Speaker Lord Allan Velasco applauded his colleagues in the House of Representatives for passing three vital measures aimed at improving the country’s ability to respond to future public health crisis.
The House approved on third and final reading the proposed Health Procurement and Stockpiling Act, Virology Institute of the Philippines Act, and Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control Act.
“COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic and global health emergency, so we need to be prepared to deal with the next one,” Velasco said.
“These three legislative measures that we passed today will help the country to better prepare for and respond to future outbreaks effectively,” he added.
The proposed Health Procurement and Stockpiling Act under House Bill (HB) 9456 would allow government to stockpile, conserve, and facilitate the supply and distribution of pharmaceuticals and vaccines for public health emergencies, creating for the purpose the Health Procurement and Stockpiling Bureau under the Department of Health.
HB 9559, meanwhile, seeks to establish the Virology Institute of the Philippines as the premier research and development institution in the field of virology, encompassing all areas in viruses and viral diseases in humans, plants and animals.
On the other hand, HB 9560 will create the Center for Disease Prevention and Control that will serve as the country’s principal health protection agency tasked to prevent and manage the spread of diseases and other health threats originating domestically and internationally.
Also on Wednesday, the House approved on third and final reading seven other bills of national significance. These include HB 9147 regulating the production and use of single-use plastics; HB 9171 which imposes a P20 excise tax for every kilogram of plastic bags from place of production or released from the custody of Bureau of Customs; and HB 7407 institutionalizing the participation of civil society organizations in the annual budget process.
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