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VIP puts more heads to help in research: Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian cites a feature of the proposed establishment of the Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP), which will allow the use of more heads and more scientific knowledge for better research output during the virtual hearing of the Committee on Science and Technology, Thursday, November 5, 2020. “I appreciate the explanation of Dr. Montoya on having third party and the private sector to use the shared facility. I think that cannot be done under a Department of Health organization because that is purely government; but since the direction of this organization is mere research, regardless of who conducts it whether from private or public, the goal there is output. Not on who, but what is the output. So that is a good feature of this institution because the more heads that we can use, the more scientific knowledge that we can use, then that’s better output,” Gatchalian said. Dr. Jaime Montoya, Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, was one of the resource persons in the hearing on Senate Bill No. 1543, which seeks to create the VIP. (Screen grab/ Senate PRIB)