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On funding to develop vaccines: Sen. Grace Poe says she will support the funding that will enable the country to develop and produce its own vaccines. During the hybrid Committee of the Whole hearing on the effects of the severe outbreak of the African swine fever Thursday, April 15, 2021, Poe asked officials of the Department of Agriculture how much is needed in order to have the capacity to not just research but also to develop and produce vaccines. Bureau of Animal Industry Executive Director Reildrin Morales said one of the requirements to develop this capacity is to have a biosafety level 3 laboratory, which costs P2.5 to P3 billion to build. “This is something that will be money well-spent if we can actually allocate it for research and development for our own labs,” Poe said. (File photo/ Senate PRIB)