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Balik Scientist bill gets bicam panel’s nod

Nelson S. Badilla

In Photo: Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña (center) explains some of the provisions of the proposed Balik Scientist Act before Sen. Paulo Benigno A. Aquino IV (second from right, back to the camera) and Sen. Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay (right, back to the camera) during the recent Bicameral Conference Committee meeting at Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City.

The Balik Scientist Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will finally be institutionalized and strengthened in order to encourage the Filipino scientists who have been working in foreign countries to return to the Philippines so they could participate and contribute to the development of the country.

Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña pointed this out after the Philippine Congress’s Bicameral Conference Committee approved the proposed Balik Scientist Act on March 6.

“It is very crucial to strengthen the Balik Scientist Program of the DOST because we have areas that lack experts. Examples are space technology and artificial intelligence, which are just starting. It is very crucial to have enough human resource in these fields to help us in conducting various research and development projects,” de la Peña said in Filipino in a news release.

De la Peña has been supporting the passage of the bill, since he was a DOST undersecretary some years back.

The proposed Balik Scientist Act, also known as Senate Bill 1533, is expected to become a law by April or May once President Duterte signs it.

“Upon transmittal of all the documents to Malacañang, which will take a few weeks, then, in 30 days, if there is no veto message, we expect that he will sign this and it should be a law by April or May. I don’t see any reason for the President [Duterte] not to approve this law. We all know that he would like to see all greatest Filipino minds to stay in the country to contribute to economic development,” said Sen. Paulo Benigno A. Aquino IV, principal author of the bill in the Senate, as quoted in the news release.

Aquino’s counterpart in the House of Representatives is Rep. Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado of the Second District of Bohol.

The Balik Scientist Program was first established in 1975 when then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree 819. Its importance was given attention in 1993 by then-President Fidel V. Ramos when he issued Executive Order 130.

According to the DOST, it would institutionalize the Balik Scientist Program because it will definitely encourage Filipino scientists to return and contribute to research that will help address development gaps in the Philippines.

The proposed law would give more incentives to returning Filipino experts, scientists, inventors and engineers.

One of its salient points is that a returning scientist who will work for DOST’s projects will enjoy various compensations that include tax and duty exemptions to importation of professional equipment and materials, free medical and accident insurance covering the award period, reimbursement of expenses for baggage related to scientific projects and even exemption from “renouncing their oath of allegiance to the country where they took the oath.”

The scientists would also have an opportunity to participate in DOST’s Grants-in-Aid research and development.

The grant may be provided to the scientist and released through the host institution for the implementation of the project in accordance with relevant government regulations and the need of the program involved.

The benefits that the returning scientists will get also incude special working and nonworking visas, a round-trip airfare from a foreign country to the Philippines, exemption from local travel tax and DOST-subsidized visa application.

Another benefit the returning Filipino scientists will enjoy include relocation benefits—such as support in securing job opportunities for the spouse of the awardee and admission support for the children of awardees in preferred schools, relocation allowance and monthly housing or accommodation allowance, and funding for the establishment and development of a facility or laboratory as stipulated in the propose law.

At the same time, the proposed law said a nonbachelor’s degree graduate but with extensive experience in important fields can also be considered a Balik Scientist, therefore, can apply for the program.

On top of that, it will give priority to scientists who have expertise in the fields of space, technology, artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, energy agriculture and food technology, biotechnology, information and communications technology, pharmaceutical, disaster mitigation and management, environment and natural resources, electronics, genomics, health, manufacturing, nanotechnology, cyber security and semiconductors, as all of these fields are very important to the country, in general.

Aquino said, “Institutionalizing the Balik Scientist Program of DOST is one way of showing that we recognize the importance of our scientists and engineers abroad, especially on how their knowledge, expertise and experience could help a lot in order to address some of the pressing problems of different areas in the country, particularly in the urban part.”

Rep. Joey S. Salceda of the Second District of Albay told the BusinessMirror on March 12 that the Balik-Scientist Act will “encourage Filipino scientists and technologists abroad to come home, share their expertise and help speed up the country’s development in exchange for a package of benefits that is globally competitive.”

Salceda also pointed out that the proposed law would trigger the flow of modern technologies in various fields in the country.

Philippines-Australia project explores soil management strategies to increase vegetable productivity in southern Philippines

Ma. Nova R. Nguyen, DOST-PCAARRD S&T Media Service

The midterm review for the project, “Soil and nutrient management strategies for sustainable vegetable production in southern Philippines” was attended by representatives from the different agencies. Ma. Nova Nguyen (leftmost) and Maria Teresa de Guzman (second from the left) represented DOST-PCAARRD during the activity. (Image credit: Crops Research Division, DOST-PCAARRD)

Vegetable productivity in most parts of southern Philippines is hampered by low nutrient availability in the soil. Overapplication of mineral fertilizers and application of unbalanced nutrients are also major concerns in vegetable production. These fertilizer use practices take a large share of the total cost of production inputs.

A project has been addressing these concerns through research activities that have been ongoing since 2014.

Titled, “Soil and nutrient management strategies for sustainable vegetable production in southern Philippines,” the project compares the productive capacity, soil fertility, and economics of conventional, organic, and protected vegetable production systems in southern Philippines. Initiatives are also in place to identify key soil and nutritional constraints to vegetable production.

The project is funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and co-monitored by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD).

The project is being implemented by researchers from the Visayas State University (VSU), Bureau of Soils and Water Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, and Landcare Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. in partnership with the University of Queensland and Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It is focused on priority areas of Leyte, Northern Mindanao, and Bohol and selected vegetable crops including tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, squash, and cabbage.

The project has identified the optimal rates of nitrogen that can be applied in peppers and eggplant for conventional production. In the organic production system, it has also determined the optimal rates of chicken dung that can be applied, with eggplant as test species. These findings will aid in assessing the economics of organic and conventional vegetable production systems and will contribute in maximizing yield.

Changes in soil fertility under conventional, protected cropping, and organic systems are also being observed. Nutrient schedules (budgets) along with nitrogen and phosphorus levels in conventional and protected cropping systems are being compared in experiments. Findings will be used to develop improved and targeted site-specific nutrient management strategies.

Through the project, key constraints in vegetable production systems have also been identified through surveys in Leyte, Claveria, Bukidnon, Bohol, and Samar. Interviews with 91 vegetable farmers from said areas confirmed that poor soil fertility is perceived as a major constraint and main driver in overapplication of fertilizers which unnecessarily raises input cost.

As part of the project’s capacity building efforts, ten Filipino project team members were trained in Australia. The training included laboratory-based studies and covered field experimental sites, commercial farming operations, and landscape production issues. Twenty-five farmer-cooperators from Samar, Leyte, and Bohol also underwent a training on “Soil fertility assessment for improved crop nutrient management in vegetable production,” which was led by Landcare Foundation Philippines, Inc. in partnership with Visayas State University (VSU).

The team seeks to develop, publish, and disseminate soil and nutrient management strategies and materials for profitable smallholder vegetable production by the end of its implementation in 2018.

These efforts, among many others, are expected to contribute in reducing input costs of farmers and increasing crop yield.

Project activities are aligned with the main goal of the program, “ACIAR-PCAARRD Horticulture Program on Fruits and Vegetables Phase 2,” to improve food security and livelihood of farmers in southern Philippines, with the soils project being one of its ten components.

Planetarium, observatory eyed in El Salvador

Jo An Sablad

A PLANETARIUM and observatory will soon rise in Molugan, El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental. Provincial Information Officer Nicole Managbanag said the construction of the half-hectare planetarium and observatory, which will be erected beside the Pagasa weather station, will push through this year as the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration-Department of Science and Technology (Pagasa-DOST) has allotted P50 million for the construction of the said building. Managbanag said only minor problems, such as the processing of clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, possible flooding in the area, and negotiation with the residents who will be affected by the project, need to be addressed and these will be solved soon as the Pagasa-DOST has requested help from the Provincial Government. In response to the request, Managbanag said Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano will be creating a technical team to look over the project's problems. "Lalagyan pa yan ng mga mangrove bed sa shore side kasi malapit man yung Pagasa sa shore area so lagyan ng mangrove bed para hindi na sya mag cause ng flood in the future (A mangrove bed also will be placed in the shore side since the Pagasa weather station is located near the shore to avoid possible flooding in the future)," Managbanag added.

The provincial information officer also said that they are expecting a huge economic improvement in El Salvador as soon as the planetarium and observatory in the said city is finished as it will generate an influx of both local and foreign tourists and businessmen. "Local employment for the locals in El Salvador, economic activities mag grow yan like mga souvenir items, restaurants, yung nasa five regions sa Mindanao, hindi na kailangang pumunta sa Luzon or Visayas para mag educational tour, so dito na sila magpunta para dyan (will grow like having souvenir items, restaurants, and people from the five regions in Mindanao doesn't need to go to Luzon and Visayas for an educational tour anymore as it can be done here in Mindanao)," Managbanag said. At present, the Philippines has planetariums in Museum of Space History in Manila, and in Philippine Science High School in Iloilo. The planetarium in El Salvador will be the first in Mindanao.