THE Philippines is now getting recognized as a hub for research and development, as several companies or organizations have expressed interest to partner or establish operations in the country, Science Secretary Mario G. Montejo said.
Montejo on Thursday said the Philippines is now moving up the value chain from assembly to research and development because it is now getting the attention of the global community for its talented scientists and engineers.
“Because of the increasing number of scientists, the Philippine is now becoming the location of choice for research and development by leading companies and organizations in the world,” Montejo pointed out at the news briefing of the first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science and Technology in Higher Education held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Montejo said the Aquino administration has been spending a huge amount of resources to uplift the standards of science and technology and, at the same time, promoting inclusive growth.
He cited the establishment of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) and the Advanced Device Materials Testing Laboratory (Admatel) as examples of the programs the government is pursuing to boost the country’s standing as a premier research center.
Established in 2009 the PGC is bold project of the University of the Philippines and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that seeks to utilize genomics to improve crops, preserve biodiversity, enhance disease diagnostics, and aid in forensics, among others.
Meanwhile, Admatel is a DOST national-testing agency for failure analysis and materials testing facility for local industries.”
“The government is spending billions to develop science and tech infrastructure for capacity building and innovation,” Montejo said.
“We are creating the environment for local scientists to practice their professions here,” he sad. A Japanese manufacturer of automobile parts and computers is set to sign a memorandum of agreement next month for the establishment of a facility in the country, Montejo announced, while a Swiss pharmaceutical company is also interested to put up a research facility in the country.
Moreover, he said American computing giant IBM expressed interest to develop some programs with high-performance computers in cooperation with local scientists.
Montejo noted that a team of Dutch scientists will work with their counterparts from Project National Operational Assessment of Hazards for a flood modeling project.
He said the Paris-based Pasteur Institute is also eyeing to pursue research programs with Filipino scientists in biology, microorganisms, diseases and vaccines.
On her part, Secretary Patricia B. Licuanan of the Commissioner on Higher Education urged the strengthening of social work and science training, which is core competency areas of Filipinos known throughout the world.
She cited the excellent work of Filipino social workers in serving other people’s needs, especially in reaching out to the marginalized.
She also cited the job of Filipino peacekeeping forces under the United Nations that gained the respect of its members.
“I am appealing to the authorities not to kill these vanishing species. Social work is a big area for the future and there are people who need to work for people,” she said.
Meanwhile, Presidential Management Staff Undersecretary Ferdinand Cui Jr. said Filipinos can play a key role in disaster recovery and management by sharing their experiences with their Apec counterparts. He said science and technology will have a key role in the study of disaster recovery and management in Apec meetings.
“Since this is the era of climate change, Apec members will have to give a greater focus on science and technology to study the dynamics of the current weather patterns,” he said.
Image credits: Presidential Broadcast Staff-Radio TV Malacañang