Transcript of privilege speech The RITM in comparison to the Virology Institute
By Senator Pia S. Cayetano

Mr. President, today, I rise today on a matter of personal and collective privilege.

As Chairman of the subcommittee created by the Committee on Health for the hearing on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention [or CDC Bill], I presided over a hearing last November 24, 2022 on the said measure, and also another measure, the Medical Reserve Corps.

In the course of the hearing it was revealed that the RITM, Research Institute of Tropical Medicine, will effectively be absorbed by the newly created CDC under the bill that I was hearing. In other words, RITM will cease to exist, as it was presented to us during the hearing. What will continue to exist are various functions of the RITM. Sa madaling salita, your honors, parang chinop-chop ang function ng RITM and it will continue to exist within CDC.

Sen. Nancy and I sought clarification on why RITM would be "chop-chopped" but then a Virology Institute, which we know is part of the priority measures of the President, would be created.

So the first question that had to be asked, what is the difference between the RITM's and Virology Institute's mandate?

We went to the expert, in our hearing was RITM Director Celia Carlos, who explained that RITM's focus is on viruses affecting humans and diseases of public health importance. It will also remain in charge of public health laboratory testing. Meanwhile, the Virology Institute would include the study of viruses and viral diseases affecting also humans, but in addition, plants and animals.

So being a lawyer, not a doctor, not a scientist, I asked a simple question. So in other words, the Virology Institute, in addition to covering what the RITM covers, which is viruses affecting humans, will also study viruses affecting animals and plants? Sa madaling salita, dinagdagan. Ang sagot po doon ay "oo." So sa aking pag-iisip, bakit naman kaya hindi na lang i-amend ang mandate ng RITM because they have been existing for so long?

I live also in Alabang, very near RITM, so very familiar sa akin yan, nadadaanan ko yan, nagba-bike ako dyan, na-injectionan ng anti-rabies [shot] ang mga anak ko dyan. And [RITM] can do so much if only there was enough funding, which I, as the former Chairman of the Committee on Health, fought for for many years. But not until we were hit by a pandemic did people realize the importance of RITM.

So ngayon, kilala na nating lahat ang RITM, and they are about to die in a chop-chop manner. I bring this up because the hearing I had was for the creation of the CDC. I will present to the body [the bill on the creation of the CDC] at the proper time. But this is a separate issue, your honor, because priority measure nga po ang hearing ng Virology Institute. And the CDC is also a priority measure. The Virology Institute, by the way, your honor, is in the Committee of Science and Technology.

So anyway, Sen. Nancy [Binay] and I were discussing and we could not understand why we would basically be killing one institute, which is possible, for the purpose of rightsizing. Kaya kong tanggapin yun, your honor, kung yun talaga, [if] there is a valid reason, kaya kong tanggapin yun...

Pero bakit tayo magke-create ng panibago, which is the Virology Institute. Natapos na ang hearing namin, naubos na ang oras namin sa RITM and Virology Institute, I can honestly say, hindi ko pa rin maintindihan ang direction, your honor.

Which is why I bring it to the attention, because I know our Senate President and our Minority Floor Leader take very seriously, as we do, as your foot soldiers, the mandates, the prioritization that is brought to our attention by no less than Malacañang, your honors.

So, we ask the question, kung sakaling RITM is not going to be chop-chopped, would there be a chance for them to co-exist? And the answer given to us, again, by Director Celia Carlos of RITM is, "yes, ideally," because in many countries, they have various institutes that are funded for research. So walang masama that we have more research. Again, I can accept that, your honors.

But the reality is, funding problems. Do we really have, will we really be able to fund both? Or was the CDC in a way an easier way to kill and bury RITM? In a better world, in a hypothetical world, perhaps we would be able to fund both. But I have not seen that happen, your honors, in my history in the Senate.

And so, as I mentioned, Filipinos, legislators, recognize the role of RITM. As the Senior Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee handling the budget of DOH, with the continuous support of our Chairman, Sen. Sonny Angara, I've always ensured that RITM has had enough budget since the time I handled the health budget.

RITM in 2023 had P1.39 Billion. I always ask them, may maitutulong pa ba kami? Okay na sila dyan sa funding na yan. Under the 2022 GAA, P1.37 Billion budget. And under the 2021 GAA, P963.87 Million. Almost P1 Billion, your honors.

So what do we do? Well as I mentioned, the bills creating the Virology Institute are filed in the Senate Committee on Science and Technology. After discussing this issue with the Chairperson of the Committee on Science and Technology, Sen. Alan Cayetano, we agreed that a Subcommittee on the Virology Institute, of course, subject to submission to the body, would be created. This representation, as the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Health, and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, can hear both at the same time, so that we just have some efficiency in the management of similar bills. So the proper documentation will be submitted, your honors, on that note.

And on a final point, I just like to mention the timeline of the CDC Committee Report, which as I mentioned, is a priority measure. In the news, it was reported for the past month that it is a priority measure. The Senate held a hearing as soon as we got the final draft of DOH because there would really be no point in hearing a very technical bill na wala naman pong support ng DOH. So we proceeded with that and we were told that they still need to work on it further, and thus, we held a TWG last week. And my understanding is there may be a need for further TWGs. So obviously, with two remaining days, your honors, we will not be able to sponsor. But I think everybody can accept that it is a very technical bill and we want to do it right. And we are giving DOH and the experts the time, it is their timeline, they are part of the administration, to come to us with the versions that they want, including reconciling these issues also on RITM and the Virology Institute.

So on that note, your honors, really the intention is to bring this to the body's attention. In case there is anyone who would like to interpellate, I don't mind if you suspend because there are so many people who are listed for privilege speeches, I don't think there is any rush. What is important is, I brought this to the attention of the body and we can answer questions of our colleagues at the proper time, after other speeches are delivered.

Thank you very much.