Establishing a Blueprint for nature-based Products Development and Conservation for the Philippines

Background. Many of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the Philippines are controllable with naturebased products, either as agents of intervention, or prevention, as nutritional supplements, or for the control of side-effects of medications. The different R&D programs on nature-based products in the Philippines are usually conducted in isolation, or through silos. These often lead to products that are shortsighted, duplicate products, or products with minimal innovation, not readily applicable to population and environmental sustainability. Objective. The study aimed to draft an internationally benchmarked and integrated blueprint for a population health- and environmental health-led nature-based product development and conservation for the Philippines. Methods. The methodology consisted of review of literature; regional educational visits; and a series of consultative meetings with stakeholders. Results. The study resulted in a stakeholder-validated blueprint which assigns the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) to lead the way for Filipinos to produce more nature-based products that are of international quality and attuned with local health needs. The blueprint has identified “9 Optimizations” in the realization of this aspiration, including an expanded role for PITAHC, a national database, an ethical researchers list, and to produce at least five commercial products and 20 intellectual property rights within 5 years with an estimated total investment of approximately PhP 816 M.