Bongbong Marcos vows to establish PH CDC, vaccine institute

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vowed Monday to establish the Philippines’ own Center for Disease Control and Prevention and a vaccine institute.

In his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos said the government would implement means to disseminate accurate information regarding COVID-19 as well as the importance of vaccines.

“Sa pakikipagtulungan ng Kongreso, itatatag natin ang sariling Center for Disease Control and Prevention at ang isang vaccine institute,” Marcos said.

(Together with Congress, we will create a Center for Disease Control and Prevention and a Vaccine Institute.)

Marcos added that his administration would also build hospitals and health centers.

A bill that would create the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control was recently pushed anew in the House of Representatives.

The bill was filed by Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez and Tingog party-list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre.

If the bill is enacted, the center will absorb several Department of Health (DOH) offices like the Epidemiology Bureau, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the Bureau of Quarantine.

The center will perform the following duties:

• policy and standards development
• capacity building and technical assistance
• sectoral and local engagements
• surveillance
• technical guidance on the monitoring and evaluation framework for disease prevention and control
• certification on the existence of an epidemic and a public health emergency

je/abc

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