Bring Filipino scientists home

Last week I wrote a column about engineers and scientists and how these unrecognized heroes have transformed our lives (I’ll be away for a month so this plus the next four have been pre-written).

Here at home promoting science, technology, and the creative arts is part of Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda. His economic team believes that Science and Technology (S&T) graduates can not only improve our lives and help the government achieve its goal of making economic growth inclusive, but bring the Philippines into the modern world. And they’re right, but I don’t see enough being done to achieve it.

So I am glad that President Duterte has signed into law the Balik-Scientist Act. The law grants incentives to Filipino Science and Technology (S&T) workers and encourages them to return to the Philippines. Maybe it will help.

It institutionalizes a program that was actually established in 1975 (the co-incidental year I arrived here) that has served as a tool for the strengthening of the country’s scientific and technological human resources. Balik Scientists have been instrumental in providing solutions to national concerns, especially in areas where there are limited experts residing in the country. The Balik Scientist law institutionalizes the incentives program provided to returning Filipino S&T professionals. Hopefully the benefits the law provides will encourage more Filipino S&T professionals to work in the country and share their technological know-how.

Among the lawmakers who pushed for the bill’s passage is Sen. Grace Poe.  Citing data from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), she noted that “brain drain” or outbound S&T workers surged from 9,877 in 1998 to 24,502 in 2009. It’s undoubtedly got worse since then. The Philippines has only 189 scientists per million Filipinos, half the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommended figure of 380 scientists per million persons. Way behind South Korea and the United States, which have 5,300 and 3,500 scientists per million, respectively. While China has 1,177 (in a huge population); it’s why these countries are the world’s leaders in invention and innovation. It’s a reason we’re so far behind. Even our comparable Malaysia, has 2,000 scientists per million.

On top of that, the Philippines’ R&D allocation is the lowest in the region. It spends a mere 0.14 percent of its GDP on R and D, way below the UNESCO-recommended 1 percent of GDP. Singapore allots 2 percent of its annual GDP to research and development, Malaysia 1.1 percent, Thailand 0.4 percent, and Vietnam 0.2 percent. The Philippines last again. The budget for scientific research and development must grow substantially if the Philippines is to be competitive into the new technological world, not be cut.

Under the law, returning scientists will be engaged for short-term, medium-term or long-term programs to be administered by the DOST. For the short-term program with a duration of 15 days up to six months, benefits include grants-in-aid for research and development projects, and donation of instruments and materials related to their scientific activities. It also covers round-trip airfare, reimbursement of excess baggage costs, relocation costs and a tax-exempt daily allowance. Local private and public institutions seeking technical assistance from foreign-based Filipino experts may also apply for DOST assistance through the Program. Filipino scientists who will enroll under medium-term (6 to 12 months) and long-term (1 to 3 years) programs will also receive these incentives.

According to the measure, grantees can participate in Grants-in-Aid (GIA) research and development projects of the DOST with an initial lump sum research subsidy of P 500,000 for short-term program, P 500,000 to P 2,000,000 for the medium-term program, and P 2,000,000 for the long-term program.

It’s a good law, but it’s far from enough. We’ve not only got to get scientists back, we’ve got to get far more into college to start a career in science, and engineering. But it all needs to be adequately funded by the government. Congress needs to increase the budget, not cut it while the DOST needs to learn better how to use it, and ensure that R&D is prioritized and its budget fully spent.

E-mail: wallace_likeitis@wbf.ph