The University of the Philippines (UP) Manila received a distinct designation from President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as being the only higher education institution (HEI) appointed to the technical working group (TWG) for the establishment of a National Forensics Institute (NFI). 

The TWG, created by Pres. Marcos through Administrative Order No. 29, is tasked to “facilitate the conduct of a comprehensive study and submit recommendations relative to the immediate establishment of the NFI, taking into consideration the need to rationalize and streamline the functions of relevant government agencies, and strengthen the capacity of the Philippines in the field of forensics.” The group is to be chaired by the Office of the Executive Secretary and co-chaired by the Department of Justice, with the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Health, the Department of Budget and Management, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat joining UP Manila as members.

The establishment of the NFI is part of the government’s commitment to strengthen the country’s justice system and its expertise in the field of forensics, pledged during the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights held in Geneva, Switzerland in December 2023.

UP Manila has been leading the way in such studies, having signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding on Oct. 24, 2024, in collaboration with Australia’s Monash University to elevate the practice and conduct of forensic science training and research in the Philippines.#

Text by Martin R. Racza
Photo by the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines