO crops help ease food processing.
 Improvement of desirable characteristics- GMOs offer longer shelf life, enhanced production or
reduction of enzymes, and other modified characteristics of plants, animals, and
microorganisms.
  Nutritional and pharmaceutical enhancement- GMO crops like maize fortified with lysine and
Golden Rice fortified with vitamin A and iron. There are now edible vaccines for viral and
diarrheal diseases.
 Reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides.
Potential Risks of GMOs
Opponents of GMOs have the following major concerns:
1. Since genetic engineering is still a young branch of science, there are inadequate studies of
the effects of GMOs to humans and the environment.
2. Genetic engineering promotes mutation in organisms which the long term effect is still
unknown.
3. Human consumption of GMOs might have the following effects:
 More allergic reactions- GMO food may trigger more allergic reactions, more so create
new ones, as side effect of the gene alteration.
 Gene mutation- GMO food may develop abnormalities and mutation, more than the
desired product of the gene alteration.
 Antibiotic resistance- GMO food contains antibiotic-resistant genes; this may cause
disease-causing bacteria likely to be more antibiotic-resistant too, increasing the
possibility of widespread of the disease.
 Nutritional value- GMO food may have change their nutritional value.
Potential Environmental Risks Caused By GMOs
Karki (2006) summarized the perceived potential environmental risks caused by GMOs. The
identified major risks are the following:
1. Risk in gene flow- there is potential risk of the modified gene to be transferred from the GMO
crop to its wild relative or organism in the soil and human intestine (when ingested). For
example, a decaying GMO plant could possibly transfer the modified genes to the bacteria and
fungi in the soil. Bacteria and fungi are capable of using a genetic material from their
surroundings. There are no studies yet on the effects of the absorbed modified gene to the
other organisms.
2. Emergence of new forms of resistance and secondary pests and weed problems- GMO crops
resistant to certain pesticides may trigger new form of pest resistance while GMO herbicide-
tolerant crops may lead to the over use of the herbicides which may trigger new form of weed
resistance.
3. Recombination of Virus and Bacteria to Produce New Pathogens- the modified gene can be
transferred and integrated in the viral or bacterial genes which may lead to viral and bacterial
gene modification or mutation. This living modified virus and bacteria may then cause new
disease that may affect other organisms including human beings.
Other direct and indirect environmental risks caused by GMOs (Molfino & Zucco, 2008):
1. Direct environmental risks are:
 introduction of the GMOs in the natural environment may cause disruption of the natural
communities through competition or interference;
 the possibility of unexpected behavior of the GMOs in the environment if it escapes its
intended use and may post threats or become pest;
 may cause harmful effects to ecosystem processes if GMOs interfere with the natural
biochemical cycles; and
 the persistence of GMO genes after its harvest which may cause negative impacts to
the consumer of GMO products.
 2. Indirect environmental risks are:
 alteration of agricultural practices like managing negative impacts of GMOs to the
environment such as evolution of insects, pest, and weeds that became resistant to
GMO crops;
 may have impacts to biodiversity caused by the alteration in agricultural practices; and
 may have varied environmental impacts due to GMOs interaction and release in the
natural environment.
Potential Human Health Risks caused by GMOs
 consumption of GMOs may have adverse effects since it is not naturally or organically
produced;
 consumption of GMOs may alter the balance of existing microorganisms in the human
digestive system;
 production of toxins may be detrimental to human health; and
 production of allergens may have adverse effects on humans.
Other potential risks that raise major concern are:
 Human Genome Project (HGP)- Mapping of human genes to provide framework for research
and studies in the field of medicine. It was feared that the ability to produce human genetic
information would create biases and give much power to people holding the information and to
the disadvantage of those who do not have the genetic information.
 Mutation of genetically engineered microorganisms- Genetically modified bacteria and viruses
may mutate to become more resistant or virulent that may cause more dreadful diseases for
human beings.
 Cloning- the asexual reproduction of an organism using parent cell through genetic
engineering. In February 24, 1997, the first mammal, Dolly, a sheep from Scotland, was born
through cloning. With its celebrated success came the fear of human cloning. It emerged the
ethical issue of man “playing God”.
Biosafety on GMOs
There are initiatives for the protection of the general human population regarding the issues
and concerns about GMOs. International organizations developed principles and treaties that
somehow ensure biosafety on GMOs. Some of these initiatives are as follows:
 The Codex Alimentarius Commisssion (Codex)- The Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO) together with the World Health Organization (FAO) created The Codex Alimentarius
Commission (Codex). Codex is an intergovernmental body that develops the Codex
Alimentarius, known as the International Food Code. Codex is responsible for the
development of standards, codes of practices, guidelines, and recommendations on food
safety. With the pressing issues and concerns on GMOs, in 2003, Codex has developed
principles for the human health risk analysis of genetically modified (GM) food products.
The principles include pre-market assessment of GM food products and its evaluation of
direct and indirect effects. However, the Codex principles has no binding effect on national
legislation but through the sanitary and phytosanitary measures of the World Trade
Organization, national legislators are encouraged to complement their national standards
with the Codex Principles (WHO, 2014).
 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety- Established in 2003, Cartagena Protocol is an
international environmental treaty that regulates the transboundary movements of Living
 Modified Organisms (LMOs). The Cartagena Protocol requires exporters to seek consent
from the importers before its first shipment of LMOs (WHO, 2014).
 International Trade Agreement in labeling of GM food and food products- The agreement
requires exporters of GM food and food products to label their products and give rights to
importing parties to reject or accept the GM products. The premise of this policy is that
consumers have the right to know and the freedom to choose GM or non-GM products
(Whitman, 2000).
The World Health Organization (WHO, 2014) claims that all GM products that are available
in the international market have passed safety assessment by national authorities. The safety
assessments basically look at the environmental and health risk factors and food safety usually
follows the Codex Food Code.
GMOs in Philippines Context
Introduction of GMOs in our country created issues and controversies similar to other countries
with GMOs. There are, of course, proponents and opponents of these issues.
The GMO concern started in the 1990s with the creation of the National Committee on
Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) through Executive Order No. 430 of 1990. The NCBP developed
the guidelines on the planned release of genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs) and potentially
harmful exotic species in 1998. In 2002, the Department of Agriculture released Administrative Order
No. 8, the guideline for the importation and release into the environment of GM plants and plants
products. On that same year, the entry of GMO importation started (Baumuller, 2003). The
Philippines was marked to be the first country in Asia to approved commercial cultivation of GMOs
when GM corn planting was approved in 2002 (Serapio & Dela Cruz, 2016).
From December 2002 to present, there are 70 GMO applications approved by the Department
of Agriculture for the release to the environment, 62 GMOs of which are approved for food feed and
processing and the remaining 8 were approved for propagation (Aruelo, 2016).
In 2004, the Philippines was classified by International Service for acquisition of agri-biotech
applications as one of the fourteen biotech-mega countries which grow 50,000 hectares or more of
GMO crops annually (James, 2004). In that same year, Senator Juan Flavier authored a bill on the
mandatory labeling of food and food products with GMOs. The Senate did not pass the bill.
In 2006, the Philippines became part of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. In the same year,
Executive Order No. 514 was issued to address the biosafety requirements of the Cartagena Protocol
and the establishment of the National Biosafety Framework (NBF).
In 2010, the Organic Agriculture Act was issued, encouraging organic agriculture than GMO-
related agriculture. Prior to this act, there are several provinces like Negros Occidental and Negros
Oriental which agreed to support organic agriculture. There was the establishment of the Negros
Organic Island through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the two provinces in 2005.
With this MOA, the two provinces were able to ban the entry of GMOs and living GMOs to their
provinces through provincial ordinance. Similar to this case, Davao City passed the Organic
Agriculture Ordinance in 2010. This city ordinance helps the prevention of field testing of GM Bt
Eggplant in the UP Mindanao Campus (Aruelo, 2016).
In 2012, Representative Teddy Casiño, together with other congressmen, filed a bill pushing
for the mandatory labeling of GM food and food products. To date, there is no Philippine biosafety
law, only biosafety regulations formed under NBF.
 A study on the biosafety regulations of the Philippines concluded that the existing regulation is
weak, which can be fixed through legislation such as a republic act (Richmond, 2006).
In December 2015, the Supreme Court ordered to put an end to the field testing of GMO Bt
eggplant and declared Administrative Order No. 8 Series of 2002 of the Department of Agriculture as
null and void. This mean that any actions or procedures related to GMO importations and propagation
is temporarily put to stop until a new administrative order is issued in accordance with the law.
In March 7, 2016, five government agencies namely, the Department of Science and
Technology, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources,
Department of Health, and Department of the Interior and Local Government, passed a Joint
Department Circular No. 1, series of 2016 on rules and regulations for the research and development,
handling and use, transboundary movement, release in the environment, and management of the
genetically modified plant and plant products derived from the use of modern biotechnology. This joint
department circular paves way to issuance of new permits for planting and importing GM crops in the
country.