UPLB Vet Med Students Receive P1.7-M Worth Of Diagnostic Tools From Pilmico

Pilmico, the food unit of the Aboitiz Group, has donated P1.7 million worth of animal diagnostic kits and consumables to help University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) veterinary medicine (vet med) students design better diagnostic and vaccination programs.

At a ceremony last February 18, Pilmico—in partnership with Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, turned over a number of ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kits, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) reagents​, laboratory equipment, and ​consumables to the UPLB Department of Veterinary Paraclinical Sciences.

These equipment will be used to help diagnose multiple diseases for swine and poultry and results gathered will be utilized by the veterinary students in designing vaccination programs and management strategies to prevent—if not eliminate—the occurrence of these diseases. In turn, this will result in improved productivity and promote the business sustainability of the students’ subject farms.

Present during the turnover were Dr. DJ Darwin Bandoy, UPLB Department of Veterinary Paraclinical Sciences Chairman; Norie Bermudez, Pilmico Vice President for Feeds Sales, and Dr. Oliver Papag, Pilmico Assistant Vice President for Feeds Sales-Luzon.

“These equipment will help improve the confidence of our iskolars ng bayan to design their technical recommendation to farmers. We hope this will go a long way in producing qualified vet med graduates who are ready to perform their role of boosting production of our livestock sector,” Norie Bermudez said.

Overall, these equipment—worth a total of P1.696 million—are expected to benefit 500 UPLB vet-med students in their practice to conduct diagnostic and serology tests by improving the quality and capacity of UPLB’s diagnostic laboratory.

Dr. Bandoy, meanwhile, welcomed the donation:

“For us in the department, as part of the changes that we would doing, we want to be responsive to industry needs. It’s about time that we go for a sensitive level of testing of diseases.”

Pilmico, guided by its promise to be Partners for Growth, has been providing customers with high-quality wheat flour and related products since 1962. It also excels in swine production and animal feeds. With its consistent excellence and top-notch products, Pilmico ensures market competitiveness by increasing customer satisfaction.