Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Third Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 6309

Introduced by Vietor J. Yu, 1* District, Zamboanga del Sur

With the world population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050 and that of the Philippines
reaching 157,117,000, the pressure on food production is expected to intensify. It is
estimated that 60 percent of all human infectious i and 75 percent of emerging
infectious diseases are zoonotic in nature, that is, diseases that originate from animals
Numerous zoonotic threats have been traced to globalized and industrial production of
food. As of January 2015, the Philippines’ cattle inventory reached 2.5 million heads with
93.44 percent raised in backyard farms while the total swine inventory reached 12 million
heads with 65 percent raised in backyard farms. The frequent contact of humans with these
backyard animals makes the former prone to diseases emanating, from the latter.

Our primary challenge is to find ways to strengthen Philippine veterinary institutions and
provide veterinary professionals with tools to diagnose diseases and develop vaccines for
them. This bill seeks to establish a Center that will acquire, multiply, characterize and store
mammalian and insect cell lines and isolate, multiply, characterize and store disease-causing
pathogens, primarily viruses. With these cell lines locally available, disease-causing pathogens
isolated from clinical cases can now be used in the production of analytical reagents,
antigens, and antibodies that will eventually lead to the development of a local diagnostic
device as well as cure. As a result, there will be no need to import foreign counterpart, thus
considerably cutting on cost and time required by importation. Additionally, the proposed
Center which will be housed in the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) shall serve as the
national source of these biological materials for research and teaching purposes as well as a
learning resource for all food production and food safety stakeholders. In the final analysis,
the use of local rather than foreign isolates of disease-causing pathogens in the local
production of vaccines will result to vaccines that are more suited and therefore, more
potent and effective for Filipinos.

In view of the above, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.



Republic of the Philippin
HOUSE OF REPRESED
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session

VES

HOUSE BILL No. 6809

Introduced by HONORABLE VICTOR J. YU

AN ACT.
ESTABLISHING A CENTER FOR MAMMALIAN CELL LINES AND
ANIMAL VIRUS REPOSITORY AND APPROPRIATING | FUNDS.
THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled.

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as the “Mammalian and
Animal Virus Repository Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the
people's right to life and health. Toward this end, the State shall
interventions that ate evidence-based. ‘This policy
Constitution as follows:

ate to protect and promote the

Article Il, Section 15, the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people
and instill health consciousness among them;

Article XIII, Section 12, the State shall establish and maintain an eflective food and drug
regulatory system and undertake appropriate health manpower development and research
responsive to the country’s health needs and problems.

Article XIV, Section 10, science and technology are essential for national development
and progress. The State shall give priority to research and development, invention, innovation
and their utilization.


SEC, 3. Creation and Establishment of the Center for Mammalian Cell Lines and
Animal Virus Repository. There shall be established herein referred to as the “Center” in an
area within the College of Veterinary Medicine of the Central Luzon State University under the
supervision of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the Philippine
Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development
(PCAARRD).

SEC. 4. Objectives of the Center. The Center aims to:

a.) Acquire reference mammalian cell lines and reference animal viruses from
reliable sources and/or reference laboratories, within and outside the borders of
our homeland, and to locally develop and produce primary or continuous cell
lines of animal origin.

b.) Produce monoclonal and/or polyclonal antibodies against these pathogens in one
or more of the following: goats, chicken, duck, rabbits, sheep or horses for their
detections and diagnostics applications.

©.) Store these same monoclonal and/or polyclonal antibodies in bulk for instruction,
research and commercial purposes.

d.) Produce and characterize these pathogens and their protective antigens, which
may be either of viral or bacterial in nature, for the purpose of diagnostic reagent
development and production.

e.) Isolate, produce and preserve pure cultures of animal disease pathogens which are
known to impact immensely the production of animals.

£.) Develop science-based, practical and verifiable diagnostic methodologies, tools or
devices for the diagnosis of economically-important pathogens, which may be
food-borne, blood-borne and water-borne pathogens, non-biological toxicants,
toxins and various chemical additives that are harmful to animal and human
health.

) Validate the use of the diagnostic analytical reagents (antigens and antibodies) in

accredited regio

al laboratories and/or, in certain cases at their point-of-use

applications,

h.) Provide accurate documentation for the analytical reagents, whether antibody or
antigen as analyte or calibrator for the purpose of proprietary rights and
technology transfer in their commercial applications.


i) Develop print information on the proper use of analytes in instruction, research,
vaccine, diagnostics development.

j) Provide technical support on the proper use of the analytical reagents in trouble
shooting.

k.) Promote technology transfer of all diagnostic techniques, tools and/or devices.

SEC. 5. Executive Director. The Center shall be headed by an Executive Director who
shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with management skills in
health research development as well as a specialist physician/veterinarian actively
involved in research programs and whose overall leadership in both technical and
human resource management can effectively carry out the objectives of the
Center. He shall be recommended by the Secretary of the DOST in consultation
with the PCAARRD.

SEC. 6. Duties and Functions of the Executive Director. The Executive Director shall
have the following duties and funetions:

1.) Exercise over-all supervision and direction over the implementation of all
research and development programs of the Center and in general to supervise and direct
the management, operation and administration of the Center;

2) Execute contracts, incur obligations, acquire and dispose of assets on behalf of the
Center:

3.) Approve the Center’s organizational structure, staffing patterns, operating and
capital expenditures;

4.) Recommend the officers and employees of the Center on the basis of the highest
possible standards of merit and fitness for public servants subject to the civil service
laws, rules and regulations;

5.) Implement and enforce policies, decisions, orders, rules and regulations issued by
the Department of Health; and

6.) Exercise such other powers and functions and perform such other duties as may
be authorized, delegated, or assigned.

7.) Oversee strict confidentiality regarding the documentation, or whatever
information and/or activities performed in the laboratory.

SEC. 7. Staffing Pattern, The Center shall be provided with the most competent and
qualified personnel duly appointed by the Center Director subject to Civil Service Rules and
Regulation


SEC. 8. Appropriations. The amount of P50,000,000.00 for the initial operation of the
Center shall be charged to the DOST. The Secretary of the DOST shall immediately include in
the Department's program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included
in the Annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ‘The Center, in consultation with the
PCAARRD and DOST, shall issue the rules and regulations necessary to implement the
provisions of this Act.

SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. All laws, orders, proclamation, rules and regulation or parts
thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly

SEC. 11. Separability Clause. If any provision or part of this Act is declared invalid or
unconstitutional, the other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to be
in full force and effect.

SEC. 12. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazetter or in a national newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,