MANILA — The Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) will be dissolved once the bill creating the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is finally passed into law, according to Senator Pia Cayetano.

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But Cayetano, chairperson of the Senate subcommittee on health, questioned the would-be-fate of the RITM, given its significant role in promoting public health and good.

Once the CDC is passed into law, the RITM’s functions will be “chop-chopped,” the senator said.

“RITM will cease to exist, as it was presented to us during the hearing. What will continue to exist are various functions of the RITM. Sa madaling salita, your honors, parang chinop-chop ang function ng RITM and it will continue to exist within CDC,” Cayetano in a privilege speech on Monday said.

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"So sa aking pag-iisip, bakit naman kaya hindi na lang i-amend ang mandate ng RITM because they have been existing for so long?” Cayetano asked.

The RITM actively performed its role at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, attending to those who were suspected to have contracted the deadly virus.

The institute also provides free medical services to the public including giving anti-rabies vaccines, HIV-AIDS medical check-ups, and other diseases.

Cayetano said both bills creating the Virology Institute and the CDC are priority measures of the Marcos Jr., administration.

Cayetano said even Sen. Nancy Binay could not understand the logic of dissolving the RITM and dividing its functions.

RITM receives a modest budget but delivers in full, the senator said.

For next year, RITM will receive a P1.39-billion budget.

Instead of chopping its functions, the better move is to allow the RITM to “co-exist” with the Virology Institute, Cayetano said.