Statement of Senator Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Higher, and Technical and Vocational Education on the approval of the locally-made COVID-19 test kit developed by UP.

Finally, our locally-developed COVID-19 test kits have the green light for public use by the Food and Drug Administration today. We commend our scientists from the University of the Philippines for coming up with this critical diagnostic tool that will help our government save lives from COVID-19. With this development, we can expand our testing capability, identify and treat patients with dispatch.

This breakthrough in our country's fight against COVID-19 underscores the value we put into research initiatives of our state universities and colleges (SUC). Research outputs in the form of laboratory-made face shields, disinfectants, proceessed food, and these test kits made by our SUCs are the tangible fruit of the investments we made in creating and developing knowledge in our higher education institutions. We hope our SUCs continue to intensify its research and development efforts, which can be applied to our day-to-day needs.

Congratulations to our Iskolar ng Bayan scientists! God bless you more!