SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez has showcased before the international community the country’s progress in the areas of science, technology and innovation under the leadership of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.
Speaking at the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday (Switzerland time) the leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives said the President and Congress have been taking steps to promote science, technology, and innovation to sustain the nation’s development.
In line with the legislative priorities of the President, Speaker Romualdez said 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 said the council, chaired by the President, administers a 10-year policy vision, goals, and strategies, collectively referred to as the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document.
The document contains the Philippines’ vision and long-term goals for innovation and a road map of the strategies 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,” he said.
The House leader, who heads the Philippine delegation to the IPU Assembly, informed his fellow lawmakers and parliamentarians from all over the world that the Philippine Congress, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, has enacted several measures to improve innovation governance in the country.
He specifically mentioned three laws: Republic Act No. 11293, also known as the “Philippine Innovation Act;” Republic Act No. 11927, or the “Philippine Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act;” and Republic Act No. 10055, or the “Technology Transfer Act of 2009.”
Speaker Romualdez said the initiatives taken by the President and measures enacted by Congress have “borne dividends for our country.”
He said in the 2024 Global Innovation Index of the World Property Organization, which measures the innovation-based performance of 130-plus economies, the Philippines rose in the ranking from 59th in 2023 to 56th place this year.
In the same report, the Philippines was recognized as one of the decade’s top innovation performers, having achieved its highest rank at 50th place in 2020 during the global pandemic, he said.
He explained the laws he mentioned to enhance science, technology and innovation.
