The heads of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have agreed to work together for the “smooth and immediate completion” of the 5-hectare Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VVIP) in New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac.
In a recent meeting, BCDA said BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) Aileen R. Zosa and DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. discussed details on the initial phases of the project, among which are the fencing and construction of an access road and dormitory.
“The Biosafety Level 3 and 4 laboratory building will be constructed in Phase 3. In contrast, Phase 2 will include the development of the main buildings and laboratories [BSL 1 and 2] as well as the utilities and support facilities of the site,” BCDA said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.
Zosa highlighted that the VVIP is a “significant step” towards advancing the country’s capabilities in managing viruses and viral diseases.
For its part, the DOST said the proposed design and structure of buildings for the VVIP will follow the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), and high containment laboratories will undergo international certification before they can commence operations.
According to BCDA, the facilities comprising the VVIP Complex include an administration building, lecture hall, good manufacturing product building, human and animal virology laboratory, plant virology laboratory, animal isolation, Biosafety Level 3 and 4 laboratory building, plant cultivation area, dormitory, power station, and a sewage treatment plant.
BCDA allotted a 5-hectare parcel of land at the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) in New Clark City to house the VVIP for a period of 50 years, which it said might be extended for another 25 years.
According to an earlier story published by the BusinessMirror, with the expected establishment this 2023 of the VVIP, CamSur Rep. LRay Villafuerte said last January 9, that the Executive department had already set aside an initial P669.3 million for the VVIP’s 5-hectare research and development (R&D) projects and facilities at the NCC.
Villafuerte said the establishment of the VVIP as the country’s premier R&D institute on all kinds of viruses and viral diseases in humans, animals and plants is contained in the consolidated House Bill (HB) No. 6452, which the bigger chamber had approved by a 216-0 vote with no abstention.
“Development Advisory Council meeting convened last October 10,” Villafuerte said.
The House-passed HB 6452 had consolidated 42 similar bills, including HB 10 that was principally authored by four lawmakers led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, and HB 308 that was introduced by Villafuerte and three fellow lawmakers from CamSur.