"Golden Rice is the hope of the children; allowing Golden rice to be available in the market will give children a better future," said Dr. Patrick Moore, co-founder and former member of the group Greenpeace and now chairman and spokesperson of the Allow Golden Rice Campaign. He stressed this during his seminar for the Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines on March 9, 2015.

Dr. Moore maintained that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) such as Golden Rice pose no harm, and added that humans are also products of gene modification through their parents' genes, while commercially available products are combinations of the best genes and traits of each species that evolved through time. Golden Rice, he said, is the same rice that people eat, aside from the fact that it is infused with beta carotene or Vitamin A, which is an essential vitamin needed in the human body.

Dr. Moore and his group started their Golden Rice Asian Tour in the Philippines last March 6, 2015; they aimed to raise awareness against the active blocking of Golden Rice in the Philippines by biotech critics, and disseminate information about its benefits.

The full article of this story is available at the SEARCA BIC website. For more updates on biotechnology in the Philippines or in Southeast Asia, visit the SEARCA BIC website or send an e-mail to bic@searca.org.