DOST eyes Mindanao as the next economic prime mover
“The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recognizes the massive potential of Mindanao as a prime mover of socio-economic development,” Dr. Anthony C. Sales, DOST XI Regional Director said during the Mindanao Regional Scientific Meeting at the Acacia Hotel in Davao City.
This is manifested in DOST’s continuous promotion of the thriving R&D ecosystem in Mindanao and by mapping out sound programs, projects and policies that will aid in the increase of R&D investments and human resources, and enhancement of R&D capabilities.
Of late, Mindanao exhibited agricultural advancements in the form of the development of new crop varieties, improved plant nutrition, disease detection and management, and the production of climate-resilient crops, among others.
DOST just completed its 2023 Call Conference which discussed the agency’s thrusts and priorities in line with the upcoming call for R&D proposals, with the goal of boosting innovation in the Mindanao region.
The DOST Councils such as Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology (PCIEERD), Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), and National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) will be accepting proposals aligned with the research areas and priorities of each council until May 31, 2023 as part of DOSTs continuous efforts to create a nurturing environment for the science community and support the national economic agenda.
Among the R&D initiatives in the south is the Mindanao Renewable Energy Center (MREC) in Ateneo de Davao University, which aims to catalyze and support the conduct of R&D on renewable energy technologies to reinforce energy policy, and utilization and commercialization of technologies. This is highly relevant, especially with the foreseen increase in energy requirement in Mindanao.
Other Mindanao projects are the Center for Applied Modeling, Data Analytics, and Bioinformatics for Decision Support Systems in Health led by the University of Philippines Mindanao in collaboration with the Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao. There is also the
R&D Center for Maternal and Child Health in Mindanao or ReDMatCH at the Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc., which deals with primary health problems of women and children.
There are also different R&D centers which focus on commodity products that are naturally abundant or proudly produced in Mindanao. Then, there is the Seaweeds R&D Center in MSU Tawi-Tawi, which is poised to strengthen the R&D for one of the most common and important resource in the southernmost province of Mindanao.
Despite the strides in R&D, however, funding and procurement remains to be a problem as raised by some scientists in the forum.
“Tanggapin natin ng maliit ang funding, mahirap kumuha ng funds. Kung makakuha ka man ng funds, ang hirap gumastos,” Fernando P. Siringan, a professor at the University of the Philippines, Marine Science Institute and an Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), said.
Siringan cited his experience at the University wherein the project is already running for one year, yet the things needed weren’t yet procured.
Siringan said that, in many occasions, even on television, they have already raised their concerns on these issues on funding and procurement. He hopes that the representatives in Congress and at the Department of Budget and Management will address these problems.
“Kasi ay nakakapilay talaga sya sa research, at yung procurement process natin na sana ay makakuha tayo ng maganda at mura ay hindi naman talaga ganoon ang nangyayari. Ang nakukuha natin yung madaling masira at mahal,” Siringan added.
Siringan appealed “(And) we share the pain and the difficulties of doing research work in this country. Pero yung appeal, ang lahat ay pwedeng magsalita, wag lang i-asa sa NAST or DOST although they are probably in the best position to do it. But everybody can voice those concerns, sa mga kakilala natin na pwedeng magpa-akyat nung problema na iyon sa national government.”
Despite some shortcomings at the national level, Mindanao succeeded in integrating its R&D efforts towards inclusive growth, and closely engage their stakeholders from the academe, industry, government, civil society organization, and the media to keep their approaches aligned with various frameworks, including the global sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations and the Philippine Development Plan geared towards Ambisyon 2040 of embracing the mission to enable and empower every Filipino to achieve their ambition. (Geraldine Bulaon-Ducusin, DOST-STII)
