It is almost certainly correct to say that of the approximately 25 Cabinet-rank agencies of the government, the Department of Science and Technology is one of the most low-key. Rarely does DoST figure in the headlines and the TV evening newscasts, and the only DoST component that the average Filipino gets to hear or read about is Pagasa.
This is regrettable and incomprehensible, considering that science and technology—more precisely research and development—should be in the forefront of government economic-related activity. If First World countries continue to budget enormous amounts for R&D, Third World countries, which have much catching up to do, need to financially support R&D activities to an even greater extent. Some First World countries devote as much as 6 percent of their gross domestic product to R&D; by contrast the Philippines devotes less than 2 percent, one of the lowest percentages in Asean.
There is an intimate connection between resource availability and performance. It is a well-known fact that the government has only so much money to divide among the myriad of important public-sector operations. But it is also true that the fiscal authorities would probably be inclined to give DoST a bigger share of the General Appropriations Act if they could see a greater stream of substantive results from that Department’s activities. Unfortunately this appears to not have been the case. Apart from the operations of PAGASA—as well as the activities of the institutes devoted to the mining and textile industries—DoST has not been reported as providing results that measure up to the executive and legislative steps taken to enable DoST to play a more meaningful role in Philippine economic development. These include Executive Order No. 128 of January 1987 and the Inventors and Investment Incentives Act (RA No. 7459).
In line with the mandate of RA No. 7459, DoST established TAPI (Technology Application and Promotion Institute) I doubt very much if many readers of this column knew of TAPI’s existence. I certainly did not.
Did you, dear readers, know that TAPI is divided into three divisions bearing the initials TIPD (Technology Information and Promotion Division), IBOD (Investment and Business Operations Division) and IDD (Investment Development Division)? Again I say that I did not. Nor had I heard or read about the operations and results of these TAPI entities.
TIPD has established two centers—Business Assistance Center and Technology Training Center—and maintains programs concerned with technology-based enterprise development, institutional support for trade and exhibitions, and prototype development assistance.
IBOD maintains programs relating to venture financing, technology-based enterprise development, agricultural productivity enhancement, manufacturing productivity extension and S&T exports volunteer pooling.
The third TAPI division, IDD, concerns itself with intellectual property rights assistance, tax and duty exemption assistance, invention testing analysis assistance, travel assistance for inventors, school inventing and invention guaranteeing.
This is a very broad and an exceedingly ambitious program for a single institute, public or private. TAPI has taken upon itself a very heavy workload.
To repeat, I had not previously heard of TAPI, its divisions and its programs. Perhaps I have been sleeping. Or—and this is probably the reality—TAPI has not been living up to the expectations of those who legislated it into existence. It has not made a difference to this country’s economic development. Things don’t look good for DoST and its leadership.
The next time the members of Congress examine DOST’s budget, I suggest that they ask the Secretary of Science and Technology searching questions about the effectiveness of the GAA allocation for his department. If DoST continues to be underperforming, it will remain a low-priority part of the government. That would be a grave mistake, considering the vast amount of R&D work that remains to be done.
Shape up, Mr. Secretary. Start with a good look at TAPI.
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