ISAAA and DA’s Know the Science Project Pursues Policy Advocacy with Biotech Caravan

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, Inc. (ISAAA, Inc.) organized the first-ever Agri-Biotech in Action: A Biotech Caravan Experience on May 7-8, 2026 in Los Banos, Laguna, and Tarlac City, targeted for the frontliners in policymaking. The caravan, co-organized with the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA Biotech Program), and the Philippine House of Representative’s Special Committee on Food Security chaired by Hon. Raymond Adrian E. Salceda (3rd District of Albay).

 

The conduct of the Biotech Caravan with key stakeholders in the Philippines is one of the key deliverables of ISAAA and DA Biotech’s Know the Science project as a response to the challenges in knowledge gaps in policymaking and implementation. Following up the initial engagement with the HRep officials during the Kapihan Session held in March 2026, the caravan is designed to level up the engagement between key stakeholders particularly the policymakers and the biotech crop developers from both public and private sectors. The participants comprised Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco, secretariats from various House Committees, and congressional staff from the office of Rep. Salceda, Rep. Cojuangco, and Rep. Nicanor Briones. 

 

The first stop of the caravan was the Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines Los Banos. Mr. Panfilo de Guzman, Senior Associate Scientist at ISAAA Inc. welcomed the participants and encouraged them to maximize the experience to learn by actively engaging with the resource speakers. IPB officials presented the biotech initiatives of the institute, particularly the research and development of insect-resistant Bt eggplant. According to Dr. Lourdes Taylo, Project Leader of the Bt Eggplant Project, Bt eggplant addresses the pest problem of farmers, thus, reducing the urge to overuse insecticides. The safety tests for Bt eggplant also included an impact on soil ecosystem, and the findings showed that there were no negative impacts. Rep. Cojuanco commented that since Bt eggplant and Bt corn uses the same technique to address pest attacks, there must be no hesitations in using Bt eggplant on the perspective of the adopters.

 

The next stop of the caravan was at the International Rice Research Institute, where the researchers provided the participants with discussed biosafety protocols and some reseach conducted in the Genetic Transformation Laboratory and Transgenic Greenhouses. They also  had a tour of the International Rice Genebank where they witnessed the storage facilities of rice seed deposits from different parts of the world.

 

The second day of the caravan consisted of the visit to the Corteva Seed Processing Plant in Tarlac City. The seed operations staff toured the participants to the different process sections of the plant, starting from the delivery area up to storage. Dr. Antonio A. Alfonso, Corteva’s Asia Pacific Regional Regulatory Manager, also provided a thorough discussion regarding high quality seed production processes that they implement and the impact of biotech corn commercialization. He stressed that 50-60% of the feeds being produced in the country are yellow corn and 75% of the yellow corn are genetically modified. Thus, without biotechnology, the poultry and livestock industry would suffer.

 

The participants provided feedback after the activities and attested that the activity provided them with the opportunity to see firsthand the narratives surrounding biotechnology. ISAAA Global Knowledge Center on Biotechnology Manager, Ms. Kristine Grace Tome, closed the event with a message. “Witnessing your enthusiasm fills us with joy and deeper commitment to continue our knowledge sharing and policy advocacy initiatives…Let’s continue working together.”

For more details about this activity, send an email to knowledgecenter@isaaa.org

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