11/08/2025
Mga ka-organik, narinig nโyo na ba itong DC No.9 Series of 2025 ng Dept of Agri? Tara, attend tayo sa study session na organized and hosted ng MASIPAG sa August 14 dahil for sure marami rin kayong tanong and thoughts hinggil dito.
Takits! ๐๐ผ
๐ข PUBLIC INVITATION
Developed Resistance or Deregulated Risk?
A Peopleโs Review of Department Circular No. 9, Series of 2025
๐ When: August 14, 2025
โฐ Time: 9:00 AM โ 11:30 AM
๐ Where: Via Zoom & live-streamed on MASIPAG and SGRN pages
๐ Register here: http://tiny.cc/DC9review
In May 2025, the Department of Agriculture issued Department Circular No. 09 (DC9), creating a new category called โDeveloped Resistanceโ (DR) varietiesโcrop varieties that have acquired resistance traits (e.g., to herbicides or pests) through "natural cross-pollination" with genetically modified (GM) varieties.
Under this policy, genetically contaminated seeds can now be registered with the National Seed Industry Council and included in public procurement and seed subsidy programs without undergoing biosafety review.
While presented as a technical measure, DC9 poses serious risks: it legitimizes genetic contamination, undermines the precautionary principle, and entrenches chemical-dependent monocultures. This comes despite the recent Court of Appeals decision upholding a ban on Golden Rice and Bt talong and calling for a stronger biosafety regime. Globally, countries like Mexico and Peru have imposed moratoriums to protect their native seed varietiesโan approach DC9 directly contradicts.
Join farmers, agroecology advocates, legal and scientific experts, and grassroots movements in understanding what DC9 means for the future of our seeds, our food, and our rights.