MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives approved on final reading a bill that seeks to establish the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VIP).

Under House Bill No. 6452, which has 163 listed authors, the proposed VIP will focus on research on viruses, the development of vaccines, and the operation of a virology laboratory, virus gene bank, and virus genome laboratory, among others.

The incumbent president will appoint a director, who must have a bachelor’s degree in the field of microbiology or any other specialization, a postgraduate degree in virology or related fields, and three years of work experience in the field of virology.

The institute director’s appointment will be upon the recommendation of a governing board chaired by the science and technology secretary, and co-chaired by the secretaries of health and agriculture.

The creation of a virology institute was first made in Congress in 2020, a few months after a debilitating pandemic brought the country – and the world – to a standstill.

The House already approved such a proposal under the 18th Congress, but the Senate failed to pass a counterpart measure.

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– Rappler.com