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Issue:
Whether the case is moot and academic due to the claim of the
petitioners that the field trials have alreadybeen suspended
Ruling:
The court declared DAO No.8 null and void on the grounds that the court
found Administrative Order (DAO) 08-2002 deficient because it lacks
provisions for meaningful, participatory, and transparent public
consultation prior to field trials and contains no mechanisms requiring
applicants seeking to import or release GMOs to comply with international
biosafety standards. The Court also found that officials should have
complied with environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures prior to
approving release of Bt talong. Invoking the precautionary principle, the
Supreme Court blocked further field trials of Bt talong until regulatory
systems governing the import and release of GMOs are strengthened.
When these features - uncertainty, the possibility of irreversible harm,
and the possibility of serious harm - coincide, the case for the
precautionary principle is strongest. When in doubt, cases must be
resolved in favor of the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful
ecology.