The workshop aims to revisit the draft PBN Business Process Model, to discuss various issues on data and sample acquisition and management for the PBN operations, and to adopt PBN-wide guidelines to ensure that all relevant data are identified, gathered, transmitted, and stored in a central facility which will be made accessible to stakeholders.

PBN, a DOST-funded program aims to establish a central, coordinating network of institutions that will biobank indigenous medicinal plants of the Philippines. The program is implemented by five institutions namely, the Institute of Biological Sciences – University of the Philippines Los Baños (IBS-UPLB), National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory, UPLB (NPGRL-UPLB), Institute of Biology, UP Diliman (IB-UPD), National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB-UPD) & DNA Sequencing and Bioinformatics Facility, Philippine Genome Center (DSBF-PGC-UP System), and the Marine Science Institute-UP Diliman (MSI-UPD). Each of the program’s four of 5 agencies focuses on specific biospecimen such as live plants (IBS-UPLB), seeds (NPGRL-UPLB), plant extracts (IB-UPD), and DNA/RNA (NIMBB, UPD & DSBF-PGC), while the 5^th institute (MSI-UPD) deals with the network’s sample and data management system.

In the workshop, the first four PBN Projects (1 to 4) that deal with biospecimens discussed their planned activities and expected data to be generated, which served as a context for further discussion on data and sample management strategies. Towards the end of the workshop, several concepts and views were expressed to ensure that all kinds of data for the program are captured and well-managed. Also, all processes necessary to generate data for the program were made more defined and detailed.

The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) monitors the implementation of PBN under its Tuklas Lunas Program.