Monday, April 02, 2007 SciTech advocates join politics By Antonieta B. Lopez
POLITICS is not their cup of tea. These academicians, however, are left with no choice but to join the political derby for wanting to reform the country's science and technology sector.
"The Philippines needs a strong science and technology sector for her to compete globally and at the same time, provide opportunities for Filipino scientists and inventors here," Emil Javier, former President of the University of the Philippines, stressed.
Javier is a nominee of the Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Technolohiya para sa Mamamayan Inc. or Agham Party List for Luzon.
His fellow nominees are Angel Alcala, former environment secretary and president of Silliman University for Visayas and Saeed Daof for Mindanao.
The plan to join the political arena was first initiated by the late geologist Raymundo Punongbayan but was interrupted after he died in a helicopter crash in 2005, Javier said.
The science and technology sector has been neglected despite having produced topnotched scientists and engineers, Javier said, adding that it only enjoys a 0.1 percent allocation from the national budget.
He lamented that the government has not been consistent in implementing its science and technology program that resulted to missed global opportunities.
We began studies on ethanol in the early 70s but the program was not sustained due to lack of government support, Javier said.
If we had sustained it, the country might have been ahead of Brazil in terms of ethanol production, he added.
If elected in Congress, he said, Agham will work for the increase in the allocation that will be used for sectoral transformations, including educational reforms.
There is also a need to provide opportunities for scientists, inventors and technologists to stop their exodus, he added.
"We need to provide an environment for them to consider coming back to this country," he also said.
Javier served as Science Minister of former President Ferdinand Marcos, UP Los Baños Chancellor and Director General of the World Vegetable Center in Taiwan after his UP stint.
Meanwhile, Agham is banking on the support of UP graduates and technology advocates nationwide who may bolster the party-list's chances in the coming election.
