Press Release
January 14, 2010

ANGARA URGES CANDIDATES TO INCLUDE STRONG S&T PLATFORM INTO NATIONAL AGENDA

Senator Edgardo J. Angara challenged all Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates in the upcoming national elections to identify their policy on science and technology, urging that it should be a top priority in their national agendas.

"The future of the country lies in our ability to develop our potential in science and technology (S&T) and utilize this as the fulcrum to change our momentum and bring the country up to par with the global playing field," said Angara who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

Angara added, "Following a road map for the S&T agenda is not enough. We need to act and adapt to the dynamic field of S&T and keep our heads above water in this time of global crisis. This is a new era where technology plays an increasingly integral role in our development as a nation."

"This is why I challenge our candidates in the upcoming elections to integrate a strong S&T platform into our national agenda. We need to capitalize on our potential in fields and industries like energy, disaster management, health care, agriculture, IT, and electronics or risk falling to the wayside. We must continue our momentum and not miss a beat even in times of transition," laments Angara.

He added, "Our focus should be to make sure that our industries have the added benefits of public-private partnerships which encourage innovation, which in turn creates new jobs in high-value businesses. Our next leaders should be aware of this national imperative and not get mired in the election process itself."

Angara who is the Chair of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology, and Engineering (COMSTE), which aims to keep S&T at the forefront of the nations bid to remain globally competitive. COMSTE has been instrumental in forging a climate of public-private partnerships in the advancement of research and development (R&D) in the field of S&T.

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