Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has showcased before the international community the country’s progress in the areas of science, technology, and innovation, under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Speaking at the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland Oct. 14 (Switzerland time), the leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives said that Marcos and Congress have been taking steps to promote science, technology, and innovation to sustain the nation’s development.
Romualdez said the National Innovation Council was created “to ensure that innovation is embedded as a key priority in our country’s pathway to socio-economic development.”
He said the council, chaired by the President, administers a 10-year policy vision, goals, and strategies, collectively referred to as the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document.
The document contains the Philippines’ vision and long-term goals for innovation and a roadmap of strategies for improving innovation governance, deepening and accelerating innovation efforts, and integrating and fostering public-private partnerships, mindful of the policy of “leaving no Filipino behind,” he said.
Romualdez, who heads the Philippine delegation to the IPU Assembly, informed his fellow lawmakers and parliamentarians from all over the world that the Philippine Congress, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, has enacted several measures to improve innovation governance in the country.
He specifically mentioned the Philippine Innovation Act, the Philippine Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act, and the Technology Transfer Act of 2009.
The Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act aims to address gaps in digital technology and skills by providing programs that equip Filipinos with the necessary competencies for the global labor market.
The Technology Transfer Act seeks to promote and facilitate the transfer and commercialization of intellectual property, technology, and knowledge resulting from research and development programs funded by the government for the benefit of the Philippine economy.
Under the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan, the government has emphasized the importance of innovation in achieving deep socioeconomic transformation.
“With all these legislation, policies, and programs, in terms of innovation governance, the Philippines’ Global Innovation Index has been increasing over the last decade,” Romualdez said in a press release Oct. 15. “In fact, the Philippines is recognized as one of the middle-income economies with the fastest innovation catch up.”
He emphasized the importance of science, technology, and innovation in addressing development issues developed and developing nations are facing. “The complementary, interdependent nature of these three different concepts mean that they must be considered as one: together. Science, technology, and innovation serve as our guiding lights of hope.” ||
