Manila, Jan. 30 -- The creation of a Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) will improve the country's response against animal-borne diseases, including African swine fever (ASF).

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said Thursday he is pushing for the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 2893 which seeks to establish the VIP, citing overlapping mandates of different agencies in combating ASF.

He also filed Senate Resolution 565, which tasked the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform to probe the impact of ASF on domestic pork production, supply, and prices.

"The reason why we had a long battle with ASF is because of the apparent non-movement of the personnel within the Food and Drug Administration in conducting cli...