Press Release
July 25, 2011

PPPs ON S&T WILL CREATE MORE JOBS - ANGARA

Senator Edgardo J. Angara reiterated his call for government to invest heavily in Science and Technology (S&T) to create more employment opportunities in high-value jobs and industries.

Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, made the call in reaction to the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno Aquino III.

"Infrastructure projects are important, but they should not be the only source of new employment. How many more jobs will these projects generate once they reach their end? If we invest in S&T now, we increase our national portfolio for creating high-value jobs that are home-grown and more sustainable in the long run," said Angara.

Angara, chair of the Congressional Commission on Science & Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) took note that the recently released Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016 highlighted the review of investments in science, technology and innovation (STI) human resources to directly link them with strategies in retaining the "best" and "brightest" Filipino STI talents. The PDP listed this as part of the drive to create a culture of competitiveness.

"Many studies have shown the close relationship between S&T innovation and economic development. Social transformation should therefore include a clear S&T strategy that involves close collaborations between industry, the academe and the government. The government should consider forming PPPs for S&T. Unfortunately, today's SONA was largely silent on this matter," said Angara.

In various speaking engagements this month, Angara reiterated the importance of R&D investments in leapfrogging economic growth and competitiveness. Recently, Angara called on the DOST to spearhead the creation of more technology business incubators in the campuses of the country's technology-oriented universities.

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