The Covid-19 pandemic recently highlighted how important scientific expertise and research is to the success of a country.
The Philippines was fortunate to have many health experts and scientists willing to advise and guide the government in its darkest hour. Building on the efforts of past administrations, the Department of Science and Technology has been increasing its budget for grants and scholarships for Filipino scientists and these same scientists the country trained have shown their worth.
Since I returned in 2008, I have realized how the DOST programs have made it easier for scientists like me to return home and work on research problems of particular relevance to our country. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I found myself along with many other government-trained scientists giving advice and guidance to the Philippine government, which resulted in a successful pandemic response.
One major issue that is a recurring problem is compensation that is at par with developed countries. I am lucky since I am also a physician with a private practice to supplement my income. Most local scientists, however, are paid a fraction of what they would make abroad. To entice scientists to return home or to stay put, it is important that they are paid what they are worth.
Even with improved compensation, there are still many reasons Filipino scientists choose to leave. The lack of proper equipment and laboratory facilities is frequently cited by our scientists as another reason for giving up. The DOST has increased its budget since I got back, and the grants I have received have enabled me to equip a world-class laboratory at the NIH that was immensely useful during the pandemic for RT-PCR testing and genomic sequencing.
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