SENATOR Francis “Chiz” Escudero is eyeing a measure that will transfer several regulatory functions of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to other government agencies to make government approval processes more efficient and business compliance easier.
According to Escudero, FDA’s mandate is so broad that its functions have led to overlaps and delays, and the redistribution of its powers would allow specialized departments to handle regulation more efficiently and effectively in a timely manner.
“Sa tingin ko ay masyadong malawak ang kasalukuyang mandato ng FDA ngayon na nagiging dahilan para bumagal at maging kumplikado ang proseso. Mas mainam na ilipat sa tamang ahensya ang ilang mga responsibilidad nito para sa mas mabilis at malinaw ang regulasyon,” Escudero pointed out.
Under his proposal, key functions of the agency would be absorbed by appropriate government agencies. For example, he said the regulation of fresh food would be transferred to the Department of Agriculture (DA), processed food and cosmetics to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and medicines to the Department of Health (DOH).
“Kung pagkain, sa DA. Kung processed food o cosmetics, sa DTI natin ilagay. Kung gamot naman, sa DOH. Hindi dapat lahat nasa FDA,” Escudero said.
Escudero argued that the redistribution would streamline government functions and reduce overlapping mandates. “Ang FDA ay naging catch-all agency sa mahabang panahon. I think it is about time that we fix this and move some of its functions to the right departments or offices.”
The Bicolano senator emphasized that his proposed bill aims to ease compliance for businesses while ensuring consumer protection remains intact, saying: “Hindi natin tinatanggal ang regulasyon. Ang ginagawa natin ay inililipat sa mas angkop na ahensya.”
Past efforts have already seen certain FDA functions transferred to other agencies through memoranda of agreement (MOA) and similar arrangements. Some regulatory responsibilities over agricultural products were already moved to the DA.
Escudero’s bill, however, seeks to institutionalize this through a law that would effectively transfer FDA’s vast functions to proper government agencies.
Furthermore, the FDA has also drawn concern from industry groups and oversight agencies over delays in processing applications, particularly for emergency medicines.
The Anti-Red Tape Authority, or ARTA, has reported that the FDA received a high number of complaints among government agencies, citing bottlenecks in its evaluation process.
Business groups have pointed to prolonged product registration timelines and complex regulatory requirements as barriers to market entry.
Several countries also operate without a single, catch-all FDA-type regulator. In Singapore, food oversight is handled by the Singapore Food Agency, while medicines and cosmetics fall under the Health Sciences Authority.
The United Kingdom likewise splits responsibilities among the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for medicines, and the Department for Business and Trade for cosmetics.
