PH could be ground zero for animal-linked pandemic, DOST urges ‘One Health’ approach

The country could become the next epicenter of a new pandemic caused by a zoonotic disease, making collaborative research efforts from various health sectors crucial, according t the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

During the Talakayang Heart Beat press conference on Wednesday in Albay, Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) under DOST, emphasized the need for a  through initiatives like doing research.

“Kung ‘di tayo gagawa ng mga research para maintindihan kung paano nakakalundag itong mga virus mula sa mga bats natin at sa tao, ay maaaring magkaproblema muli ng pandemic na sinasabi ng mga eksperto na mangyayari — it’s a matter of time [If we don’t conduct research to understand how these viruses jump from our bats to humans, we could face another pandemic, which experts say will happen — it’s only a matter of time],” Mr. Montoya said during the press conference.

He said the country is a particular hotspot for a potential pandemic due to its high concentration of bats, a species that is suspected to host various deadly, contagious zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19 and the Ebola virus.

The ongoing construction of the Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VIP) in New Clark City is one of the agency’s primary initiatives that underscores the one health approach, Mr. Montoya said.

“Imagine the potential of that, when before they were working separately now they’re working under one group… that is the concept of the VIP — to accelerate one health research that can help prevent the occurrence of the next pandemic,” Mr. Montoya said in both mixed English and Tagalog

VIP is poised to become the country’s premier institution for research on human, animal, and plant viruses, and will eventually enable the Philippines to produce its vaccines.

Its counterpart, Senate Bill 289, was approved by the Senate on third and final reading in February and is now only one step away from becoming law, pending the President’s signature.

“We hope that once the bill is signed, then we can go full blast in finishing up the facilities in Clark, New Clark City,” DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said during the same event.

Under the Virology Institute of the Philippines Act, the VIP will be an attached agency of the DOST and complement the mandate of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. pledged his support for the continued construction of the VIP building, telling the DOST Secretary that he would secure funding for the project since it was not included in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) 2025 national expenditure program. – Edg Adrian A. Eva