The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) led the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement establishing the new building of the Fisheries Biotechnology Center (FBC) on March 25.
The FBC, to be hosted by the DA National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), will be built on a seven-hectare land within the CLSU Compound in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
It is expected to provide a conducive environment for the conduct of fisheries biotechnology research and development and other related activities.
With the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) hosting the Livestock Biotechnology Center and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) the Crops Biotechnology Center, Agriculture Secretary William Dar expressed satisfaction in the development of another state-of-the-art facility to enable better research opportunities for the Philippine fisheries sector.
With his ongoing call for unity among members of the Philippine agrifishery sector, the secretary clarified that the three centers exist for collaborative purposes for the better goal of advancing Philippine agriculture.
“These three centers will not compete with each other. There will be co-implementation and, if hindi pa natin makayanan separately ang mga state-of-the-art equipment, we have to share facilities and equipment. ‘Yan ang kagandahan lalo na kung kayo ay laging nandoon sa ‘OneDA’ framework,” elaborated the secretary.
Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, chief of the DA-FBC, expressed his gratitude to the agriculture secretary for such new milestone in fishery biotech history.
“Our shared dream of a strengthened FBC, equipped with the tools necessary to execute the DA’s Biotechnology Research Agenda for the fisheries sector will soon be realized. This all would not be possible without the leadership of Secretary William Dar and his strong vision to modernize Philippine agriculture and fisheries through biotechnology,” Santos said.
CLSU President Edgar Orden also welcomed the new FBC building, which he said will benefit the university’s students in terms of providing them with training opportunities.
FBC, at the moment, functions within the premises of the National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center of the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. ### (Krystelle Ymari A. Vergara, DA-AFID)
