THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPU 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
S E N A T E  
v *- 
*
,
 
Introduced by Senator Juan M. Flavier 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Technology has indeed wrought magnificent developments in our 
time. Most of these developments started in developed countries, like the 
United States, and have been introduced in developing countries, like the 
Philippines. While these technologies have enormously benefited our 
country, some may be harmful to us as a people- to our health, 
environment and even to our patrimonial right to our natural resources. 
One such technological wonder is the one used in Genetically 
Modified Organisms (GMOs), also referred to as Transgenics. GMOs are 
manifested in plants., animals, or organisms that have been genetically 
altered (or engineered, manipulated) to express specific traits that do not 
occur naturally. 
By the end of 1997, 48 transgenic crop products, involving 12 crops 
and 6 traits, were approved for commercialization in several countries 
worldwide. Some agricultural products exhibiting the GMO technology are 
potatoes, corn, rice, soybeans, canola, or rapeseed, tobacco, cotton, and 
tomato. 
There is already some information on food products in the market 
that contain GMOs. Some brands cited include Kikkoman soy sauce, 
Pringles potato chips, Fritos corn-based chips, and such infant formulas, 
as lnsomil and Enfamil Prosbee sold in the US. The leading countries in 
the GMO technology are the USA, China Argentina, Canada, Australia, 
Japan and Mexico, which incidentally are sources of most of our 
ag r icu It u ra I i m ports . 
While production of GMOs is fast increasing, as demonstrated by 
the increasing land area planted to GMO varieties in the above cited 
countries, the debate on whether GMOs are harmful to human health or 
not has also been equally fierce. Se\eral implications of GMOs, going 
even to extent of banning them. Several cases are being cited that GMOs 
have caused allergy and have the potential of destroying antibiotics 
beneficial effects on humans. The GMO technology highly utilizes 
antibiotics in its engineering process. 
The debate going on in developed countries point to the fact that 
GMOs prose a lot of uncertainties to human health. And while the debate 


has been raging on, food and food products coming into the county 
through imports may contain GMOs or maybe products of GMOs 
technologies. Some reports indicate :hat even some institutes in the 
Philippines are embarking on field experimentation on the GMO 
technology, with the assistance of multinational agri-business companies. 
This legislative proposal acknowledges the fact that the Philippines 
lacks the necessary laws and regulations to address the GMO and GMO 
technology issue, particularly on the health aspect. This bill therefore aims 
to provide the necessary consumer protection against the uncertainties of 
GMO and GMO technology produced food and food products. 
Early approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
ER 


THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
S E N A T E  
- 
n_ 
@OS. 
'N 0. 
Introduced by Senator Juan M. Flavier 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING THE MANDATORY LABELING OF FOOD 
ORGANISMS, INCLUDING THOSE PRODUCED BY GENETIC 
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES, AMENDING FOR THE 
PURPOSEREPUBLICACTTHREETHOUSANDSEVENHUNDRED 
AND TWENTY, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE FOOD, DRUGS, 
AND COSMETICS ACT AND REPUBLIC ACT SEVEN 
THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED NINETY FOUR, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE CONSUMER'S ACT OF THE 
PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 
AND FOOD PRODUCTS CONTAINING GENETICALLY-MODIFIED 
Be if enacfed by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
Section 1. Declaration of Policy - It is hereby declared the policy 
of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people and to 
instill health consciousness among them. It shall endeavor to provide to 
the Filipino people safe and healthy food and food products that will not 
put their health at risk and place the environment in jeopardy, resulting 
from fast-paced developments in food manufacturing that utilizes the 
process and products of genetic engineering technologies. 
Section 2. Mandatory Labeling of Food and Food products 
containing Genetically Modified Organisms. - It is hereby declared that 
food and food products containing genetically-modified organisms, 
including those produced by genetic engineering technologies shall be 


labeled in accordance with the provisior~s of this Act and the existing 
regulations issued by the concerned department. 
Section 3. Minimum Labeling Requirements 
/
,
 
- Article seventy- 
seven (77) of Republic Act Seven thousand Three Hundred Ninety Four 
(RA7394), otherwise known as the Consumers’ act of the Philippines Is 
hereby amended to contain the following provision: 
Art. 77. Minimum Labeling Requirements for Consumer Products- 
All consumer products domestically sold whether manufactured locally or 
imported shall indicate the following in their respective labels of 
packaging: 
a) 
XXXXXXXX 
b) 
XXXXXXXX 
c) 
xxxxxxxx 
d) 
XXXXXXXX 
e) 
Its genera make or active ingredients , INDICATING PARTICULARLY 
WHETHER IT CONTAINS GENETICALLY-MODIFIED ORGANISMS OR 
IS A PRODUCT OF GENETIC ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES; 
f) 
xxxxxxxx 


g) 
xxxxxxxx 
h) 
XXXXXXXX 
The following may be concerned department in accordance with the 
rules and regulations they will promulgate under authority of this act: 
a) 
XXXXXXXX 
b) 
XXXXXXXX 
c) 
Warning of toxicity AND ALLERGENICITY 
ESPECIALLY IF IT 
CONTAINS 
GENETICALLY-MODIFIED 
ORGANISMS 
OR 
IS 
A 
PRODUCT OF GENETIC ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES; 
d) 
XXXXXXXX 
e) 
XXXXXXXX 
Section 4. Additional Labeling Requirements - Article Eighty 
Four (84) of Republic Act Seven Thousand Three Hundred ninety four 
(RA 7394), otherwise known as the Consumers’ Act of the Philippines is 
hereby amended to contain the following provision: 
Art. 84. The concerned department for food and FOOD 
PRODUCTS shall impose additional labeling requirements; 
a) 
XXXXXXXXXX 


b) 
Whether the consumer product is NATURAL OR UNPROCESSED, 
WITH GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS OR PROCESSED 
USING GENETIC ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES, semi-processed, 
fully processed, ready-to-cook, ready-to-eat, prepared food or just plain 
mixture. 
c) 
xxxxxxxxxx 
Section 5. Misbranded Food - Section 15 (section 15) of Republic 
Act Three Thousand Seven Hundred twenty (RA 3720), otherwise known 
as the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act is hereby amended to contain the 
following provision: 
Section 15 Misbranded Food- A food shall be deemed misbranded: 
a) 
XXXXXXXXXX 
b) 
XXXXXXXXXX 
c) 
If it is an imitation of another food, unless its label bears in types of 
uniform size and prominence, the word “imitation” and immediately 
thereafter, the name of the food imitated AND IF IT PURPORTS OR 
CLAIMS TO BE A NATURALLY-GROWNIFRESH FOOD OR FOOD 
PRODUCT WHEN IT IS IN FACT CONTAINING GENETICALLY- 
MODIFIED 
ORGANISMS 
OR 
IS 
A 
PRODUCT 
OF 
GENTIC 
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES; 


d) 
XXXXXXXXXX 
e) 
If in a package form unless it bears a label containing (1) the name and 
place of business of the manufacturer, packer, distributor: and (2) an 
accurate statement if the quantity of the contents in terms of weight, 
measure, numerical count: Provided, that the under clause (2) of this 
paragraph reascnable variations shall be permitted, and exemption as to 
small packages shall be established, by regulation prescribed by the 
secretary BUT NOT IN THE CASE CF FOOD OR FOOD PRODUCTS 
CONTAINING GENETICALLY-MODIFIED ORGANISMS OR THOSE 
PRODUCED FROM THE GENETIC ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES: 
xxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxx 
IF IT BEARS OR CONTAINS ANY GENETICALLY MODIFIED 
ORGANISM OR IS PRODUCED FROM GENTIC ENGINEERING 


TECHNOLOGIES, UNLESS IT BEARS LABELING STATING THAT 
FACT. 
Section 6 Inapplicability of Regulations-Making Exemptions - 
due to the urgent and extreme public necessity of this Act and the need to 
keep the public adequately informed and to preserve the right of 
consumers to choose. The power of the Secretary to make exemptions to 
the regulation as specified in the Consumer Act of the Philippines and the 
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act is hereby rendered inapplicable unless it 
can be shown that public order, public health and public safety are not in 
jeopardy with its actual application and implementation 
Section 7 Penalties - any person who shall violate any provision of 
this Act or its implementing rules and regulations shall upon conviction be 
subject to a fine of not less that one hundred thousand (100,000) pesos 
and imprisonment ranging from six years and one day to twelve years or 
both, at the discretion court. 
In case of judicial persons, the penalty shall be imprisoned upon its 
president, manager or head. If the offender is an alien, he shall, after 
payment of fine and serving his term of conviction is deported without 
need of ant other proceedings. 
Section 8 Implementing Rules and Regulations - the Secretary, 
in consultation with the concerned business and industry representatives, 
government agencies, civil society orjanizations, shall promulgate the 
necessary regulation for the effective implementation of this act. 


Section 9 Separability Clause- if any provision of this act or the 
application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the 
remaining provisions and the application of such provisions to other 
persons or circumstances shall not be affected hereby. 
Section I O  Effectivity Clause - this Act shall take effect fifteen 
(15) days from its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of 
general circulation. 
Approved.