Science, Technology and Society

GE704

Lesson 10. GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

This lesson addresses the legal and ethical concerns surrounding genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) and their impact on society. It also describes the method
of producing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and introduces some of their
forms and products. Furthermore, it depicts the current state of GMOs in the
Philippines, including government laws and regulations.

WHAT TO EXPECT
At the end of this lesson students are expected to learn the following
competency skills:
a. Explain the ethics and implications of GMOs and potential future
impacts

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ELICIT

Name: ____________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

Course/Section: ____________________

Instructions: Write in the box what you presently know about GMO and think about possible
issues/problems that may bring as a result of these technology. Answer the questions below. Use
a whole sheet of paper.

Prior Knowledge on GMO Possible Problems/Issues

1. Can you give example of GMO you know and describe it?
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2. Why GMO’s are created?
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ENGAGE

Let us begin the lesson by doing the following activities. These activities will lead you into
exploring and discovering the concept of the lesson.

Activity 10.1 Snippet Overload!

Name: ____________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

Course/Section: ____________________

Instructions: For this activity, each student in pair will prepare a 1-2minutes video presentation
on Genetically Modified Organisms. You may choose on specific GMO, a topic/issue or a problem
about GMO’s and answer the following questions:

Key Inquiry Questions:

1. What specific GMO and issue/problem did you focus on? Why did you choose it?
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2. What solution can you recommend to address the issue/problem?

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EXPLORE

Activity 10.2 Leaflet Production

Name: ____________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

Course/Section: ____________________

Instructions: In this task, you will be making a Leaflet on GMO’s which includes either advantage
or disadvantage of using GMO’s. You may also focus on a specific GMO or a specific
topics/issues/problems on GMO. Remember to put references on to your leaflet to acknowledge
those information you got from other sources.
How to make a leaflet using word? You may refer to this link
(https://www.instantprint.co.uk/printspiration/print-design-tips/how-to-design-a-folded-leaflet-in-
microsoft-word)

Key Inquiry Questions:

1. Describe your Leaflet.

2. How do you think this leaflet can help contribute in understanding the science of GMO’s?

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EXPLAIN

ACTIVE READING

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

Since the introduction of selective breeding and the domestication of cattle, genetic
engineering has been a part of human culture. The method of genetic modification, on the other
hand, is almost natural.
Jack Williamson, author of the science fiction novel Dragon's Island, invented the word
genetic modification in 1951. (Stabled, 2004). This was a year before actual research results on
the role of DNA in heredity and its structure, Watson and Crick's double-helix, were published.
Despite the many possibilities and opportunities that genetic engineering opens for
progress, it faces a lot of resistance. Opponents pose legal, social, and environmental concerns
about genetics and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Genetically Modified Organism

The word "genetically modified organism" (GMO) refers to species that have been
produced by genetic engineering. GMO is characterized as a “organism, either plant, animal, or
microorganism, in which genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur
naturally by mating or natural recombination,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO,
2014).

GMOs in Food and Agricultural Industries

The Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health (CEEH, 2013) identified the
following roles of GMOs in the food and agricultural industries:
1. Pest Resistance - genetically modified plants to resist certain pests.
2. Virus resistance - genetically modified plants to resist to certain viruses.
3. Herbicide Tolerance - genetically modified plants to tolerate herbicide.
4. Fortification - genetically modified plants with certain minerals.
5. Cosmetic preservation - genetically modified plants resist to natural discolouration.
6. Increase growth rate - a genetically modified organism that has higher yield in growth
than normal species.

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GMOs in Non-Food Crops and Microorganisms

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in non-food crops and some microorganisms
involve the following:
1. Flower Production - GMOs in flower production are seen in modified colour and
extended vase life of flowers. Examples are Blue Roses.
2. Paper production - modified characteristics of trees for higher yield of paper production.
Examples are poplar trees. Liginin is a complex polymer in trees that is removed from
wood to make paper through kraft process, through inserting genes that code for ferulic
acid in young poplar trees, the lignin structure is modified, making lignin easier to
breakdown (Veniza, 2014).
3. Pharmaceutical productions - modified plants to produce pharmaceutical products. Examples
are periwinkle plants. Bacterial gene were added to the periwinkle plant to
enhance the production of vinblastine, an alkaloid usually added to drugs for cancer
treatments like Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Rungupan, 2010).
4. Bioremediation - used of modified plants that can assist in the bioremediation of polluted sites.
An example is shrub tobacco. Nicotiana Glouca, or shrub tobacco genetically modified
with phytochelatin TapCSI1x is used for bioremediation.
5. Enzyme and drug production - use of modified microorganisms that can produce enzymes for
food processing and medicines. One example of this is CGTase. Cyclomaltodextrin
glycosyltranferase (CGTase), an enzyme used for food flavor enhancer(Pedersen
& Jorgensen, 1995).
6. GMOs in the medical field - genetic engineering is playing a significant role from diagnosis to
treatment of human-dreaded diseases. It helps in the production of drugs, gene therapy,
and laboratory researches.One classic example is Humulin, the genetically engineered
insulin used by type 1 diabetes patients who are insulin-dependent.

Potential Benefits of GMOs

• Higer efficiency in farming - with the use of pesticide - resistant/herbicide/pesticides
and lower cost for labor and cultivation.
• Increase in harvest - GMO crops resistant to pests and diseases mean increase in
potential growth and harvest.
• Control in fertility - controlling the purity of the hybrid seeds (GMO seeds) ensures
higher yields.

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• Increase in food processing - altered characteristics of GMO crops help ease food
processing.
• Improvements of desirable characteristics - GMOs offer longer shelf life, enhanced
color and taste, enhanced production or reduction of enzymes, and other modified
characteristics of plants, animals, and microorganisms.
• Nutritional and Pharmaceutical enhancement - GMO crops life maize fortified with
lysine and Golden Rice fortified with vitamin A and iron. There are now edible vaccines
for viral and diarrhea diseases.
• Reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides

Potential Risk of GMOs

Despite the positive arguments made by GMOs, their critics argue that they are harmful.
Studies have found a correlation between the adaptation of pesticide-resistant GMO crops and
the substantial growth of super weeds that have also become pesticide-resistant. More than 12
million acres of farmland in the United States were impacted as a result of this.
Opponents of GMOs have the following major concerns:
1. Since genetic engineering is still a young branch of science, there are inadequate
studies on the effects of GMOs to humans and the environment.
2. Genetic engineering promotes mutation in organisms which the long term effect is still
in unknown.
3. Human Consumption of GMOs might have the following effects:
• More allergic reactions - GMO food may trigger more allergic reactions, more so
create new ones, as side effect of the gene alteration.
• Gene mutation - GMO food may develop abnormalities and mutation, more than
the desired product of the gene alteration.
• Antibiotic resistance - GMO food contains antibiotic-resistant genes; this may
cause disease-causing bacteria likely to be more antibiotic-resistant too,
increasing the possibility of widespread of the disease.
• Nutritional value - GMO food may have change in their nutritional value.

Potential Environmental Risk Caused By GMOs

Kari (2006) summarized the perceived potential environmental risk caused by GMOs. The
identified major risk are the following:

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1. Risk in gene flow - 1. there is a potential risk of the modified gene to be transferred
from the GMO crop to its wild relative or organism in the soil and human intestine (when
ingested).
2. Emergence of new forms of resistance and secondary pests and weed problems -
GMO crops resistant to certain pesticides may trigger new form of pest resistance while
GMO herbicide-tolerant crops may lead to the over use of the herbicides which may
trigger new form of weed resistance.
3. Recombination of virus and bacteria to produce new Pathogens - the modified gene
can be transferred and integrated in the viral or bacterial genes which may lead to viral
or bacterial gene modified or mutation. This living modified virus and bacteria may then
cause new disease that may affect other organisms including human beings.

Other direct and indirect environmental risk cause by GMOs (Molfino & Zucco, 2008):
1. Direct environmental risk are:
• Introduction of the GMOs in the natural environment may cause disruption of
the natural communities through competition or interference;
• The possibility of unexpected behaviour of the GMOs in the environment if it
escapes its intended use and may post threats or become pest;
• May cause harmful effects to ecosystem processes if GMOs interfere with the
natural biochemical cycles; and
• The persistence of GMO genes after its harvest which may cause negative
impacts to the customer of GMO products.
2. Indirect environmental risks are:
• Alteration of agricultural practices like managing negative impacts of GMOs to
the environment such as evolution of insects, pest, and weeds that became
resistant to GMO crops;
• May have impacts to biodiversity cause led by alteration in agricultural practice;
and
• May have varied environmental impacts due to GMOs interaction and release in
the natural environment.

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Potential Human Health Risks caused by GMOs

A major concern in the use and consumption of GMOs is its effect on human beings,
primarily on human health. Some potential human health risk are identified (Akhter, 2001), such
as:
• Consumption of GMOs may have adverse effects since it is not naturally or organically
produced;
• Consumption of GMOs may the alter the balance of existing microorganisms in the
human digestive system
• Production of toxins may be detrimental to human health; and
• Production of allergens may have adverse effects on humans.

Many organization advocate against the consumption of GMO foods, according to

Worldview. They advise people to stop purchasing GMO items and to scan labels carefully to see
if the food they purchase contains GMO ingredients. Another medically modified crop, Bt
eggplant, has been banned in the Philippines by the Supreme Court (Ongkiko, 2016).

Other potential risks that raise major concern are:

• Human Genome Project (HGP) - Mapping of human genes to provide framework for
research and studies in the field of medicine. It was feared that the ability to produce
human genetic information would create biases and give much power to people holding
the information and to the disadvantage of those who do not have the genetic
informationX
• Mutation is genetically engineered microorganisms - genetically modified bacteria and
viruses may mutate to become more resistant or virulent that may cause dreadful
diseases for human beings.

Biosafety on GMOs
There are programs aimed at educating the general public about the problems and
concerns surrounding GMOs. Governmental organizations have established principles and
treaties to ensure the biosafety of genetically modified organisms. The following are some of these
initiatives:
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). The Codex Alimentarius Commission
was established by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) (Codex). Codex Alimentarius, also known as the International Food

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Code, is an intergovernmental organization that produces the Codex Alimentarius.

Codex is in charge of establishing food safety practices, codes of conduct, protocols,
and recommendations. Codex developed guidelines for the human health risk analysis
of genetically modified (GM) food products in 2003, in response to pressing issues and
concerns about GMOs. The Codex Principles, however, have no binding effect on
national legislation; however, through the World Trade Organization's sanitary and
phytosanitary initiatives, national legislatures are urged to supplement their national
standards with the Codex Principles (WHO, 2014).
• Cortagena Protocol on Biodiversity. The Cartagena Protocol, which was established in 2003, is
an international environmental treaty that governs the transboundary movement of Living
Modified Organisms (LMOs). Before the first shipment of LMOs, the Cartagena Protocol
allows exporters to obtain permission from importers (WHO, 2014).
• International Trade Agreement on labelling of GM food and food products. The agreement
allows GM food and food product exporters to mark their goods and gives importing
parties the option of refusing or approving GM products. Consumers have the right to
know and the freedom to select GM on non-GM goods, according to the policy's premise
(Whitman, 2000).

Philippine Context on GMOs

The National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) was established in the
1990s in response to Executive Order No. 430 of 1990, which established the National Committee
on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP). In 1998, the NCBP created guidelines for potentially
dangerous exotic species. Administrative Order No. 8, a guideline for the essential and release
into the environment of GMO plants and plant products, was issued by the Department of
Agriculture in 2002. In the same year, the launch of GMOs became important (Baumuller, 2003).
When GM corn planting was approved in 2002, the Philippines was set to be the first country in
Asia to demonstrate commercial cultivation of GMOs (Serapis & Dela Cruz, 2016).
The Department of Agriculture has approved 70 GMO applications for release to the
environment since December 2002, with 62 GMOs approved for food feed and processing and
the remaining 8 approved for propagation (Aurelio, 2016).
In 2004, the Philippines was named one of fourteen biotech-mega countries by the
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, which produce 50,000
hectares or more of GMO crops annually (James, 2004). Senator Juan Javier introduced a bill in

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the same year mandating the labeling of GMO ingredients and agricultural products. The bill was
not approved by the Senate.
The Philippines joined the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in 2006. Executive Order No.
514 was released the same year to discuss the Cartagena Protocol's biosafety criteria and the
creation of the National Biosafety System (NBF).
The Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 was signed into law, promoting organic agriculture
over GMO-based agriculture. Previously, some provinces, such as Negros Occidental and Negros
Oriental, had decided to embrace organic farming. In 2005, a memorandum of agreement (MOA)
between the two provinces resulted in the creation of the Negros Organic Island. The two
provinces were able to use this MOA to pass provincial ordinances prohibiting the entry of GMOs
and living GMOs into their respective jurisdictions. Davao City passed the Organic Agricultural
Ordinance in 2010, which is identical to this situation. This city ordinance aids in the prevention
of GM Bt eggplant field research on the UP Mindanao campus.(Aruelo, 2016).
Representative Teddy Casio, along with other congressmen, filed a bill in 2012 calling for
the labeling of genetically modified foods and food products. There is currently no biosafety law
in the Philippines; instead, biosafety regulations have been defined under the National Biosafety
Framework (NBF).
A review of the Philippines' biosafety regulations found that the current regulations are
ineffective, and that they can be strengthened by legislation such as a republic act (Richmond,
2006).
In December 2015, the Supreme Court ordered that field testing of GMO Bt eggplant be
suspended and that the Department of Agriculture's Administrative Order No.8, series of 2002 be
ruled null and void. This ensures that certain GMO importation and dissemination activities and
practices will be temporarily suspended before a new administrative order is issued in compliance
with the law.
The Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Agriculture, the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Health, and the
Department of the Interior and Local Government all passed Joint Department Circular No. 1,
series of 2016 on rules and regulations for research and development, handling and use, and
transboundary movement on March 7, 2017. This joint department circular paved the way for new
permits to be issued for the planting and importation of genetically modified crops in the country.

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WORK SHEET FOR ACTIVE READING

Name: ____________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

Course/Section: ____________________

Think about the following questions and answer it in 2-3 sentences using your own words.
1. What is GMO and how can we determine them?
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2. What are the possible risk of GMO’s?
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3. What are the reasons why our country has less restrictions on GMOs?
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ELABORATE

Let us continue learning more and try to extend them through doing this activity.

Activity 10.3 Debate

Instructions: For this activity, students will be divide into Pro GMO and Opponents of GMO.
1. Make a research of GMO which focused on your topic and list your reliable sources.
2. Each group is given 5minutes to wrap up its ideas and opinions.
3. Each group will be given 2-3min to present its side.
4. Each group will be given time to question the presentations.
5. The whole debate will run up to 15minutes.
6. Students work will be graded using a rubric (see attached rubric on page )

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EVALUATE

Name: ____________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

Course/Section: ____________________

Multiple Choice: Read carefully the statements and choose the letter of the best answer.
Write it on the space provided.
_____1. Which of the following can be a potential risk of consuming GMOs?
A. Cancer C. Allergic Reaction
B. Mutation D. Biodiversity Disturbance
_____2. How can the government regulate the use of GMOs?
A. Establishing Guidelines on Regulations
B. Reinforcement of Laws for Regulations
C. Making an awareness campaign
D. Advertising potential risk of GMOs
_____3. Why there is a need to regulate the use/consumption of GMOs?
A. To possibly study the effect of GMOs
B. To prevent potential risk of GMOs
C. To make people aware of GMOs
D. To control the consumption of GMOs
_____4. Which of the following does GMO contributes to our society?
A. Increase food production C. Sustainable Development
B. Increase economic growth D. Environmental Protection
_____5. How can GMO contributes to probable disruption of the ecosystem?
A. It may replace existing organism which have roles in the ecosystem
B. It may affect and disrupt other life forms in the ecosystem
C. It may transfer undesirable genes that may affect the ecosystem
D. It may destroy other organisms which are needed in the ecosystem

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EXTEND

Create a lists of possible GMO’s you suspect which you usually consume in your local
town. Write a report on how did you come up with this observation and link it with reliable sources.
You may take a picture of it and paste it in your report.

NOTES

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