The three Catholic bishops of Negros Occidental are opposing moves to lift the province’s 18-year ban on genetically modified organisms, calling the proposal irresponsible, unjust, and dangerous.
In a pastoral statement released this week, bishops Patricio Buzon of Bacolod, Louie Galbines of Kabankalan, and Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos said lifting the GMO ban endangers public health and threatens farmers’ already vulnerable livelihoods.
They said weakening or repealing the 2007 ordinance, which prohibits cultivating GMOs province-wide, also threatens the ecological identity Negros has intentionally built for nearly two decades.
“To weaken or repeal it would not only be imprudent. It would be irresponsible, unjust, and dangerous,” the bishops said, urging officials to resist “political or corporate pressure.”
They warned that global research shows GMO contamination is irreversible, while industrial monoculture associated with these crops worsens soil degradation, water depletion, and declining pollinator populations across vulnerable farming communities.
The bishops added that health risks linked to glyphosate, a chemical widely used in GMO farming, heighten concerns, saying its harmful impacts on people and ecosystems are now undeniable.
They said Negros must preserve its identity as the country’s organic agriculture capital, stressing that farmers need fair markets, irrigation, insurance, and resilient seeds rather than dependency on GMOs.
“In this moment of climate emergency, food insecurity, and ecological crisis, we reiterate our unchanging and united stand: Negros must remain GMO-free,” they said. “This is our moral duty, ecological responsibility, and pastoral conviction.”
They urged provincial and local officials to uphold the ban, warning that any reversal threatens constitutional rights to health, ecological protection, and the dignity of farmers and communities.
The bishops also called on parishes, schools, youth groups, and civil society to defend the island’s ecological heritage and stay united in protecting their land, seeds, and future.
“As your pastors, we would be remiss in our responsibility if we fail to warn you: its amendment or repeal is a serious violation of the right of the people to health, and a healthy environment,” they added.
“It is not only a policy issue. It is a moral issue. A life issue. A justice issue. A faith issue,” they also said.
