House OKs on 2nd reading bill creating virology and vaccine institute

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on second reading a bill establishing a virology and vaccine institute, one of the priority measures of the Marcos administration.

This developed after the House approved House Bill 6452 via a viva voce vote.

House Bill 6452 provides that the institute, which will be an attached agency of the Department of  Science and Technology (DOST), will serve as as the premier research and development institute in the field of virology, encompassing all kinds of viruses and viral diseases in plants, animals and humans.

Likewise, the measure states that the institute will also be a venue for scientists, research institutes and other organizations in the Philippines and abroad, to work collaboratively to study viruses of agricultural, industrial, clinical and environmental importance.

Albay representative Joey Salceda of Albay, one of the authors of the measure, said he envisions the virology and vaccine institute as the Philippines’ version of the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer.

“India continues to be one of the world’s largest manufacturers of COVID vaccines even if it did not originate them, because they have a serum institute. Vietnam solved ASF [African Swine Flu] first because their serum institute invented a vaccine early on,” Salceda said.

“The vaccine institute is not merely a health institute. The applications for virology are immense and broad. Food security, forest management, and the development of a strong pharmaceutical sector all benefit from a strong grasp of viruses,” he added.

Salceda then said that the institute, which would be established in New Clark City in Tarlac, would make the country’s health system more resilient.

“The capacity of a country to contain epidemics depends on its institutional capacity above everything else. If we have strong and resilient disease control and management institutions, we can weather global pandemic events more strongly,” he said.

“We can’t predict the future, but institutional capacity anticipates a broader range of extreme events. It’s like bodybuilding for future pandemics,” he added.

Salceda, however, conceded that establishing the virology and vaccine institute comes at a huge price and funding is not yet assured.

“We don’t have it in the 2023 budget yet, but multilaterals will be happy to finance it so we can hit the road,” he said.

“Since we approved it in the House early, there is enough time in the Senate to get it done this time around,” he added. — BM, GMA Integrated News