President Duterte has ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to earmark funds for the creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) in the Executive’s budget proposal for 2022, a lawmaker said on Thursday.
House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, principal author of the VIP’s charter in the lower chamber, said that the President’s prioritization of the VIP will help ensure the passage of the bill chartering the institute.
“The measure will help not only create a vaccine for Covid-19, but also for the other virus-related threats we face, such as the African swine fever. With climate change and the destruction of natural habitats, we will really face more zoonotic viruses, or those viruses that climb from animals to human hosts,” Salceda said.
On Wednesday, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the President instructed the DBM to ensure that the country has capabilities to create solutions for Covid-19.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has already endorsed the passage of the bill.
The VIP’s campus in New Clark City is part of the priority programs under the Build, Build, Build program of the Duterte administration.
“I am elated to hear that President Duterte gave explicit instructions to Secretary Avisado that the Virology Institute be prioritized. This has been a pet bill of mine, and we worked very closely with the Department of Science and Technology to craft a well-formulated charter for the institute,” Salceda said.
On May 21, the lawmaker said the House Committee on Appropriations already approved the substitute bill.
“It should be clear to all of us: preparation yields the best outcomes. The same goes for pandemics. It’s difficult to do because the rewards are not immediate. But the consequences to the unprepared can be catastrophic,” Salceda said.
Under the measure, VIP will become the premier research and development institute in the field of virology, encompassing all areas in viruses and viral diseases in humans, plants, and animals.
“It shall act as a venue for scientists, both here and abroad, to work collaboratively to study viruses of agricultural, industrial, clinical, and environmental importance,” Salceda added.
“We need this institute critically. Agriculture needs it, especially since our plant exports are susceptible to viral infections. Our public health system needs it, above all. This is a matter of literally vital importance, and I thank President Duterte for sharing our vision on this matter,” Salceda said.
He explained that the VIP will become the research and development unit while the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine would serve as the medical laboratory.
“VIP will be dedicated exclusively to the broadest and deepest possible exploration of everything we need to know about viruses that can affect the country, and more importantly, how we can prepare for them, as well as what opportunities lie in the research,” he said.