Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE SCIENCE FOR PEOPLE 
AND COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAM 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The country has shown great effort toward preparing for the Fourth 
Industrial Revolution. However, the Philippine Institute for Development 
Studies (PIDS) estimates that our 2018 spending for research and 
development (R&D) comprises a paltry 0.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product 
(GDP).  This is way below the international standard of one percent (1%) of 
GDP and below what our ASEAN neighbors have been spending.1  Yet, R&D 
is but a small component of a much more significant factor in a country’s 
development – science and technology. 
To quote US Navy Vice Admiral Herbert A. Browne (Ret.) in Armed 
Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)’s2 SIGNAL 
Newsletter, “(T)here is a significant difference between science and technology 
versus research and development, and government funding should be 
delineated along these lines. Science and technology involves pushing the 
outside of the technology envelope to generate breakthroughs in engineering 
disciplines or even in basic science itself. Research and development is 
focused more on generating an end product that may owe its origins to proven 
science and technology. With these definitions in mind, in these times of 
scarce resources it is better to concentrate funds for government work on 
science and technology.” 3 
1 https://www.pids.gov.ph/press-releases/419 
2 AFCEA is a member-based, non-profit association for professionals that provides highly sought after 
thought leadership, engagement and networking opportunities. It focuses on cyber, command, control, 
communications, computers and intelligence to address national and international security challenges.
3 https://www.afcea.org/content/divide-science-technology-and-research-development 
October 14, 2022
12:45 pm
5561


 
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) endeavors to 
significantly accelerate Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in the 
country through a massive increase in investments on S&T, HRD, and R&D 
over a 5-year period. We must support DOST’s efforts.   
 
While the passage of this important legislation will further boost science 
and technology research necessary for the competitiveness of Philippine 
products and services, it is critical that our people –particularly farmers, 
fisherfolk, domestic entrepreneurs, and the local science community – will be 
the primary beneficiaries of all the knowledge and information generated by 
these initiatives. This bill therefore ensures not just the availability of funds 
but likewise promotes a “Science for People and Competitiveness Program.” 
 
The Science for People and Competitiveness Program (SPCP) consists of 
four (4) components: Program Expansion in 7 areas, New Programs in 6 areas, 
the Grand Plan for S&T Human Resource Development, and the Accelerated 
R&D Program for the Capacity Building of Research and Development 
Institutions and Industrial Competitiveness. 
 
The program needs a substantial budget capturing all the R&D efforts 
- spread over a five-year period - as follows: 
1. Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER) – 3.2 Billion Pesos 
2. R&D Leadership Program (RDLead) – 6 Billion Pesos 
3. Collaborative R&D to Leverage PH Economy (CRADLE) for RDIs 
and Industry – 3.2 Billion Pesos 
4. Business Innovation through S&T (BIST) for Industry – 14.25 
Billion Pesos (25 industry sectors, at PhP50-100M per sector x75) 
5. The S&T HRD (STRAND, STAR, SRCUR) 
 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought.  
 
 
 
 
REP. PM VARGAS   
 
Fifth District, Quezon City 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE SCIENCE FOR PEOPLE 
AND COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAM 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1.  Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Science for People 
and Competitiveness Program (SPCP) Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – Article XIV of the Philippine 
Constitution declares that “the State shall give priority to research and 
development, invention, innovation, and their utilization”.  It shall likewise 
give priority to “science and technology education, training, and services. It 
shall support indigenous, appropriate, and self-reliant scientific and 
technological capabilities, and their application to the country’s productive 
systems and national life.” 
SECTION 3. Objectives. – This law aims to achieve a higher standard of 
science and technology that shall primarily benefit farmers, fisherfolk, local 
entrepreneurs, and the Filipino scientific community; contribute to the 
development of the economy and society; to boost the improvement of the 
welfare of the nation by prescribing the basic policy requirements for the 
promotion of Science and Technology (S&T);  to comprehensively and 
systematically promote policies for the progress of S&T; and to enhance our 
competitiveness and be at par or above with other countries in the field of 
S&T. 
In order to achieve these objectives, the following S&T programs of the 
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) shall be expanded: 
a.
Health Self Sufficiency
1)
Drug discovery and development
2)
Diagnostics development
5561


3) Biomedical engineering 
b. Renewable Energy 
1) Solar; 
2) Ocean; 
3) Wind; 
4) Hydro; 
5) Biomass; 
6) Energy Storage 
c. Nuclear Science for Energy, Health, Agriculture and Industry 
d. Climate and Environment Sciences 
1) Disaster risk reduction; Resilience in different sectors; 
2) Models downscaled to specific locations 
e. Food and Nutrition 
1) Innovative Food Products; 
2) Affordable nutrition intervention; 
3) Focus on first 1000 days of the young 
f. 
Agricultural Productivity 
1) Farm mechanization; 
2) High-yielding varieties; 
3) Novel farming methods; 
4) Disease prevention and control 
g. Biotechnology for Industry, Agriculture, Health and Environment 
h. Technology Business Incubation 
i. 
Foreign scholarships for Science and Technology Information Institute 
(STII) 
j. 
Promotion of Culture of Science 
 
The following new programs shall also be included in the Science for People 
and Competitiveness Program: 
 
a. Human Security Research & Development (R&D). 
b. Strengthening of R&D and S&T Services in the Regions through 
Infrastructure (R&D Centers), facilities, HRD and R&D funding 
 
c. Space Technology and ICT Development 
1) New satellites (Apo, Mayon, and Makiling after Diwata); 
2) Rural communications (digital inclusion) 
d. S&T for Creative Industries, Tourism Industry and Services Industry 
e. Artificial Intelligence: From HRD to &D to Industry. 
 
The whole-of-country approach in policy and decision-making shall be used 
to recognize the valuable input from the government, private sector, and other 
stakeholders in the implementation of the program. 
 
SECTION 4. The Science for People and Competitiveness Program (SPCP) 
and Utilization Policy Framework. - The foundation of the SPCP is 
anchored on the following Research and Development (R&D) Agenda: 
 
4.1 
R&D to Address Pressing Problems 


a. Health Self Sufficiency 
1) Drug discovery and development 
2) Diagnostics development 
3) Biomedical engineering 
4) Early Detection of Disease Outbreak 
5) Malnutrition Reduction Program 
b. Food and Nutrition 
1) Innovative Food Products 
2) Affordable Nutrition Intervention 
3) Focus on First 1000 Days of the Young 
c. Priority Agricultural Commodities (Crops, Livestock, Poultry, 
Marine Resources, Inland Aquatic Resources, etc.) 
1) Reinvigorating the Philippines Coconut Industry through 
Coconut Somatic Embryogenesis Technology (CSET) 
2) Varietal Improvement of Philippine Native Chicken, Ducks 
and Pigs 
3) Varietal Improvement for Important Export Commodities 
4) Disease Prevention and Intervention for Abaca, Banana, 
Coconut and Papaya 
5) Increasing Crop Resilience to Environmental Stresses 
d. Biodiversity and Sustainable Development 
1) Conversation of Select Indigenous Forest Tree Species in 
Forest Reserve 
2) Mangrove Rehabilitation and Management 
3) Coastal Sustainable Development / Ocean-Atmosphere 
Interaction Research Program 
e. Transport and Mobility 
1) Environmentally-sustainable Technology Alternatives for 
Public Utility Vehicles 
2) Intelligent Transport System (ITS) 
3) Small Inter-island Transport 
f. 
National Security 
1) National satellite technology towards: 
(i) Research and development on military communication 
satellites 
(ii) Military navigations 
(iii) Reconnaissance and intelligence gathering 
(iv) Satellite mapping and imaging 
2) ICT infrastructure to strengthen against cybercrimes 
3) Biosecurity 
 
4.2 
R&D for Productivity 
a. Technology Support for Agricultural Productivity 
1) Farm mechanization 
2) Varietal Improvement 
3) Novel farming methods 
4) Disease prevention and control 
b. Technology Support for Industrial/Manufacturing/Mining 
Productivity 


1) Production of Gums, Resins, and Oils from Local Plants 
Using New Technologies 
2) Green Chemistry Products and Technologies 
3) R&D in Support of the Philippines’ Metals Industry 
4) Responsible Mining Technologies and Processes for 
extraction and product development for copper, nickel, 
iron, gold and chromite including Service Facilities for 
Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining 
5) Electronics Products Design and Development 
c. S&T for the Creative industries, Tourism Industry and 
Services Industry 
 
4.3 
R&D to Tap, Manage, and Store Renewable Energy Resources 
a. Renewable Energy Production 
1) Solar 
2) Wind 
3) Hydro 
4) Biomass 
5) Ocean 
b. Energy Storage 
1) Engineering Design, Modeling, Assessment Tools and 
Development of Renewable Energy Systems 
2) Fabrication of Solid State Rechargeable Batteries and 
Super capacitors 
 
4.4 
R&D to Apply New Technologies Across Sectors 
a. Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Genomics, ICT and Nuclear 
Science (for agriculture, industry, energy, health and 
environment) 
b. Artificial Intelligence 
c. Space Technology 
 
4.5 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change 
a. Full implementation of the PAGASA Modernization Law 
b. Improvement 
of 
Weather, 
Climate 
and 
Flood 
Forecasting/Warning and Other Related Activities 
1) Development of 
Flood/Hazard/Resource 
Vulnerability 
Maps 
2) Development of Flood Forecasting Model for Major River 
Basin 
3) Development of Radar Software and Hardware 
4) Development of Tropical Cyclone Forecasting Tools for 
Deterministic or Consensus TC Forecast 
5) Climate Monitoring and Prediction System (CLIMPS) 
6) Severe Weather Forecasting and Warning 
7) Automation of Flood Early Warning System 
8) Advanced Data Collection, Enhancement of Web and 
Dissemination 


c. Technical Advisory Services for Geologic and Geophysical 
Phenomena 
1) Development of Real-Time Physico-chemical Monitoring 
Network 
2) Ground Deformation Monitoring and R&D of Active 
Volcanoes 
3) Fault Finder App 
d.  Disaster Preparedness 
1) Improvement of Weather Prediction and Information for 
Disaster Prevention 
2) Volcano, Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Preparedness 
and Risk Reduction 
3) ReliefOps.Ph – a multi-stage and multi-user decision 
support system for disaster preparedness and response 
4) Municipal Level Risk Assessment and Incident Reporting 
and Visualization 
5) Development of Spatial Models for Comprehensive Land 
Use Planning 
6) Best practices for environmental planning, structural and 
architectural designs and guidelines for residential 
structures and evacuation centers. 
7) Enhancing Cytogenetic Biological Dosimetry Capabilities of 
the Philippines for Nuclear Incident Preparedness 
8) Establishment 
of 
real-time Environmental 
Radiation 
Monitoring System 
9) Emergency Food Development 
10) Emergency Shelter Development 
 
4.6 
Maximized Utilization of R&D through Technology Transfer to benefit 
the country’s Industrial Program  
a. Inter-department Collaborations to roll out new beneficial 
technologies. 
b. Promotion of Commercial Technologies to the Private Industry 
Sector 
c. Community Empowerment through Science and Technology 
(CEST) 
d. Disaster Risk Management 
1) Turnover of Flood/Hazard/Resource Vulnerability Maps to 
LGUs 
2) Deployment of Early Warning Systems in Disasters-Prone 
Areas 
3) Deployment of Weather Monitoring Devices 
 
4.7 
Assistance to the Production Sector 
a. One Lab/Metrology, Calibration and Testing- Networking of 
Laboratories 
b. One Expert – for S&T Services 
c. One Store – to assist in on-line marketing of technology-based 
products 


d. Packaging and Labeling Program 
e. Food Innovation Centers Program 
f. 
Food Safety and Quality Program 
g. Machine and Equipment Development 
h. Technology Assistance to Traditional/Indigenous Industries 
 
4.8 
Upgrading 
of 
Facilities 
and 
Improvement 
of 
S&T 
Services 
(Strengthening of R&D and S&T Services in the Region through 
Infrastructure, facilities, HRD and R&D funding) 
a. Technology Business Incubation Program 
b. Product Development Centers 
c. Materials and Products Testing Facilities 
d. Research Centers in the Regions 
e. Disaster Risk Reduction Facilities 
 
4.9 
Human Resource Development for Science and Technology 
a. Foreign scholarships for PhD Scholars in S&T 
b. PhDs in research 
c. MD/PhD scholarships 
d. Expanded Undergraduate S&T Scholarships for Inclusive 
Development 
e. Expanded Secondary Level Scholarships at Philippines 
Science High School 
f. 
Innovative modalities for the delivery of HR interventions 
g. Promotion of Culture of Science 
h. Science and Technology Education for Ordinary Citizens 
 
4.10 Capacitate and Utilize Institutions in the Regions – SUCs who do 
R&D and Develop Human Resources in S&T 
a. S&T Regional Alliance of Universities for Inclusive National 
Development (STRAND) 
b. Science Teacher Academy for the Regions (STAR) 
c. Strengthening of Research Centers in Universities in the 
Regions 
 
4.11 Collaborate with industry, academic, and international institutions 
a. Industry- Academe-Government Collaboration in R&D (Co-
laboratories) 
b. International S&T Collaborations 
 
SECTION 5. Formulation and Submission of the Science for People and 
Competitiveness Program (SPCP).  – The DOST shall formulate the five (5)-
year Science for People and Competitiveness Program (SPCP) in coordination 
with other relevant government agencies, including State Universities and 
Colleges and representatives from the private sector undertaking R&D.  It 
shall establish clearly measurable outcomes and deliverables on a yearly 
basis to gauge if the program is on-track.  The Secretary of DOST shall submit 
to the President the SPCP for approval within ninety (90) days from the 
effectivity of this Act.  


SECTION 6. Mandatory Adoption of Publicly Funded Technologies by 
National Government Agencies (NGAs) and State Universities and 
Colleges (SUCs). – Mandatory adoption of publicly funded and generated 
technologies whenever feasible and practicable, shall strictly be implemented 
by all government entities or instrumentalities utilizing public funds for any 
purpose. All national government agencies (NGAs), government-owned- and 
controlled corporations (GOCCs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and 
local government agencies (LGUs) performing science and technology 
initiatives are mandated to help develop and implement critical and strategic 
technology development projects and adopt government funded locally 
developed technologies. 
 
For this purpose, all Research and Development (R&D) activities performed 
by NGAs, GOCCs, SUCs and LGUs under their respective mandates shall be 
under control and supervision of the DOST. 
 
The DOST, in consultation with government research institutions and other 
agencies concerned, shall prepare a harmonized national research and 
development agenda for the government covering all major research and 
development programs and projects or those costing Twenty Million Pesos 
(P20,000,000.00) and above. The proposed agenda shall be submitted for 
approval by the NEDA Director General. 
 
The Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda shall be directly 
related to the priorities under the Philippine Development Plan. 
 
The DOST shall submit to the DBM, the Speaker of the House of the 
Representatives, and the President of the Senate of the Philippines, either in 
printed form or by way of electronic document, a copy of the approved 
Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda. The Secretary of 
Science and Technology and the Agency’s web administrator or his/her 
equivalent shall be responsible for ensuring that the approved Harmonized 
National Research and Development Agenda is posted on the Agency’s 
website. 
 
SECTION 7. Science for People and Competitiveness Program Fund 
(SPCPF). – There is hereby created the Science for People and Competitiveness 
Program Fund (SPCP) to be used exclusively for the implementation of the 
projects and activities under the SPCP. The SPCPF shall be administered by 
DOST in accordance with existing government budgeting, accounting, and 
auditing rules and regulations. The SPCP Fund shall be sourced from the 
following: 
 
a. The initial amount of Twenty-One Billion Pesos (P21,000,000,000.00) 
to be taken from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) and other 
utilized funds/ savings from GAA of the preceding year, in case the GAA 
was approval before this law is enacted. The budget for Science for 
People and Competitiveness Program shall be doubled yearly for the 


next four (4) years. Such amount shall be released to the DOST after 
the effectivity of this Act. 
 
b. Income produced by the SPCP. 
 
c. Loans, contributions, grants, bequests, gifts, and donations whether 
from local or foreign sources. Provided, that the acceptance of grants, 
bequests, contributions, and donations from foreign governments shall 
be subject to the approval of the President, upon the recommendation 
of the Secretary of the DOST and Secretary of the Department of Foreign 
Affairs (DFA). The Secretary of DOST, with the approval of the NEDA 
and subsequently the Department of Finance (DOF), is hereby granted 
the authority to enter into loan agreements with foreign financial 
institutions. Said funds obtained from various sources shall be utilized 
for the different components of the program. 
 
SECTION 8.  Appropriations. – The sum of Twenty-One Billion Pesos (P 
21,000,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated as initial operating fund for the 
projects and activities under the SPCP, taken from the current fiscal year’s 
appropriation of the Office of the President. Thereafter, the amount needed 
for the operation of the SPCP shall be included in the General Appropriations 
Act. 
 
SECTION 9. Annual Report. – The DOST shall submit an annual report on 
the implementation of the SPCP to the Office of the President and to the 
Committees on Science and Technology of both Chambers of Congress. 
 
SECTION 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DOST shall 
formulate the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the effective 
implementation of this Act within one hundred eighty (180) days from the 
effectivity of this Act. 
 
SECTION 11. Separability Clause. – Any portion or provision of this Law 
that may be declared unconstitutional or invalid shall not have the effect of 
nullifying other portions or provisions hereof as long as such remaining 
portions or provisions can still subsist and be given effect in their entirety. 
 
SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, proclamations, 
rules, regulations, and other issuances or part thereof which are inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 13. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.  
 
Approved,