R&D center for local medicinal plants inaugurated
Photo shows (from L to R) Dr. Jaime Montoya, Executive Director of Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology; Dr. Dolores A. Ramirez, National Scientist; Dr. Teresita Borromeo, Professor and Head of the Plant Genetic Resource Division, UP Los Baños; Dr. Cecilia Maramba, Director of the National Institutes of Health; Dr. Fabian Dayrit, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Ateneo de Manila University; and Dr. Eliseo Banaynal, Executive Director of Sekaya.
The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) and Filipino scientists were in full force during the recent inauguration of the Sentrong Katutubong Yaman (Sekaya) Research and Development plant, a facility that is envisioned to become a collaborative research and development center for local medicinal plant products.
Sekaya, an affiliate of United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab), the leading pharmaceutical and healthcare company in the Philippines, was built as a platform to develop natural products grounded on science to help the indigenous communities and small farmers to protect and benefit from the country’s rich plant resources.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through PCHRD, has been at the forefront of the government’s efforts to develop the herbal medicine landscape to maximize the potentials of plant-based medicines.
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