Collaboration between the different branches of government has resulted in the country’s progress in the areas of science, technology, and innovation under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said at the opening session of the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

Romualdez said the President and Congress took steps to promote science, technology, and innovation to sustain the nation’s development.

The IPU conference is focused on the theme “Harnessing Science, Technology and Innovation for a More Peaceful and Sustainable Future.”

“In line with the legislative priorities of the President, the National Innovation Council was created to ensure that innovation is embedded as a key priority in our country’s pathway to socio-economic development,” he told his peers from all over the world.

He said the council, which Marcos chairs, administers a 10-year policy vision, goals, and strategies, collectively called the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document.

The document, he pointed out, contains the Philippines’ vision and long-term goals for innovation and a road map for improving innovation governance, deepening and accelerating innovation efforts, and integrating and fostering public-private partnerships, mindful of the policy of “leaving no Filipino behind.”

Building up governance

Romualdez said Congress, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, has also enacted several measures to improve innovation governance in the country, including Republic Act 11293, or the Philippine Innovation Act; RA 11927, the Philippine Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act; and RA 10055, the Technology Transfer Act of 2009.

The Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act aims to address gaps in digital technology and skills by providing programs that equip Filipinos with the necessary competencies for the global labor market.

Support for country’s future

The law ensures support for the digital workforce through co-working facilities and loans with concessional terms. It also allows public-private partnerships to plan and implement training, skills development, and certification programs for digital careers.

The Technology Transfer Act, meanwhile, seeks to promote and facilitate the transfer and commercialization of intellectual property, technology, and knowledge resulting from research and development programs funded by the government for the benefit of the economy.

Under the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan, the government underlined the importance of innovation in achieving deep socioeconomic transformation, Romualdez said.