‘We are now listening,’ Marcos says on climate change, science and technology research

Recognizing the role of science and technology in addressing the many problems faced by the country and its government, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the Philippines must rely on science to find solutions to its problems.

Speaking at the 8th annual Balik Scientist Program Convention on Friday, October 14, Marcos said the pandemic has proven that “it is science that will provide for us the answers to the future.”

He said the pandemic also prompted leaders to now listen to what scientists say about long-standing global concerns like climate change.

“We have been confronted by a pandemic that again look to science for solutions, for vaccines for protocols, for strategies, for technologies that would help us out of that particular problem,” he said.

“I think we have come to learn better and better. We have learned the lesson better and better, that we must look to science, we must look to raw data, we must look to actual results, we must look to the scientific method for the answers that we are searching for,” he added.

Marcos stressed that climate change “is now the primordial problem, of not only the Philippines but of the entire world.”

“And again, it has been something that scientists have been warning us about for decades, except we chose not to listen,” he said.

“We are listening now, and that’s why we look again on this very important aspect because climate change, as you well know, affects every single part — every single part of governance,” he further said.

The Chief Executive pointed out that for every plan the government makes, it must take climate change into account.

He highlighted that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) holds a critical role in addressing the perennial issues in the country through research and development initiatives.

He told the department to continue to strengthen the implementation of the Balik Scientist Program and find ways to provide more incentives to encourage more Filipino scientists to come back to the country and share their expertise.

“It is my hope that you will sustain and augment the short-, medium-, and long-term benefits for our Balik Scientists and their families provided for under the law and beyond. These benefits do include allowances, education assistance for their minor children, participation in grants-in-aid projects, amongst many others,” he said.

Marcos also urged the DOST to develop more initiatives to inspire young people to pursue scientific and technological courses, citing that the country does “not do very well” in this field.

“Let us turn that around. And the Balik Scientist Program will have a very important part to play because we can always present to our young people, our young students, look at this Filipino who has made a name for themself and who has done a lot of good work, and his or her good work has helped very, very many people, you can do this too,” he said.

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