Senator Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill that seeks to establish the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP).
“These problems can only be addressed using science and technology, specifically through research and development (R&D). It is therefore imperative that we establish a Research Institute that delves into the study of viruses, of the field of virology,” Lacson stated in the bill.
“The country needs diagnostics to detect and limit the spread of the existing viruses; vaccines to provide long-term protection; treatments to save lives in the shorter term, and social science to understand their behavioral and societal implications,” Lacson added.
Lacson said the number of individuals who acquire COVID-19 has continued to increase daily. He added the problem has caused widespread social and economic crisis.
The bill also aims to coordinate with international institutions for an expanded study and for the discovery of solutions on viruses that attack the country. It will establish a laboratory exclusively used for the research of harmful viruses.
Under Senate Bill 1543, establishments and facilities of the VIP will be built on areas under the Bases Conversion and Development Authority in New Clark Economic Zone in Tarlac.
