The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), headed by Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, announced in May 2020 that the science agency submitted a proposal to establish the Virology Institute of the Philippines, which is meant to conduct research on viruses and viral diseases affecting plants, animals, and humans.
[1] There were moves to institutionalize the proposed virology research institute through legislation by Congress, in the House of Representatives alone, at least seven bills have been filed by mid-August 2020.
[3] In July 2021, the House bills for the institute and a center for disease control (CDC) were approved on their third and final reading.
[4] President Duterte included the institute in a list of priority measures that he mentioned during his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA).
[5] A new biosafety level 2+ (BSL-2+) laboratory is being prepared by the Department of Science and Technology for the VIP and is scheduled to be launched in October 2021.