PH to buy Avian flu vaccine
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said he is considERING PROCURING AVIAN INflUENZA vaccine from the Czech Republic as he expressed interest to explore trade in meat products between the two countries.
In an interview with the Philippine media delegation during his three-day state visit to the Czech Republic, Marcos said the Department of Agriculture is conducting exploratory talks with its Czech counterpart for the country’s livestock products.
This, after Czech President Petr Pavel announced that he would send a business delegation, led by Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný, to Manila next week and establish cooperation that would support the food security initiatives of the Philippines.
“THEY HAVE AN AVIAN flU VACCINE, coming close to developing a SWINE flU VACCINE. SO, THAT’S WHAT we are looking at,” Marcos said during an interview with the Philippine media here.
“Not only will we procure perhaps, but hopefully, we’ll produce it locally. So that we will have our own source of the vaccine,” he added.
Marcos said the Philippines is also interested in the new technology being used by the Czech Republic to ensure the quality of meat and livestock products in the country.
“So, those are the kinds of areas that we’re looking at. It’s really in terms of trade because we don’t grow the same products, we do not have seasons like they have here in the Czech Republic,” he said.
“But in terms of livestock, I think we can get many forms of new technology.”
Marcos said representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic are expected to visit the Philippines by next week to formalize the agreement.
Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited Manila in April last year when he sat in a bilateral meeting with Marcos and expressed the readiness of his government to support the Philippines in the agriculture sector, among others.
Meanwhile, the Philippines and Czech Republic signed three agreements aimed at promoting trade and investment between the two nations on the last day of Marcos’ visit in Prague.
Marcos and Czech President Petr Pavel witnessed the signing of deals during the Philippines-Czech Business Forum at Czernin Palace.
Among the agreements signed was the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (Seipi) and the Electrical and Electronic Association of the Czech Republic (ELA).
Under the deal, Seipi and ELA will establish a long-term collabORATIVE RELATIONSHIP IN THE fiELD OF electronics that would include participation in the global network of leading technology and innovation centers or engagement of small and midsized companies.
The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines Inc. (Ibpap) and the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic (SPCR) also signed an Agreement of Mutual Cooperation to promote commercial and industrial relations.
The cooperation deal between the Ibpap and SPCR covers exchange of better practices on policy and regulations; development and promotion of information technology (IT) COMPETENCIES; AND CERTIfiCATION or facilitation of responsible impleMENTATION OF ARTIfiCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
Also signed was the agreement of mutual cooperation between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the SPCR to promote trade and investment between the two countries.
There will be exchanges of trade missions, organization of trade and investment seminars, and exchange of market information between the PCCI and the SPCR.
In his speech, Marcos said the signed MoUs unlocked the vast potential in the business partnership between the Philippines and the Czech Republic.