Dr. Reynaldo Ebora, focal point for the Philippines and the executive director of the Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD) announced the setting up of a national Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) as part of the Philippine obligation as party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB).. 'The setting up of a national BCH is part of the Philippine obligation as party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB)', says Ebora who is also the executive director of the Department of Science and Technology 's Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development. The BCH is envisioned to facilitate the exchange of scientific, technical and environmental and legal information on, and experience with living modified organisms. The BCH Pilipinas is an inter-agency collaboration among the Departments of Science and Technology, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, and the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines.

In its consultation meeting held on April 14, 2008, representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, and the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines presented the various agenda and issues to be discussed during the 4th meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. These are monitoring and reporting; options for implementation of the notification requirement; risk assessment and management; subsidiary bodies; capacity building activities and roster of experts; report of the compliance committee; public awareness and participation; handling, transport, packaging and identification of LMOs; socio-economic considerations; and liability and redress.

Documents can be downloaded at http://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=MOP-04 . For more developments on biotech in the Philippines contact Sonny Tababa of the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center at spt@agri.searca.org..