Cardinal Rosales asks President to recall GE rice

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales is urging President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to recall the sale of “Uncle Sam Texas Long Grain Rice” which has been found to be contaminated with GE rice. This brand of rice, he said, is being distributed in the Philippines by Purefeeds, Inc. and sold in major supermarkets. The presence of the Genetically Modified Rice Variety 9LLRice 601 is a concern among the citizens, Cardinal Rosales said.

The letter to the president also endorsed the petition signed by 2000 persons initiated by the Archdiocese of Manila Ecology Desk raising several issues on the entry and sale into the country of GM products.

"As a Church institution, we have a moral obligation to protect the interest of God’s people and their inherent right to safe food and healthy environment. Independent and environmentally concerned local and international scientists already warned that genetically modified crops and food products could be very harmful to the environment and to human beings. European Union opposed and barred the entry of LLGE Rice 601,” the Cardinal said.

"We believe that we should strongly oppose any experiment or attempt to use genetically engineered food that are not safe or good to the environment,” the Cardinal said.

The Archdiocese of Manila Ecology Desk and concerned citizens have put forward to the President the following demands:

• That the Philippine government impose moratorium on the importation of rice from the United States especially under the PL 480 agreement.
• That the Department of Agriculture require a mandatory testing of all imported rice coming from the United States to determine if these are genetically modified or not.
• That the Department of Agriculture urgently stop the propagation of GM products in our farms and market, and instead aggressively promote and support he Philippine indigenous system of farming as a way of fulfilling the obligation of taking precautionary action.
• Certify as urgent bill the Mandatory labeling of all imported, processed food and agricultural products entering and manufactured in our country.