Duterte signs Balik Scientist law
established in 1975 through Presidential Decree No. 819
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte signed
into law a measure providing incentives and assistance to
returning Filipino experts, scientists, inventors, and
engineers.
Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11035 or the Balik
Scientist Act, after the Senate and the House of
Representatives ratified the final version in March.
Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, principal sponsor and
author of the measure, welcomed the passage of the law,
saying it would also address the country's lack of scientists.
"Matutugunan din ng batas na ito ang kakulangan ng bansa
sa scientists, upang makasabay na tayo sa ating mga
kapitbahay sa Asya na mas marami ang nagtatrabaho sa
research and development," Aquino said in a statement on
Thursday, June 21.
(This law will address the lack of scientists in the country,
so we can catch up with our Asian neighbors, which has
more people working for research and development.)
During the Senate hearings, it was discovered that the
country has only 189 scientists per million, when the ideal
ratio is 380 scientists per million.
Aquino pointed out that the Philippines trails South Korea
and the United States, which have 5,300 and 3,500
scientists per million, respectively. Malaysia, for its part,
has 2,000 scientists per million. (READ: 5 things to make
PH a better place for scientists)
Key provisions
Under the law, the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST) will be the main implementing agency.
According to the DOST, a returning scientist can enjoy
various forms of compensation, such as:
 tax and duty exemptions in the importation of
professional equipment and materials
 free medical and accident insurance covering the
award period
 reimbursement of expenses for baggage related to
scientific projects
 exemption from "renouncing their oath of
allegiance to the country where they took the oath"
 participation in the DOST's Grants-in-Aid research
and development
 special working and non-working visas and
DOST-subsidized visa application
 round-trip airfare from a foreign country to the
Philippines
 exemption from local travel tax
They can also avail of relocation benefits, such as support
in securing job opportunities for the spouse and in
admitting children into preferred schools, monthly housing
or accommodation allowance, and funding for the
establishment and development of a facility or laboratory.
Science and Technology Assistant Secretary Teodoro
Gatchalian earlier said that the current funding for the Balik
Scientist program would increase significantly with the
law's passage. The DOST had a budget of P25 million for
the program in 2017. (READ: Making policy decisions on
the Philippine scientific enterprise system)
The Balik Scientist program under the DOST was first
under the administration of former president Ferdinand
Marcos. But it was only implemented until 1986.
PH lacks 19,000 scientists in research and dev't – Bam
Aquino
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines needs 19,000
more scientists to be a significant force in research and
development, Senator Paulo Benigno "Bam" Aquino said
on Saturday, May 13.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (Unesco) suggests a ratio of 380 scientists per
every million population.
During a hearing on Senate Bill No. 175 or "Balik Scientist
Bill", it was discovered that the country only has 189
scientists per million, far from the ideal figure. There are
about 110 million Filipinos based on the latest census.
(READ: Can the Philippines produce its own Einsteins?)
“Paano tayo makakasabay sa ibang bansa pagdating sa
research at development kung kulang tayo ng 19,000
scientists?” asked Aquino, author of the bill and the current
chair of the Senate committee on science and technology.
(How do we keep up with other countries in terms of
research and development if we lack 19,000 scientists?)
The Balik Scientist Bill seeks to institutionalize the
program of the Department of Science and Technology.
The program provides overseas Filipino scientists with
financial benefits and incentives to encourage them to
return and contribute to research that will address
development gaps in the country.
“Sa tulong ng panukalang ito, mahihikayat natin ang mga
Filipino scientist sa ibang bansa na bumalik sa Pilipinas at
tumulong sa pagpapaunlad ng ating research and
development,” Aquino said. (With the help of this measure,
we can encourage Filipino scientists abroad to return to the
Philippines and help boost research and development.)
The Balik Scientist program is among the priority measures
of the Senate committee on science and technology.
Data from the Senate committe shows that the country
pales in comparison with other countries in terms of the
number of scientists in the government and private sector.
According to the committee, South Korea and the US have
5,300 and 3,500 scientists per million, respectively. In
Southeast Asia, Malaysia has 2,000 scientists per million –
way higher than the Philippines' 189 per million.
A 2015 report from UNESCO Institute for Statistics shows
that among 157 countries, Israel has the biggest number of
scientists per million population at 8,300. In Asia, South
Korea is tops with 6,900 scientists per million as of 2015.
Meanwhile, Singapore and Malaysia each have 6,700 and
2,100, respectively. They are the top two countries in
Southeast Asia with scientists.