In a 2004 paper, Bernie S. Justimbaste, Science & Technology Director for Planning and Evaluation, said the Philippines spent P 4.5 billion on R&D in 2002 (0.11 % of the country’s 2002 gross domestic product (GDP), down from 0.19 % in 1996 and 0.22 % in 1992. (Justimbaste, Improving the Philippine Research and Development Statistical System, 2004)
Fourteen years, later, the R&D intensity of the country has not improved at all at 0.14%, even lower than the 0.19% in 1996 and 0.22% in 1992.
Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D, 2003–13 (% of GDP) Europe, Russia, Asia & US
In his opening remarks for the regional celebration of National Science and Technology Week 2016 held from July 23-26, Dept. of Science and Technology (DOST) Region 10, Director Alfonso P. Alamban said, “This can still be considered an improvement from the PhP2-billion five years ago.”
“What we should strive for is really the RDE itself, which is only 1.38% of the country’s expenditure of about Php 16 Billion,” he added.
R & D Intensity not only about funding
But two leading academe-based researchers doing studies in the region believe there’s more to improving the country’s R&D Intensity than merely ramping up funding.
“DOST has always been calling for proposals but only a few of the higher educational institutions (HEIs) in the region can respond quickly, I hear a lot of funding for research is being reverted to the national treasury because it is not being consumed,” said Dr. Alita T. Roxas, Dean of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s (MSU-IIT) School of Graduate Studies. “There is funding but the response to the call for proposals has not been maximized.”
Dr. Alita T. Roxas, Dean, MSU-IIT School of Graduate Studies
As full-time employees of the government, Roxas said their other duties as faculty and administration limits the time they can devote to research.
“DOST releases the funding when you are already ready to receive it based on their requirements, but in our institution, the process of liquidating expenses incurred in research are too taxing, considering we are already doing research on top our teaching, we do fieldwork and then we spend time liquidating. It’s a very long and tiring process.”
Pamela F. Resurreccion, associate professor at the MSU-IIT College of Business Administration and Accountancy, concurs.
“Liquidation has to pass through the institution so we have to comply with the requirements internally, because the requirements differ with various funders.”
Associate Prof. Lemuel Clark P. Velasco of the Dept. of Information Technology, MSU-IIT School of Computer Studies, said the stiff requirements for DOST research funds convinced him to look elsewhere for funding.
Prof. Lemuel Clark Velasco, Dept. of Information Technology, MSU-IIT School of Computer Studies
“I don’t consider applying for DOST because of the bureaucracy, and their valid concerns like financial to documentation. Some HEIs do not have the research culture to do it; some are discouraged by the red tape.”
“Another issue is the validity of health data available even with government offices,” Velasco noted. “For instance, my research is on an automated system that can process data, thus relying on available secondary data. The attitude of some local health professionals towards research is often times even a harder constraint than funding.”
Despite the country’s increasing focus on research and development through industry-academe linkages, Regional Science & Technology Ambassador for Business Elpidio M. Paras said it still lags behind the so called Tiger Economies of Asia.
Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D in the Triad & China, 2003-2013
For instance, the Philippines latest budget for higher education related to S&T is a mere fraction of what Taiwan spent in 2010 (47.97-million TWD or PhP 70.57-billion).
“I am sorry to compare ourselves to Taiwan, but just 4 decades ago, this nation which has an area smaller than Luzon, was poorer than the Philippines. Today, it is an economic powerhouse ranked among the top 15 countries in the world.”
“Clearly, we need to ask Congress for additional budget; how else can we compete with other countries, when we are not investing as much in Higher Education?” Paras said. “Human resource is one of our greatest assets. Shall we be contented to be just OFWs or call center operators? There is so much talent that is wasted here in this country.”
Unlike their government counterparts in Iligan, the research team of a Cagayan de Oro University utilizes internal funds for its projects.
“We secure our research expenditures from our internal Faculty Development Fund and have not availed of government research funds to date but we are looking at partnerships with some agencies like DOST, the Dept. of Health (DOH) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHeD), said Lesley C. Lubos, vice president for Research, Publication and Extension of Liceo de Cagayan University (LDCU).
Dr. Lesley C. Lubos, Vice President for Research, Publication & Extension, Liceo de Cagayan University
Although Lubos admits depending on internal funds alone is a constraint on what they can do, the support of the university leadership “is enough for us to continue our advocacy especially in health research.”
Just recently, the LDCU team were granted a PhP 1.5-million research fund from DOH for Phase II of previous studies on HIV and Dengue.
“I believe they (i.e., research studies) will be expanded with partnerships with DOH, DOST and CHeD,” he replied when asked about the prospects for the team’s immediate future.
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