Representing the Philippines, Dr. Isidro C. Sia, the Director of Institute of Herbal Medicine, identified some of the country’s challenges on traditional medicine such as the continuing loss of knowledge on traditional medicine, the need to strengthen its research agenda, and limitation of its funding, during the 1^st ASEAN – Network for Drugs, Diagnostics, Vaccines, and Traditional Medicine Innovation (ASEAN-NDI) Community of Practice on Traditional Medicine Meeting 2014 in Manila.

Among these challenges was the continuing loss of knowledge on traditional medicine as more mainstream people culturally encroached on communities of indigenous people, according to Dr. Sia.

The need to strengthen the research agenda and the limitation of funding for traditional medicine were also being faced by researchers and institutions in this particular field of interest.

Yet, current government efforts such as the enactment of the Philippine National Health Research System Act of 2013 (An Act institutionalizing the Philippine National Health Research System) and funding from public offices seek to address these limitations.

“ASEAN-NDI [also] provides the platform to develop collaborative programs and projects to advance Traditional Medicine in the region,” as assured by Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, ASEAN-NDI Secretariat Coordinator and the Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.