The Bureau of Plant Industry Biotechnology Office Steers the Conduct of the Insect Resistance Management Annual Review for the Year 2023

By: Janine Mantilla

The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) together with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) conducted a Public Consultation for the draft Memorandum Circular titled “Conduct of Joint Field Trial for Plant-Incorporated Protectants (PIP) in Pest-Protected Plants (PPP) in Compliance with the Joint Department Circular No. 01 Series of 2021 (JDC No. 01, s2021) and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) Pesticide Regulatory Policies and Implementing Guidelines 3rd Edition 2020”. The Public Consultation was conducted on October 28, 2022 through Zoom Online Conferencing to solicit comments and suggestions of the stakeholders. The activity was attended by representatives from the BPI Biotechnology Office, BPI Biotechnology Core Team, FPA, Department of Agriculture-Planning and Policy Office, Insect Resistance Management Advisory Team (IRMAT), CropLife Philippines, and the Technology Developers.

To formally open the program, BPI Director Gerald Glenn F. Panganiban delivered a welcome message, followed by the presentation of highlights of previous agreements between BPI and FPA by Ms. Viola Katherine Gamboa, Agricultural Technician II. Ms. Tracey Mae Cea, Science Research Specialist II, moderated the line-by-line review where the discussion focused on the joint field trial’s process. The stakeholders suggested that the processing of Biosafety Permit for Field Trial under the BPI and the FPA’s Experimental Used Permit (EUP) be harmonized to reflect a single-window application and determine redundant data that may be excluded. This necessitates a consultation between the two offices to discuss the propositions raised and the ways forward identified during the public consultation.

Ms. Sheeb Kaiserin Quiaonza-Exconde delivered the closing remarks by expressing her gratitude to the stakeholders for actively participating in the development of the Memorandum Circular. The event was hosted by Ms. Ericka Joy Ancayan, Project Evaluation Officer I.