It is noteworthy that apart from upholding the Filipino’s right to health, the FDA’s objective is to establish and retain an effective and competent regulatory administration to work at harmonizing standards with global benchmarks.

The FDA have already started increasing its technical competence through the implementation of the administrative order  signed by the Secretary of Department of Health to execute the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Cosmetic Directive that authorizes the cosmetics division of the Philippines to be totally compliant to the  ASEAN standards.

Subsequently, the approved Administrative Order (A.O) No. 2013-0021, also by the Secretary of the Department of Health, that subjects the adoption of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Common Technical Dossier (ACTD) and Common Technical Requirements (ACTR) for the registration of pharmaceutical products for human utilization has been officially permitted to put into practice.

The evolution on the product assessment will signify greater efficiency in documentation processing. Domestic and foreign companies seeking to go through the local market will gain from technical and bureaucratic efficiencies.

And last July 19, 2013, the Department of Health, Office of the Secretary, published the said administrative order and mandated the conscientious administration, FDA, to implement the adoption of ACTD fifteen (15) days upon publication. The submission of ACTD has already been initiated last August 6, 2013.

Finding solutions for escalating the technical infrastructure and enhancing the procedural expertise of the FDA Philippines will smooth the progress of the conformity of the country with its standards and compliance obligations not only on the national level but also on the global heights.

The progress made by the FDA, as a fully equipped and well-functioning regulatory agency, will help lift up public health and welfare, will raise the importance of products safety and quality, and will establish a strong foundation for a profound partnership among the regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industries.