GEN 003: Science Technology & Society
Student Activity Sheet
Lesson 18
Lesson title: The Ethics and Implications of GMOs to Human Health Materials:
and the Society Student Activity Sheet; Syllabus
References:
Lesson Objectives: Serafica, Janice Patria J. et al.
1. Defining and describing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). (2018). Science, Technology and
2. Identifying and evaluating the ethics & implications of GMOs and Society. 1st Ed. Philippines: Rex
its potential future impacts on human health and the society. Book Store
https://www.voanews.com/science-
health/philippines-approves-gmo-
rice-fight-malnutrition
A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
1) Introduction (2 mins)
Today’s topic seems to be a controversial one. Why? Because it involves food that has been manipulated.
So let us find out as we continue with our discussion.
B. MAIN LESSON
1) Activity 1: Content Notes (13 mins)
Golden Rice (left) contains beta carotene, the
same vitamin A precursor that makes carrots
orange (credit-IRRI)
Philippines Approves GMO Rice to Fight Malnutrition
Science & Health By Steve Baragona
December 19, 2019 03:55 PM
A breed of rice genetically engineered to combat vitamin A deficiency has received approval from regulators in
the Philippines. Supporters say "Golden Rice" could remedy a condition that kills up to 250,000 children each year
worldwide and blinds twice that number, according to the World Health Organization. It's the first genetically modified
organism (GMO) designed to fight a public health issue to get a green light from food safety officials in the developing
world.
Golden Rice has faced vigorous opposition from GMO opponents throughout its development, citing safety
concerns and other issues. Protesters destroyed test fields in the Philippines in 2013. The Philippine Department of
This document is the property of Phinma Education Page 1
, GEN 003: Science Technology & Society
Student Activity Sheet
Lesson 18
Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry announced Wednesday that Golden Rice is as safe as conventional rice. Regulators
in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have also cleared the grain of safety issues.
After 20 years of development, "it feels absolutely tremendous" to reach this stage, said Adrian Dubock,
Executive Secretary of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board, the nonprofit working to take the crop from the lab to the
field. Two added genes turn rice golden, one from maize and one from a soil bacterium. Under their direction, rice grains
produce beta carotene, the vitamin A precursor that makes carrots and sweet potatoes orange. A third bacterial gene serves
as a traceable marker. In the Philippines, vitamin A deficiency among children has increased from 15.2% in 2008 to
20.4% in 2013, despite a national supplement program, according to the Philippines-based International Rice Research
Institute, which is developing the crop. Golden Rice could provide up to half of a young child's daily needs, IRRI says.
GMO corn is transforming farmers’ lives in Philippines
BY NKECHI ISAAC; JANUARY 25, 2019
The Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to approve the commercial cultivation of a genetically
modified crop for feed and food. Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to approve such a crop with its
commercialization of pest-resistant Bt brinjal, or eggplant.
Bt corn in the Philippines was designed to be resistant to the Asiatic corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia
furnacalis (Guenee), one of the nation’s most destructive corn pests. The crop also presents a practical and ecologically
sustainable solution for poor corn farmers everywhere to increase their yields and decrease pesticide use, thus improving
their health and livelihoods, alleviating poverty. Paraluman, who shared his story with an audience at last November’s
United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, said that growing Bt corn changed his life. It gave him peace of mind and
more time to do other things, like care for his family and take up side jobs. “In December 2003, Bt corn was
commercialized and I was the first farmer that planted it. The first time I planted Bt corn, I was so amazed that in seven
hectares that I planted I didn’t see any corn borer,” he recalled. “There was no more damage to my corn. I planted the corn
and it changed my life. Before now my house was just so small but now it is really big. Now, my income is good and I can
make the right budgeting for my family. It increased my income and I am now going around telling other farmers that this
technology is very good.”
Paraluman refuted claims that genetically modified crops cause health problems. “The people that were saying
this would make you sick when we started initially have seen it is not true because I have proven it,” he noted. “I have
been eating it for the past 14 years and I am still hale and hearty. So, it’s 14 years that I’ve been planting this corn and
there’s not been any adverse effect on our health.” Adopting Bt technology has made the Philippines self-sufficient in
corn production, he said. The country no longer imports corn and the farmers are now planning to export the crop because
they have surplus.
Genetically modified organism (GMO) is the term used for an organism created through genetic engineering. The
World Health Organization (WHO, 2014) defines GMO as an “organism, either plant, animal or microorganism, in which
the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination.”
Genetic engineering is accomplished in three basic steps. These are (1) The isolation of DNA fragments from a
donor organism; (2) The insertion of an isolated donor DNA fragment into a vector genome and (3) The growth of a
recombinant vector in an appropriate host.
This document is the property of Phinma Education Page 2
Student Activity Sheet
Lesson 18
Lesson title: The Ethics and Implications of GMOs to Human Health Materials:
and the Society Student Activity Sheet; Syllabus
References:
Lesson Objectives: Serafica, Janice Patria J. et al.
1. Defining and describing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). (2018). Science, Technology and
2. Identifying and evaluating the ethics & implications of GMOs and Society. 1st Ed. Philippines: Rex
its potential future impacts on human health and the society. Book Store
https://www.voanews.com/science-
health/philippines-approves-gmo-
rice-fight-malnutrition
A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
1) Introduction (2 mins)
Today’s topic seems to be a controversial one. Why? Because it involves food that has been manipulated.
So let us find out as we continue with our discussion.
B. MAIN LESSON
1) Activity 1: Content Notes (13 mins)
Golden Rice (left) contains beta carotene, the
same vitamin A precursor that makes carrots
orange (credit-IRRI)
Philippines Approves GMO Rice to Fight Malnutrition
Science & Health By Steve Baragona
December 19, 2019 03:55 PM
A breed of rice genetically engineered to combat vitamin A deficiency has received approval from regulators in
the Philippines. Supporters say "Golden Rice" could remedy a condition that kills up to 250,000 children each year
worldwide and blinds twice that number, according to the World Health Organization. It's the first genetically modified
organism (GMO) designed to fight a public health issue to get a green light from food safety officials in the developing
world.
Golden Rice has faced vigorous opposition from GMO opponents throughout its development, citing safety
concerns and other issues. Protesters destroyed test fields in the Philippines in 2013. The Philippine Department of
This document is the property of Phinma Education Page 1
, GEN 003: Science Technology & Society
Student Activity Sheet
Lesson 18
Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry announced Wednesday that Golden Rice is as safe as conventional rice. Regulators
in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have also cleared the grain of safety issues.
After 20 years of development, "it feels absolutely tremendous" to reach this stage, said Adrian Dubock,
Executive Secretary of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board, the nonprofit working to take the crop from the lab to the
field. Two added genes turn rice golden, one from maize and one from a soil bacterium. Under their direction, rice grains
produce beta carotene, the vitamin A precursor that makes carrots and sweet potatoes orange. A third bacterial gene serves
as a traceable marker. In the Philippines, vitamin A deficiency among children has increased from 15.2% in 2008 to
20.4% in 2013, despite a national supplement program, according to the Philippines-based International Rice Research
Institute, which is developing the crop. Golden Rice could provide up to half of a young child's daily needs, IRRI says.
GMO corn is transforming farmers’ lives in Philippines
BY NKECHI ISAAC; JANUARY 25, 2019
The Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to approve the commercial cultivation of a genetically
modified crop for feed and food. Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to approve such a crop with its
commercialization of pest-resistant Bt brinjal, or eggplant.
Bt corn in the Philippines was designed to be resistant to the Asiatic corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia
furnacalis (Guenee), one of the nation’s most destructive corn pests. The crop also presents a practical and ecologically
sustainable solution for poor corn farmers everywhere to increase their yields and decrease pesticide use, thus improving
their health and livelihoods, alleviating poverty. Paraluman, who shared his story with an audience at last November’s
United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, said that growing Bt corn changed his life. It gave him peace of mind and
more time to do other things, like care for his family and take up side jobs. “In December 2003, Bt corn was
commercialized and I was the first farmer that planted it. The first time I planted Bt corn, I was so amazed that in seven
hectares that I planted I didn’t see any corn borer,” he recalled. “There was no more damage to my corn. I planted the corn
and it changed my life. Before now my house was just so small but now it is really big. Now, my income is good and I can
make the right budgeting for my family. It increased my income and I am now going around telling other farmers that this
technology is very good.”
Paraluman refuted claims that genetically modified crops cause health problems. “The people that were saying
this would make you sick when we started initially have seen it is not true because I have proven it,” he noted. “I have
been eating it for the past 14 years and I am still hale and hearty. So, it’s 14 years that I’ve been planting this corn and
there’s not been any adverse effect on our health.” Adopting Bt technology has made the Philippines self-sufficient in
corn production, he said. The country no longer imports corn and the farmers are now planning to export the crop because
they have surplus.
Genetically modified organism (GMO) is the term used for an organism created through genetic engineering. The
World Health Organization (WHO, 2014) defines GMO as an “organism, either plant, animal or microorganism, in which
the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination.”
Genetic engineering is accomplished in three basic steps. These are (1) The isolation of DNA fragments from a
donor organism; (2) The insertion of an isolated donor DNA fragment into a vector genome and (3) The growth of a
recombinant vector in an appropriate host.
This document is the property of Phinma Education Page 2
