PEZA, Unilab partner to upskill pharma workforce

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and Unilab Foundation Inc. (ULF) have forged a partnership to strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical manufacturing through workforce upskilling.

In a social media post, the investment promotion agency said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by PEZA director general Tereso Panga and ULF executive director Jose Maria Ochave for the partnership on Feb. 2.

Under the MOU, the parties will promote workforce development through targeted training programs for manufacturing firms in ecozones.

The parties will focus on developing pharma-specific competencies, as well as the adoption of advanced production and quality systems.

The trainings will also involve enhancing the readiness for emerging drug technologies and changing regulatory requirements.

PEZA sees Unilab as a key partner in its aim to improve the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors.

Through the collaboration, the PEZA expects ecozone locators to improve operational efficiency, as well as raise product quality and patient safety.

The collaboration is also expected to strengthen robust occupational health and safety standards in line with global pharmaceutical standards.

In addition, the collaboration supports the government’s goal to position the

Philippines as a regional hub for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and innovation.

To achieve this, the government is pushing for stronger research and development (R&D), quality production and an artificial intelligence (AI)-ready workforce.

“By leveraging PEZA’s AI Tech Academy and Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology Parks, we aim to attract more companies into pharma and workforce development, manufacturing and R&D in order to build an integrated value chain that advances the Philippines as a net exporter of pharmaceutical products while helping lower the cost of medicines for Filipinos,” he said.