Philippines: Philippine Supreme Court Reverses Decision
In a July 26, 2016 press briefing, the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) reversed its December 2015 decision stopping the field testing, propagation, commercialization, and importation of genetically enhanced (GE) products in the country. As such, Bt talong (eggplant), whose field tests ended prior to the December ruling, is expected to proceed with its commercialization application under the Joint Department Circular (JDC) approved on March 2016. Bt eggplant is expected to be the first GE crop developed locally to be commercialized in the Philippines. The full SC decision is expected sometime September 2016.
