Press Release
December 21, 2009

DOST GETS HALF A BILLION BUDGET BOOST

To fund a renewable energy research institute, industrial research center, disaster preparedness center, and scholarships for Filipino scientists and engineers, almost half a billion pesos was added to the budget of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for 2010.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Committee on Science and Technology, said that the DOST should maximize its budget by focusing on key priorities and through networking efforts with other government agencies.

"We will be able to stretch our resources farther if we focus our expenditures on the academe and on specific research priorities. These priorities must be based on the urgent needs of Filipinos: food, jobs, energy and health," said Angara.

He added, "Financial crisis or not, any plan for growth and sustainable development should include developing alternative energy sources, as we can only expect the demand for energy to grow. Only thru such support our science and engineering core can innovate and find solutions to society's most pressing problems."

The Renewable Energy R&D Institute (RERDI) will lead the country's efforts in forging public-private initiatives to develop our indigenous clean energy technologies. Clean energy is predicted to be one of the biggest industries of the millennium, and the Philippines is among the 'hot spots' of new power generation investment.

Funds were also allotted to set up the Philippine Industrial R&D Institute, which includes Advanced Technical Training. It will be the lynchpin of invigorating RP's local electronics and semiconductor sector. This R&D institute will be patterned after Taiwan's prestigious Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

Science, Technology and Engineering Scholarships and Exchange Student Programs will also allow more qualified Filipino scholars in the fields of mathematics and computer technology to pursue higher learning in technologically advanced countries like Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

A Philippine Disaster Preparedness Center will also be established so that we can better protect lives and properties from future disasters by enhancing the country's human, technical and institutional capacity on disaster risk reduction. This could spell the difference between a simple weather disturbance and a catastrophic environmental and human disaster.

The funding for Renewable Energy and Philippine Industrial Research Institute reaches P200M while the establishment of Philippine Disaster Science Center amounts to P100M and P56.030M for Science, technology and engineering Fellowships and Scholarships for the Philippines.

"Until now, Science and Technology has not been given adequate attention in relation to its role in the country's progress. It is imperative for the country to enact policy instruments that are responsive to global trends. Building a strong S&T foundation is necessary for the country to push forward and become more competitive," said Angara

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