DENR pushes biotech education, innovation at national biotech week

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), opened the 22nd National Biotechnology Week (NBW) on Monday at the DENR Multipurpose Hall in Quezon City.

The four-day celebration, which runs from 21 to 24 September, carries the theme “Biotek para sa Kinabukasan: Kalikasan, Kalusugan, Kagandahan, Kabuhayan, at Kaunlaran.”

Activities include the National Intercollegiate Genetics Quiz Contest organized by the UPLB Genetics Society, a technology pitching event by the Department of Agriculture, TID Talks by the Department of Trade and Industry, and forums organized by the Department of Science and Technology.

“This [year’s National Biotechnology Week] is something very significant because this time not only we have the inter-agency committee, we [also] have [Pinoy] Biotek Hub, a remarkable platform where all the biotechnology produced in the past could be access by the [Filipino people],” DENR-ERDB Director Lormelyn Claudio told the Daily Tribune.

The Pinoy Biotek Hub features biotechnology innovations developed by Filipinos and is envisioned as a centralized repository of biotechnology products and initiatives developed in the country.

Students urged to explore biotechnology

Claudio encouraged Filipino students, particularly those in high school, to consider biotechnology-related degree programs as the country seeks to develop more professionals in the field.

“The students are coming in [the exhibit], and we would like to encourage [them], especially high school students, to now take on biotechnology-related courses,” Claudio said.

She cited data indicating that only six percent of Filipino students had considered pursuing programs related to biotechnology.

“We need biotechnology to boost our economy and to ensure sustainable development, and the progress of the country will be sustained not just for our generation but for prosperity,” Claudio said.

Several Philippine universities offer biotechnology and related degree programs. The University of the Philippines Los Baños offers a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Biotechnology, with specializations including animal biotechnology, crop biotechnology, crop protection biotechnology and food biotechnology.

UP Diliman and the University of Santo Tomas also offer programs related to molecular biology and biotechnology, while Visayas State University offers a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology.

College students also participated in the National Intercollegiate Genetics Quiz Contest organized by the UPLB Genetics Society.

Participants came from Our Lady of Fatima University-Quezon City, Technological University of the Philippines-Taguig, De La Salle University-Manila, Mapúa University-Manila, Ateneo de Manila University, the University of Southern Mindanao Main Campus and Pampanga State Agricultural University.

Building public acceptance

Claudio said increasing public understanding of biotechnology and the government's efforts to develop the field could help encourage wider acceptance of its applications.

“For food security, addressing the loss of biodiversity or the degradation of environment, pollution and all many concerns [which are] common daily problems that we encounter as Filipinos, the biotechnology approach would be of help,” she said.

She added that the Inter-Agency Committee on Biotechnology has discussed issues involving biosafety, biosecurity and sustainable development as biotechnology continues to advance.

“One of the things or challenges is to continually assess even how biotechnology is being understood by the people and how these [biotechnologies] are being used,” Claudio said.

She stressed the importance of helping Filipinos understand biotechnology applications in medicine, agriculture and other sectors.

Former Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP) president Dr. Nina Gloriani said efforts to promote biotechnology continue, although advocates have made significant progress in educating the public about its benefits, risks and safety.

“It is continuing [the fight for biotechnology] but we have achieved a lot already in terms of education on the safety and risk [of biotechnology through the years],” Gloriani told the Daily Tribune.

Biotechnology programs in the Philippines date back to 1980, when the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology was established at UPLB. Three other biotechnology institutes were established by the University of the Philippines in UP Diliman, UP Manila and UP Visayas in 1995.

Gloriani recalled addressing concerns over biotechnology risks through scientific evidence during the 1990s.

“It is a lot better, but there are still those groups that make it very difficult [to accept biotechnology],” she said.

“We tried to educate even the judiciary [now] for them to understand science,” Gloriani added, noting that biotechnology advocates have also engaged government institutions to promote a better understanding of the field.

Founded in April 2001, the BCP is a multisectoral coalition advocating the responsible use and advancement of modern biotechnology in the Philippines. It will mark its 26th anniversary in 2027.