Every nation endeavors and desires to attain development and in the end progress.

Development may mean differently to many, but to countries, it may simply mean becoming an

industrialized country. Development may mean, the eradication of poverty, the reduction of

inequality and the acceleration of economic growth. It is a multi- dimensional process that

involves reorganization and reorientation of the economic and social system of the country.

The driving force behind the success of our Asian neighbors China, India, and Thailand

is Science and Technology. These countries are fully aware of emerging trends in biotechnology,

Information and Communication Technology (ICT), nanotechnology and neurotechnology and

how to use these fields to contribute to economic growth. Other factors responsible for our Asian

neighbors economic success are government investment in public goods and services such as

roads, clean water, health and education; support for small and medium-scale enterprises; support

for higher education institutions, science and engineering sectors, and industry and trade

associations; inter-institutional linkages between universities, industries, government agencies and

non-government organizations; and good governance.

The development of Science and Technology in the country is slow and poor. For progress

to be attained, there are several fields that I believe the government should focus to for nation

building.

Medical and Health Science

Healthcare is under the Department of Health (DOH). This government office is

responsible for organizing public healthcare and making sure that all Filipino citizens have access

to quality health services. This office is also responsible for supervising and funding researches

pertaining to new medicines and medical devices. The DOH has recently implemented
the Philippines eHealth Strategic Framework and Plan (2013-2017). This focuses on the

application of Information and Communications Technologies for healthcare. It draws up a long-

term strategic plan for the development and implementation of eHealth services in the Philippines.

It looks into realizing a national electronic public-health information systems, if this is reached, it

can greatly improve the surveillance and response to health emergencies. It can also impact

researches of epidemiological nature, greatly speeding up the process as sampling would be very

convenient already. Another program recently started by the DOH is the Universal Health Care

high Impact Five (UHC-Hi-5), which focuses on the regional operations and its convergence in

high priority poverty program areas.

Agriculture and Aquaculture

Agriculture is the field in science wherein it concerns with the different techniques of land

cultivation, crop and livestock raising, or otherwise, farming. The Department of Agriculture

(Philippines) (DA) is a government agency responsible for the development of the Philippine's

agriculture by generating policies, investments, and support services which are significant in the

local and export-oriented trade. The focus for improvement would be to generate more

opportunities of employments and increased income for the farmers which would encourage

participation from them. Development of the agricultural sector is critical in maintaining an

affordable price for food especially for the poor which, then, could be translated to inclusive

growth and poverty reduction.

Developments regarding the research and technology of Philippine agriculture are

currently in the works. Most of the researches are inclined in solving the problem of increasing

hunger in the country by creating a more efficient and cheaper process of yielding produce. The

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international research consortium, including the
Philippines, which serves to improve the rice production and quality through biotechnology and

research.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Is a government office responsible

for the coordination and funding of different researches by Filipino scientists and inventors, which

can potentially help the progress of science and technology in the Philippines. There are different

agencies under DOST which cater to specialized fields, these are the Philippine Atmospheric,

Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Philippine Institute of

Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic,

and Natural Resources Research Development (PCAARRD).

Substantial investments in science, technology and research are in fact what underlie the

dynamic strides made by the East Asian miracle economies (Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong

Kong). A pattern followed by the Philippines Asean co-founding members Singapore, Malaysia,

Thailand, and Indonesia. It is common knowledge that the Philippines (PH) has been a laggard in

East and Southeast Asia in economic development and poverty reduction. This is often attributed

to many factors such as bad governance, corruption, political instability, social inequality, poor

infrastructure, and unfavorable investment climate. Hardly any mention is made of the countrys

neglect of science, technology, and R&D over the past several decades as a major factor as well.

Such neglect continues to erode the countrys international competitiveness in trade and

investment besides education and health services. The upshot has been a vicious circle of scant

technological innovation, eroding competitiveness, weak economic growth, middling investment

in S&T/R&D, and so on, with the economy largely stuck in a low-level equilibrium. It is time for

the country to seriously recognize and resolutely deal with its scientific and technological

shortcomings as there is no turning back from globalization. Indeed, the urgency is further
underscored with the Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration set to be in full force by

end-2015. As early as 2010, in fact, nearly all of the committed import tariff reductions to between

zero and five per cent were already in effect among member countries. This means that come 2016

all goods, capital and labor (including high-level human resources) can flow unimpeded across

national borders within AEC. Simply put, Aseans 10 member countries will become a single

market and production base. The ultimate aim of countries vis--vis globalization is typically to

maximize the gains from it while minimizing the unavoidable costs. Our country needs to

appreciably ramp up investment spending in science, technology and R&D (or knowledge

capability building [KCB]). If this is achieved along with the countrys other ongoing policy and

institutional reforms, the economy would in time be on a stronger platform to face up to AEC

challenges.

http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Role-of-Science-and-

Technology-in-Economic-Development_rev_30June-2014-01-1.pdf

http://www.ateneo.edu/angara-filipinos-create-our-future-through-science-technology-

and-innovation