“The central tragedy exposed by this situation is not a lack of resources or expertise, but a profound lack of vision. As early as 2020, through assistance from the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (US DTRA), the Philippines acquired state-of-the-art Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratories in strategic agricultural hubs like Tarlac and Cagayan Valley. The infrastructure was built, sophisticated biosecurity equipment was installed, and Filipino scientists were trained.
Yet, these multi-million dollar facilities were largely relegated to passive diagnostic roles—mere monitoring stations to confirm when livestock was already dying—rather than serving as active centers for advanced Research and Development (R&D).” The Bench Files -On the availability of ASF vaccine for hogs -03 September 2026.
