THE Senate Finance Panel subcommittee L presided over by Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino on Thursday approved the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) budget amounting to P25.6 billion for 2024.
Tolentino officially endorsed the DOST budget to the plenary after almost six hours of interpellation with the 18 attached agencies of DOST.
Among the salient discussion points in the said briefing are the strengthening of DOST’s public communications and the integration of DOST with marine studies especially amid the coral harvesting in the West Philippine Sea.
Further, Tolentino urged DOST to conduct stronger research on agriculture and food security, including development of tamban fish hatcheries, African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine, and nutritious meals for marginalized Filipinos.
