Beyond Words : Research – A Vital Element in a Nation’s Progress

by John Nicolas Olitin (Isochore)

Recently, the topic of research has been a controversial issue in the Philippines, when Sen. Cynthia Villar criticized the Department of Agriculture (DA) for concentrating too much on research. During the hearing of the DA’s budget, Sen. Villar gave the following remark in Filipino: "Bakit parang lahat ng inyong budget puro research? Baliw na baliw kayo sa research. Aanhin ninyo ba 'yung research? Ako, matalino akong tao, pero hindi ko maintindihan 'yang research niyo, lalo na 'yung farmer. Gusto ba ng farmer ang research? Hindi ba gusto nila tulungan niyo sila?".

Such a pompous and uninformed remark is unbecoming of an individual of high position, but not entirely expected from someone with no academic background on agriculture.

What exactly is the purpose of research and why is it important to our country?

The value of research

                                                                                                                            

Research is the catalyst in the pursuit of improving the quality of human life, protecting the environment, and developing a nation’s economy. It is the product of man’s curiosity and desire for knowledge. Without research, society will not be able to thrive and keep up with the demands of people. It is observable that the more developed, wealthier countries allocate more resources and budget to the field of research. 

The expenditure on Research and Development (R&D) of a nation reflects the growth of its economy, both for developed and developing countries. Nations that are leaders in terms of technologically advanced products can compete in the international market, and show progress in terms of production levels and quality. For the year 2018, in the United States of America, for example, 2.7% of their national GDP, or 476.5 Billion USD, was allotted for research. In Japan, they allotted 3.4% of their national GDP, or 170.5 Billion USD for research. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, approximately 0.1% of the national GDP, or around 16 Billion Pesos (330 Million USD), was allotted for research and development projects (Desjardins, 2018).

In the last Global Competitiveness Report released last August 8, 2019 by the World Economic Forum, the Philippines dropped to the rank of 64^th overall in terms of global competitiveness, from 56^th in 2018 (Schwab, 2019). In Southeast Asia, the Philippines’ spending on scientific and technological investments is considered as the lowest, as compared to our neighbors like Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, all of which invest around 2% of their GDP.

Sahin (2015) studied 15 countries from 1990-2013 and established a positive correlation between R&D expenditure and economic growth. In another study seeking to establish a relationship between R&D expenditure and economic development conducted by Gumus and Celikay (2015), data gathered from 52 countries from 1996 to 2010 discovered similarly that R&D expenditure has a positive and significant impact on the economy of the countries involved in the long term. However, in developing countries, the effect was observed to be weak in the short term, but stronger in the long run.

Why then is our country not investing more on R&D? First, we must investigate the current situation of R&D in the Philippines.

Research in the Philippines

In the Philippines, much of the R&D efforts have not been sufficient, especially in the field of agriculture and fishery, causing our country to lag behind in terms of technology advancements, and so a country with rich fields and seas such as ours cannot take advantage of the resources that we are blessed with.

(Photo retrieved from IBON Foundation)

Some of the possible reasons why R&D has had little impact in improving the various sectors is the fact that our government from then up to now has provided little support and insufficient funding to our nation’s scientists and research institutions, not even for basic research – the lifeblood of all researches, wherein funding is mostly given to applied research. Corruption persists at different levels of government; politicians in positions of power, ignorant of the benefits that research can provide to the country, unwittingly neglect these institutions in favor of more flashy projects like infrastructure construction and military improvement, among others. This can be seen in how the government allocates funds in the different departments. For Agriculture, 56.8 Billion Pesos has been allotted to the DA, while  just 8.4 Billion Pesos for the Department of Agrarian Reform. Meanwhile, the budget for the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) combined constitute almost 400 Billion Pesos in funding.

This in turn contributes to the reality that a number of scientists and researchers in the Philippines choose to work abroad where their academic intellect will be utilized for the advancement and welfare of foreign nations and people. Scientists who studied abroad do not have the appropriate facilities and resources here in the Philippines, and so they opt to stay abroad to pursue their research – showing that our country is not prepared for their return. Furthermore, despite the vast number of research works being published each year by academic and research institutions, only a few are really given the chance to be applied in real life (Nolasco, 2014).

Yet, not all is bleak for the future of research in the Philippines. Currently, some government institutions – especially the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – and private companies in the Philippines alike have proposed grants and sponsorships for researchers in various fields.

Here are some of the things we need to work on (based on Dar, 2018):

·        Innovations

In the current state of R&D in the country, creativity and entrepreneurship skills are sorely lacking. Innovations in technology are needed to improve the quality of products, and thus, are also needed to penetrate the international market in order to become globally competitive. For this to be achieved, scientists and institutions need to assess and prioritize market potential. That is to say, research outputs should be commercially applicable from small-scale farms and fisheries up to the larger companies.

·        Focus Areas

R&D should be focused on fields that can have a positive impact on poverty reduction and wealth creation. Without such, no real change or improvement will ever be felt by the country. In order for this to be achieved, institutions that can lead R&D efforts are needed, and these are the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). These serve to properly control investments in research, particularly in agriculture, in order to improve efforts in research.

·        Technology Upscaling

This is a method which “incorporates all relevant technologies to create packaged and customized solutions”. It is a complex process that brings with it challenges, and is beyond the traditional set-up of R&D in the Philippines, but it can be developed further by research institutions.

·        Indigenous Knowledge 

There is low morale on indigenous knowledge, a cultural mindset that knowledge could only come from scientists of university institutions, neglecting local knowledge, and that grass root peoples may have some of the best ideas too. Academics and politicians alike should pay greater heed to these valuable systems of knowledge, lest it become extinct. If we are to move forward technologically, we may have to learn a thing or two from the local village experts (Senanayake, 2006).

Lessons learned from past researches

In 1961, UPLB’s very own Dr. Ricardo M. Lantican, a National Scientist, was part of a study that focused on a fungal disease called the Southern corn leaf blight and how they could make corn less susceptible to this particular disease. For the most part, the results of their research went unnoticed, until a decade later when this very same disease spread and damaged the corn industry in the United States. Ultimately, this negligence has wrought billions of dollars in losses, even though it could have been avoided from the very beginning, had the world been paying attention.

Hopefully, we do not commit now the mistake the world did then. Hopefully, we will give due hearing and credit to those who work, day in, day out, in order to improve the quality of life and the standard of living in our country.

References:

Dar, W. (January 2018). Why invest more in R&D. The Manila Times.

Desjardins, J. (December 2018). Visualizing How Much Countries Spend on R&D. Retrieved from visualcapitalist.com.

Gumus, E., & Celikay, F. (2015). R&D Expenditure and Economic Growth: New Empirical Evidence. Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, 9(3), 205–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973801015579753

Nolasco, L. I. (May 2014). Advancing R&D in the Philippines. BusinessWorld Online. Retrieved from bworldonline.com.

Şahin, B. E. (2015). "The Relationship Between R&D Expenditures and Economic Growth: Panel Data Analysis 1990-2013," EY International Congress on Economics II (EYC2015), November 5-6, 2015, Ankara, Turkey 207, Ekonomik Yaklasim Association.

Schwab, K. (2019). The Global Competitiveness Report 2019. World Economic Forum, pp. 478-481.

Senanayake, S.G.J.N. (2006). Indigenous knowledge as a key to sustainable development. Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2. 10.4038/jas.v2i1.8117.