Angara proposes measures to reverse ‘brain drain’

Worried over the reported exodus of Filipino scientists and pilots for higher-paying jobs abroad, Sen. Edgardo Angara, head of the Senate Committee on Education, Tuesday urged Filipino scholars and professionals to return to the country and contribute to the local domestic academe and workforce the expertise they gained overseas.

He said it is imperative for the government to hone its own intellectual resources in order for the country to enhance its local science and research capabilities.

“But for this to happen we must offer them a promising career, attractive rewards, and opportunities for growth. Our universities and industries must be quick to absorb them, otherwise they will seek better opportunities abroad and we will lose out on our intellectual capital,” said Angara.

Angara also said he believes that the lack of facilities in research development and higher learning can be addressed by bringing in more experts such as foreign-educated and trained Filipinos to lead the enhancement of the nation’s scientific capability.

At the same time, Angara said the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) should increase partnerships for foreign exchange scholarship programs.

“We ought to extend as much assistance to the concerned education-related agencies. Let’s make our students feel they have the support and commitment of the government,” Angara said.

“Upon completion of their studies, we must provide them venues where they can put their expertise to good use, making sure that we adequately compensate their educational qualifications and international experience,” he said.

For this reason, Congress should pass the Technology Transfer bill which grants Filipino researchers autonomy, as it vests the ownership of intellectual property rights to research institutions that conducted research funded in part or in full by government, and authorizes them to use income from their research to conduct more R&D of its choice, Angara said.

Angara also proposed a seed fund for cutting-edge research, a leapfrog strategy dubbed as “Fast-Track to Innovation.”

The plan is to fund a local research team to pursue cutting edge R&D endeavors with willing Filipino scientists based abroad as the principal investigators of the projects.

Angara added there should also be an advanced studies development program for qualified employees of the government and the private sector that will send them to Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan and Korea for necessary training.

He hopes this would create a critical mass of elite professionals that will lead the country in harnessing science, technology and related disciplines. –HANNAH L. TORREGOZA, Manila Bulletin