Tuesday, 19 April 2011 08:19
In a consultation conducted by the House Committees on Science and Technology and Government Reorganization at the DOST office in the Cordillera Autonomous Region in Benguet on House Bill 3102, Regional Director Ben Ladilad agreed that with more personnel and better logistical support, the PSTOs can provide better and improved support for rural enterprises and generate more jobs and additional income to rural families.
"It is high time that we give priority to science and technology. And one way of doing it is to strengthen the DOST/PSTOs by establishing provincial and assistant regional directors," Ladilad told Rep. Mariano Piamonte (Party-list, A Teacher), head of the consultation team and a Vice Chairman of the Science and Technology panel.
At present, the PSTOs are the main institutional unit of the DOST disseminating and transferring information and technologies and giving technological support services in the rural areas. Each PSTO, however, has an average of two personnel. They are sometimes augmented by additional personnel from local government units (LGUs).
Rep. Angelo B. Palmones (Party-list, AGHAM) authored HB 3102 to augment the manpower of DOST regional and provincial offices.
Piamonte said many developed countries give priority to science and technology because they have long been reaping and enjoying the enormous economic benefits of Science & Technology application.
"Unless we give attention to the advancement of science and technology and research and development, we will continue to lag behind even other ASEAN countries," Piamonte said.
On the other hand, Palmones said the sincerity and commitment of the DOST personnel to push science and technology programs to improve economic productivity in the countryside is very evident. But implementation of projects is very limited with only two personnel per province carrying out the tasks of technology transfer, science education and promotion and industry services and consultation, according to him.
Palmones explained that HB 3102 aims to strengthen the DOST's technology transfer program, particularly its support for micro, small and medium enterprises. The measure will strengthen the PSTOs that serve as the frontline units in the delivery of technical support in the rural areas, Palmones said.
He noted that in 2003, the DOST launched a national technology transfer program dubbed as Small and Medium Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SET-UP), in support of micro, small and medium enterprises with the main purpose of providing technological assistance to existing enterprises, acquire needed technologies to improve their operations, increase productivity, or reduce production cost of all three.
The program, Palmones said, is assisting enterprises in food, furniture, gifts, toys, housewares, marine and aquatic products, horticulture, and metals and engineering and the main implementers of the SET-UP are the regional offices through the PSTOs.
source: www.congress.gov.ph
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