EVENTS

R&D Profile Philippines

Overview

The Republic of the Philippines is the world’s 12^th most populous country, with estimated 92 million people living on the islands and more then 10 million living abroad. Facing its rapid population growth, the country signed the United Nations Declaration on Population in 1967 and founded a Commission on Population (POPCOM) in 1969. The agency criticised a lack of consistent population policy which persists until today.[1] The population growth is said to be one of the major problems of the Philippines but also the motivation for some quite innovative and successful initiatives in the country, for example with regard to coastal ecosystems or the use of renewable and indigenous energy sources.[2]

Unlike some years before, when political turbulences and high foreign debts hampered the Philippine economy, the country showed a stable economic development recently.  English is the country’s official language, widely used in daily business and partly language of instruction in school, and the base for the relatively big tertiary sector which produces half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. The other half is made up by the country’s Industry – electronic devices are the major part of the Philippine export – and mining. Although growing, these sectors are far away from absorbing the countries “human capital”: a large share of the population is living on subsistence farming and many earn their living as migrant worker in Taiwan, Hong Kong or the Arabian Gulf States.

Research and education policy

 Since 1986, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is responsible for the implementation of national R&D strategies. DOST and the associated Philippine Council for Advance Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD) have published a list of “Priority Science and Technology Areas”, including biotechnology, information technology, materials science, electronics and photonics.  These areas form the basis for human resource development planning as well as R&D funding decisions.[3] 

During the nineties, DOST’s aim was to help realize the vision on Philippines 2000 with the Science and Technology Agenda for National Development (STAND).[4] STAND was followed by a Medium Term Plan of the Department of Science and Technology (DMTP, 1999-2004) and the recent National Science and Technology Plan for 2002-2020 (NSDTP). The latter was based on the ten point Agenda of the then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2004 – 2010), which stated technology as the foundation for future economic development. Twelve clusters or “ long-term thrusts” are discussed and identified “[b]ased on the forecasts discussed earlier and consultations with S&T experts and various stakeholders (…)”, including agriculture and forestry, microelectronics, materials science, environment, natural disaster mitigation, and energy.[5] 

Pursuing the policy of economic development upon technological innovation, two major programmes were implemented by DOST, namely 1) the small enterprise technology programme or setup, and 2) the technology incubation for commercialization or Technicom programme. These programmes targeted to stimulate technological innovation, strengthen the capacity of enterprises to tap and adapt promising R&D results, to increase private sector investment and adoption of government initiated R&D breakthroughs and to maximize benefits from government’s investments in R&D activities.[6]

In addition to this initiatives, the National Research Council of the Philippines developed a National Integrated Basic Research Agenda in 2008, that focuses on basic research efforts to be done in the immediate (2010), medium (2015) and long-term (2020).[7] The Agenda is intended as the framework for basic research in the country and advocacy for local, national and international collaboration and support.

 According to its constitution, the Philippine state is meant to prioritise science and technology, as well as culture, sports, arts and education. Taking into account the high ethnical diversity and the very young age of the population (2/3 of the population is equal or less than 25 years old) the latter is considered as an important part of the Philippine nation building. Therefore, a reform of the educational system which consist of mainly public primary and secondary schools and mainly private or church-related colleges and universities, is one of the major political topics discussed in public: As most public schools are suffering bad paid educational personnel and a lack of necessary books and facilities, Macapagal-Arroyo set the improvement of the school situation and manpower development second on her 10-point Agenda. Although, while visiting one of the (partly high performing) private educational institutes is not affordable for the great majority of the Philippine population, the performance of the public institutes continued declining.

Following the NSDTP, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was created to mobilize the full participation of industry, technical and vocational institutions, local government and civil society formulating skilled manpower development programs to maximize the contribution to be made by the country’s human resources.  A major thrust of TESDA is the formulation of a comprehensive development plan for middle-level manpower in accordance with national development goals and priorities in order to enhance international competitiveness.[8]  Supporting the country in respective vocational training is also the focus in many bilateral development cooperation programmes with the Philippines.

Amongst others, the Philippine Advocates for Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM) criticises that the actual research policy does not offer appropriate instruments for the development of a sovereign national economy, i.e. an economy that does not longer depend on import and market demand abroad. According to them, the Philippines are still lacking basic research (and industrialization) initiatives which is said to be the reason for the small share of Philippine patent applications and brain drain.[9]

Structure of Research System

Initiatives to develop, implement and coordinate Science and Technology (S&T) policies started in 1958 with the creation of the National Science and Development Board. As already mentioned, after a number of restructurings, the actual institute in charge of national S&T, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), was created in 1986.

 The DOST integrates the following agencies:

-          Sectoral Planning Councils: five planning councils responsible for formulating policies, plans, programs, projects and strategies for S&T development; for programming and allocating funds; for monitoring of research and development projects; and for generating external funds.

-          Research and Development Institutes: seven institutes concerned with basic and applied researches on various fields.

-          Service Institutes: seven institutes rendering science and technology-related services

-          Advisory Bodies: two bodies pursue mandated functions of assistance, recognition, advisory and establishment of international linkages

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