ANGELES CITY – The committee-level passage of his bill proposing the first stem cell center in the country has prompted yesterday Pampanga 1st district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin to stress that his proposal does not cover embryonic stem cells as opposed by the Catholic church.
Lazatin told Punto that his bill seeking to establish a facility to be called Stem Cell Center of the Philippines has been approved by the House Committee on Science and Technology.
He said that during a hearing last week, the committee headed by Negros Occidental 1st District Rep. Julio Ledesma approved Lazatin’s House Bill No. 5787 titled “An Act Establishing Stem Cell Center of the Philippines and Strengthening Research on Stem Cell Technology” after it was consolidated with similar bills proposed by Reps. Eufranio Eriguel and Anthony Del Rosario.
Lazatin said, however, that the bill is still open to suggestions from stakeholders who attended the hearing before it is finalized and transmitted to the House plenary.
There were proposals for the government to just tie-up with several hospitals and other medical institutions that have existing stem cell programs, instead of establishing new stem cell center.
Lazatin noted that while embryonic stem cell research is opposed by the Catholic Church, adult stem cell research is even encouraged by Catholic authorities to cure ailments which so far have remained without medical remedies.
He noted that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops had declared that stem-cell research does not present a conflict between science and religion. The US bishops, however, issued a statement calling the use of human embryos in such research “gravely immoral” and unnecessary.
Lazatin said that after his bill is transmitted to the plenary, the House Committee on Rules would schedule it for consideration on second reading.
He said his proposed stem cell center would “tap the vast potential that the technology brings to cure fatal diseases such as cancer and heart attack.”
“The Stem Cell Center of the Philippines which will spearhead the research and development of stem cell technology. The Center will also serve as storage area for stem cell technology that it will develop,” he said.
Lazatin said “the benefits of stem cell are overwhelming to be just simply ignored by the government because many Filipinos are suffering from different diseases that could be cured by this medical breakthrough.”
He noted that “many countries have started tapping stem cell’s potential in health and medical research to find solutions to diseases such as cancer, heart attacks and other cardiovascular anomalies, Parkinson’s and different birth defects.”
“The United States, for example, has started research on stem cells, creating an array of scientific advances and medical applications. South Africa followed suit in 2004 by creating a stem cell bank while China recently passed a legislation allowing research on stem cell,” he also said.
Lazatin also noted that “our Southeast Asian neighbor, Singapore, has recently been dubbed as Asia’s stem cell center, with over 40 stem cell research groups in the country.”
