May 20th, 2022
The groundbreaking ceremony for the country’s first region-based Science For Change facility to be run by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was held today in the Legazpi City, Albay, with DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena and House Ways and Means Chair Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd district) as honored guests for the ceremony.
The P115 million facility, the first of its kind anywhere in the regions, will support research and applications of science and technology in industries such as manufacturing and in support services such as packaging.
The facility is also part of the wider Science For Change framework, a series of programs and projects being pursued by the DOST to expand the role of science and technology in the country’s socioeconomic priorities.
In his message during the ceremony, Salceda assured the DOST of his office’s support for funding and maintaining the facility. Salceda was recently reelected to another term in Congress.
“Let me reassure you that my district office will be a staunch supporter of this facility and the entire Science for Change Framework. You will play a part in my district’s programs and projects whenever it is possible to collaborate. Let me reassure you, also, of my support for the Congressional initiatives necessary to fund the programs and projects that this facility will offer,” Salceda said.
Phase 1 of the program is expected to be completed by 2023, and Phase 2 by 2024. The center will feature a training facility, an Advanced Manufacturing Center, a Knowledge-Sharing Facility, and a research, development, and innovation facility for high-value crops.
Salceda says that supporting the facility should be part of a broader national push for science and technology.
“We have successfully pushed for an 18% increase in the R&D sector budget for DOST from 2021 to 2022, but we will need more aggressive increases, by at least 30% every year over the next 5 years, to get to the UNESCO-prescribed threshold before the next administration leaves office,” Salceda said.
Salceda adds that the facility is part if “programs, projects, and activities that have a very practical impact on the economy and society. Such engagement is projected into the future through DOST’s Pagtanaw 2050, or its vision for a science-driven society in 2050.”
During the same message, Salceda also called on the next administration to retain the DOST Secretary.
“I thank the DOST for the trust and recognition it has given me through the years, and I congratulate Secretary Dela Peña for the excellent job. Mr. Secretary, you have been among the most steady and most reliable hands of the Duterte administration. I hope you are renewed [for another term],” Salceda said.
The House tax panel chair, who also serves as a Vice Chair in the House budget committee, was also awarded the DOST’s first HEROES Award during the same day of the groundbreaking.