Press Release
January 18, 2008

STI WILL CREATE FUTURE GLOBAL WEALTH -- ANGARA
Calls for greater focus on biotech and ICT in RP

"Innovate for economic growth."

Speaking at the 6th Jaime V. Ongpin lecture series, Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on government, policymakers, universities, R&D institutes and industries to ride the wave of global scientific and technological innovations for economic growth and poverty reduction.

"Countries that have spurred technological innovations have identified fields where they can accelerate and scale up processes that transform ideas to products," said the Senator, chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology. "This presents us an opportunity to find which innovation gives us the biggest economic return."

Echoing the forecast by James Canton, a world-renowned futurist, the Senator identified biotechnology, ICT, nanatoechnology and neurotechnology as the four areas of radical innovation "that will change the way people live and will be the source of a huge chunk of the global wealth in the next decades."

Further, the Senator, former UP President pointed out that for a developing country like the Philippines , efforts must be directed towards biotechnology and ICT since these areas "have the greatest potential for improving the quality of lives and well-being of people."

"An agricultural country like the Philippines will greatly benefit from biotechnology in agriculture and food by increasing production and productivity and improving the quality of products," the Senator emphasized. He added that this supports recent World Bank calls for a dynamic agricultural development agenda to lift the close to 1 billion people across the globe from poverty.

On the other hand, utilizing ICT for education and development "will widen access to knowledge and increase opportunities and income of the country."

"Bio-IT-Nano-Neuro is dramatically changing our lives - individually and collectively. Now is the time for our country to forge ahead in these new, exciting and dynamic ventures, move ahead and meet the challenges of a global economy."

Angara authored many of the country's education reform laws including the Free High School Act, CHED, TESDA, Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Edcuation (GASTPE).

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