Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology - Asian Productivity ...

Status of Public Rice Biotechnology R&D and Commercialization in the Philippines
different bacterial blight resistance genes; in vitro culture to facilitate line purification, production
of stable lines adapted to adverse environments, and induction of useful mutants/variants;
genetic transformation for introducing genes such as Xa21 for bacterial blight resistance, proteinase
inhibitor 2 for stemborer resistance, Hva1 for drought and salinity tolerance, and chitinase/glucanase
for fungal disease resistance; and DNA marker tagging and cloning of genes
involved in aroma, tungro resistance, fertility restoration, and salinity tolerance (Obien and Sebastian,
1997).
The targets of genetic engineering at PhilRice are presented in Table 1. Other activities
include evaluation and utilization of Golden Rice lines as donors of betacarotene biosynthetic
genes for transfer into popular Philippine commercial varieties through conventional breeding as
well as evaluation of transgenic plants that are designed to resist tungro viruses by over-expressing
certain genes. The National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines and the local Institutional
Biosafety Committee (IBC) play active and important roles in ensuring that biosafety
protocols and precautions are strictly followed in the conduct of research involving genetically
modified plants.
Table 1. Targets of Genetic Engineering Research at PhilRice, Philippines
Target Transgene Source Status
Bacterial blight Xa21 Oryza
Laboratory,
resistance
longistaminata screenhouse, field
Fungal disease Chitinase and Alfalfa and rice Laboratory and
resistance
glunanase
screenhouse
Stemborer resistance Proteinase inhibitor
2
Potato Screenhouse
Abiotic stress Hva 1 Barley Screenhouse
Improved F1 hybrid Candidate Restorer of Rice (IR64) Laboratory and
seed production fertility gene
screenhouse
Vitamin A rice Phytoene cyclase and Daffodil, Screenhouse
desaturase
Erwinia
Tungro resistance Transcription factors Rice Screenhouse
Another variety produced in PhilRice is the Wagwag. It is an improved traditional variety,
tissue culture derived and already released as a commercial variety, NSIC Rc130. Popular varieties,
like AR32 containing pyramided genes for bacterial blight resistance, are nearing commercialization
but already well known in the farmers’ fields.
The Secretary of Agriculture has recently approved the establishment of the Agricultural
Biotechnology Center at PhilRice, tasked primarily with coordinating biotechnology R&D under
the Department of Agriculture.
PhilRice Intellectual Property Policy
PhilRice is probably the only government agency in the Philippines with a fully functioning,
beneficial, effective IPR policy. Enacted in August 2004, it states that while it will protect its
own IP, it will also recognize and protect the IPR of others. It also advocates proactive generation,
protection, and commercialization of IP.
In the same year, PhilRice also established, staffed, and funded its Intellectual Property
Management Office (IPMO). The IPMO handles capability building of PhilRice staff on IPR,
conducts prosecution of IPR applications, helps negotiate in-licensing and out-licensing of IPR,
and collects and distributes royalties. In its first year of existence it filed numerous applications
for patents, utility models, copyright deposits, etc., facilitated the disbursement of royalties, and
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