Marcos hopes to work with US in creating virology, vaccine institute

WASHINGTON—President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday (Washington time) expressed hope that the Philippines could work with the United States in establishing a virology and vaccine institute in the country.

"Building on our science, technology, and innovation engagements, we hope to work with the United States in establishing the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines," Marcos said in a forum organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"We can jointly work on the training of technicians and specialists including post-graduate education scholarships; providing necessary equipment and implements for the Center; and establishing what is envisioned to be the first Bio-Safety Level 4 Laboratory in the country," he added.

Marcos is looking forward to "welcoming pharmaceutical companies open to taking advantage of incentives in using the Philippines as a base for their vaccine manufacturing and distribution operations."

During his US trip, vaccine manufacturer and Nasdaq-listed Moderna Inc. said it would establish a facility in the Philippines.

Moderna chief commercial officer Arpa Garay and senior vice president and general manager Patrick Bergstedt said they are set to establish a “Shared Service Facility for Pharmacovigilance,” which will provide more employment opportunities to health professionals in the country.

Further, Marcos is optimistic in the partnership with the US regarding fighting non-communicable illnesses such as tuberculosis, diabetes, and obesity.

"We will require massive investment in the human, physical, and technological resources of the Philippine Genome Center, including access to artificial intelligence tools, training of technicians and of scientists, equipment, and relevant research. There are existing cooperative projects that can be built upon or expanded," he said.

In December of last year, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill establishing a Virology and Vaccines Institute of the Philippines, which is one of one of the priority measures of the Marcos administration.—AOL, GMA Integrated News