<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><div><span><br></span></div><div> </div><font size="4">FYI<br>----------<br><br></font><div style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div id="yiv1924514013"><div><blockquote type="cite"><div class="yiv1924514013WordSection1"><div><div>
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Forwarded Message -----<br>
<b>From:</b> APC secretariat <<a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:apcsecretariat@asianpeasant.org" target="_blank" href="mailto:apcsecretariat@asianpeasant.org">apcsecretariat@asianpeasant.org</a>><br>
<b>To:</b> apc_members <<a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:apc_members@asianpeasant.org" target="_blank" href="mailto:apc_members@asianpeasant.org">apc_members@asianpeasant.org</a>>
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<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, August 23, 2012 10:25 PM<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Farmers and Scientist Groups support
House Bill seeking GMO Free Agriculture</span><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;color:black;">RESIST
AGROCHEM TNCS!</span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><b><span style="color:black;"> </span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><b><span style="color:black;">PRESS
RELEASE</span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><b><span style="color:black;">August
23, 2012</span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><b><span style="color:black;"> </span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;background:white;" align="center"><b><span style="color:black;">Farmers
and Scientist Groups support
House Bill seeking GMO Free
Agriculture </span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;background:white;" align="center"><b><span style="color:black;"> </span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="color:black;">Manila,
Philippines –<b> </b>The
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas
(KMP), Magsasaka at Siyentipiko
para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura
(MASIPAG) and Resistance and
Solidarity against Agrochemical
TNCs (RESIST Agrochem TNCs!)<b>
</b>lauds the submission of
House Bill (HB) 6454 or “An Act
Prohibiting the Use of Products
Containing Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs) in Philippine
Agriculture and for other
Purposes”. </span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><span style="color:black;">“HB
6454 also known as the “GMO-Free
Agriculture Act of 2012” is
authored by Hon. Rafael Mariano,
Anakpawis Partylist representative
and concurrent national
chairperson of KMP, and was
submitted on August 8, 2012 at the
House of Representatives,” stated
Wilfredo Marbella, KMP deputy
secretary general and RESIST
Convenor.</span></div>
<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><span style="color:black;">The
farmer leader added, “This is a
timely action of the office of
Rep. Mariano especially now that
the <span style="background:white;">International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI),
in partnership with the
Philippine Rice Research
Institute (Philrice) is field
testing Golden Rice or Vitamin A
Rice in experimental farms in
Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Norte and
Camarines Sur.” </span></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><span style="color:black;background:white;">“Golden
Rice is a </span><span style="color:black;">genetically
modified (GM) rice that is
supposed to contain beta-carotene
to produce Vitamin A. Proponents
said it is being developed and
tested to address the problem of
Vitamin A deficiency. However, we
assert that the development and
promotion of Golden Rice
illustrates an industrial model of
agriculture that limits bio<span class="yiv1924514013msoDel"><del>-</del></span>diversity
and lessens dietary
diversification, which primarily
causes malnutrition,” stated Dr.
Chito Medina, MASIPAG national
coordinator also a RESIST
Convenor. </span></div>
<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><span style="color:black;">Medina
added, “GM food poses risk to
consumers, as more and more
independent international
scientific experiments reveal that
GMOs may cause health problems.
However, risk assessments done in
our country are inadequate. We
also question how the country is
regulating the entry or approval
of GMOs. To date, there are about
67 GMOs approved for direct use as
food, feed and processing. While
countries in Europe and China has
either banned or put a moratorium
on GMOs so as to protect their
crops from GM contamination , the
Philippine government are opening
the country to GM crops and thus,
endangering its people.”</span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><span style="color:black;"> “We
fully support the bill and we will
launch campaigns for its passage.
We agree with Rep. Mariano that
science should serve the people
and society, and not of the few
who earns big profit at the
expense of the people. Science and
technological advancement should
not cause harm and damage to both
people and the environment. Other
countries have acted through
legislation to protect their
citizens and environments from the
threat of GM crops and food.
Clearly, we must do the same,”
Marbella and Medina ended“ # </span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white;"><b><i><span style="color:black;">RESIST
AGROCHEM TNCs</span></i></b><i><span style="color:black;"> is
a broad alliance of
Philippine-based farmers'
organizations, NGOs, scientists,
environmentalists, health
workers, academe, and concerned
individuals in opposition to
Agrochemical TNCs, GMOs and
pesticides. It promotes and
advocates for alternative,
natural and sustainable farming,
and pushes for genuine agrarian
reform as the foundation of food
security and social justice.</span></i><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="color:black;"><br>
<b>KMP National Secretariat</b><br>
25-B Matiyaga Street, Barangay
Central, Quezon City<br>
Philippines<br>
Telefax: 632-4352383<br>
Email: <a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:kmp@kilusangmagbubukid.org" target="_blank" href="mailto:kmp@kilusangmagbubukid.org">kmp@kilusangmagbubukid.org</a><br>
Web: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.kilusangmagbubukid.org/">www.kilusangmagbubukid.org</a></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><b><span style="color:black;">MASIPAG
Office </span></b><span style="color:black;"></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="">2611
Carbern Village, Los Baños,
Laguna, Philippines<br>
Telefax: 63 (49) 536-5549<span style="color:black;"></span></span></div>
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<div class="yiv1924514013MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style=""> Email:
info(at)masipag(dot)org<span style="color:black;"></span></span></div>
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<pre class="yiv1924514013moz-signature">--
Phan Thu Ha
Senior Working Groups Coordinator
NGO Resource Centre
218 Doi Can, Hanoi - La Thanh Hotel
Tel: +84 4 8328570 Fax: +84 4 8328611
Mobile: 0912174879
Email: <a rel="nofollow" class="yiv1924514013moz-txt-link-abbreviated" ymailto="mailto:haphan@ngocentre.org.vn" target="_blank" href="mailto:haphan@ngocentre.org.vn">haphan@ngocentre.org.vn</a>
web: <a rel="nofollow" class="yiv1924514013moz-txt-link-freetext" target="_blank" href="http://www.ngocentre.org.vn/">http://www.ngocentre.org.vn</a>
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