Iloilo City (28 June) -- The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is embarking on a four-year program to make the Philippines a leader in Southeast Asia in the field of biotechnology as it steps up research and development of various agribiotech products with the Department of Agriculture (DA).

DOST Secretary Estrella Alabastro said the Philippines has the competitive edge in biotechnology because biology training and research is developed in the country.

Under the DOST’s Biotechnology Research and Development Agenda for 2006-2010, biotechnology projects have been classified into food, industrial, environmental, medicine and health, agricultural and forest, marine and aquatic biotechnology.

These areas are assigned each to the DOST’s Research and Development Councils, which will conduct and pursue research and development.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCCARD), will head research and development in the areas of agriculture, forestry and environment, which include the development of transgenics and conventional biotech products and bioremediation.

PCCARD’s researches will focus on trasngenics such as the development of the papaya ring spot virus (PRSV) resistant transgenic papaya and delayed ripening papaya, cloning of genes from coconut and on conventional biotechnology researches.

The Philippine Council for Aquatic Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) will handle marine and aquatic resources and environment in general, which involves bioactive compounds, diagnostics, genetic improvement and bioremediation.

The area of health, along the development of vaccines and bioactive compounds will be under the Philippine Council for health Research and Development (PCHRD).

On the other hand, the Philippine Council for Industry and energy Research and Development (PCIERD) will focus on two major areas, namely, functional food and biofuels, which include coco methyl ester, bioethanol and biodiesel from Jatropha curcas.