Recently ngin and many other individuals and organisations have been receiving a series of e-mails criticising the NGO Searice Philippines over its funding and attitude to GMOs and claiming that Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) - the Peasant Movement of the Philippines - and 'Green Peace' share these concerns and have therefore softened or even reversed their stance on GMOs.  

The e-mails imply they come from these organisations but are all sent on hotmail accounts with names like "Green Peace' or 'farmer to farmer'. Interestingly one of the mails quotes at length the pro-GM views of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Phillipines and of an attache at the US embassy.  

This disinformation campaign in the Phillipines follows very shortly after the Australian based right-wing IPA's malicious attack on the integrity of Malaysian NGOs opposing GMOs (claiming them to be front organisations in the pay of American environmentalists - a claim totally rebutted by Malaysia's Environment Minister among others), and clearly marks a new phase in the pro-GM campaign.  

Such a strong need to discredit, by almost any means, indigenous southern opposition to GE crops and food, is a strong indication of how vital it is to the pro-GM propaganda effort to be able to caricature opposition to the imposition of this technology as coming only from those in the north.

The following brief rebuttal is from Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and concludes, "We will never be traitors to the Filipino peasantry and the farmers of the world."
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Dear Friends,

Just a brief clarification regarding the poison [pen] letter disseminated via the internet, particularly from hotmail accounts, maliciously citing the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines - KMP) as an advocate of genetically modified organisms (GMO's) is a desperate attempt to water down the peasantry's intensifying struggle against profit-thirsty agro-chem TNCs.

Agro-chem TNCs are presently experiencing strong repudiation and condemnation from farmers and consumers all over the world, because of the risks that GMOs could bring to the peoples health, enviornmental degradation, food insecurity, destruction of agriculture and other evils. Third world countries, particularly the Philippines, is their last resort. Logically, the poison letter is a machination of poison seeds and agri-chemicals manufacturers.

We do not believe on the fabricated intrigues made against Searice Philippines. Apparently, this aims to mislead and divide the growing and concerted struggle by farmers, patriotic scientists and the people against the planned field testing of GMO's in our country.

The KMP maintain its strong opposition and condemnation against the field testing of GMO's, particularly "golden rice", bacterial blight rice and Bt-Corn. We stand firm on our analysis that the use of these anti-peasant biotechnology will certainly increase Philippine agriculture's dependence from agro-chem TNCs and imperialist control. This will also worsen the Filipino peasantry's fundamental problems of landlessness and monopoly control of landlords and foreign agro-corporations to our vast tracts of lands.

Moreover, the KMP vows to its principles to fight [for] the peasants and the peoples interests. The poison letter serves the interest of agro-chem TNC's and not the interests of the peasantry. We will never be traitors to the Filipino peasantry and the farmers of the world.

For the peasantry and the people,
RAFAEL MARIANO
KMP National Chairperson
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Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Peasant Movement of the Philippines URL: http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph