A legislator from the Bicol Region on Monday expressed optimism over the establishment of the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VVIP) in the coming months.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte cited the VVIP bill on third and final reading at the House of Representatives before the chamber went on a holiday recess on Dec. 16.
Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP), said the speedy approval of the consolidated House Bill (HB) 6452 was assured because, on top of the VVIP bill’s inclusion in the common legislative agenda (CLA) of Malacañang and the bicameral Congress, the Executive Department had already set aside an initial P669.3 million plus a five-hectare lot for its research and development (R&D) projects and facilities at the New Clark City (NCC) in Tarlac.
“The VVIP is expected to be up sooner than later following its inclusion among the 30 priority bills in the CLA that was drawn up by President Marcos with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Speaker Martin (Romualdez) during the first LEDAC (Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council) meeting convened last Oct. 10,” Villafuerte said.
The House passed the bill on final reading by a 216-0 vote with no abstention. The lower chamber-approved HB 6452 had consolidated 42 similar bills, including HB 10 that was principally authored by four solons led by Speaker Romualdez, and HB 308 that was introduced by Villafuerte and three fellow lawmakers from Camarines Sur.
Romualdez’s co-authors were Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos and Tingog Sinirangan Reps. Yedda Romualdez and Jude Acidre; while HB 308 was introduced by the NUP president with CamSur Reps. Miguel Luis Villafuerte and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, and Bicol Saro Rep. Nicolas Enciso VIII. Maricel V. Cruz
Following the House’s approval of the VVIP bill, Villafuerte was also optimistic that the Senate would pass its version of this measure when the Congress reopens on Jan. 23, to better prepare the country for future outbreaks or other public health emergencies such as the over two-year Covid-19 pandemic, which had triggered what is considered the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression during the 1929-1939 period.
Villafuerte described the VVIP bill as “a low-hanging fruit for the Congress to pick, considering that the government has already set aside a starting outlay of almost P670 million for construction works and its initial R&D undertakings along with a five-hectare lot for its facilities at the NCC in Tarlac.”
He said the quick passage in the House of the VVIP measure, plus the rest of those on the CLA list, was assured as Speaker Romualdez had committed the bigger chamber to pass most of these Palace-endorsed measures before the month-long yearend legislative recess, which ends on Jan. 22.
After the first LEDAC meeting, congressional leaders had identified the VVIP measure as among the 30 CLA bills that were set for speedy legislative approval.
The VVIP bill and 18 other measures on the CLA list were endorsed by President Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address last July 25.