| HOUSEQF REPRESENTATIVES

| RECENED
Republic of the Philippine pate: 16 AUG 2016
HOUSE OF REPRESENTA‘ rie
Quezon City —
SEVENTEENTH CONG!
First Regular Session REGISTRATION UNIT
29 AND INDE X SERVICE
HOUSE BILL No. “¥!

Introduced by Representative Divina Grace C. Yu

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 diseases 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 eprnestly soughf.

DIVINA GRACE
1* District-Zamboangp del Sur



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 2273

Introduced by Representative Divina Grace C. Yu

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 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 State to protect and
promote the people's right to life and health. Toward this end, the State shall intensify
research on medicinal interventions that are evidence-based. This policy is pursuant to
provisions of the 1987 Constitution as follows:

Article II, 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 effective 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)

b.)

ro}

dy

e.)

f.)

8.)

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.

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.

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.

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 regional 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 functions:

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 ofthe 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,