Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda calls for government leaders to lead in developing an innovation system for the country as she underscored that innovation is more than just scientific inventions but should also be applied in all aspects of governance.
Republic Act No. 11293, or the Philippine Innovation Act she principally authored and co-sponsored, already sets the starting point in recognizing innovation’s role in governance and provides the necessary resources to support innovations that will improve our daily lives.
This provision states that the State should make innovation a primary consideration in developing policies to support inventors and innovate in governance itself. Strict implementation of this law is necessary to achieve a truly functioning and thriving national innovation system.
“Innovation is not intended only for inventors and those who pursued invention as a calling. This act should spell a sea of change in how we do governance,” Legarda explained as she graced the 2023 National Innovation Day with the theme ‘HABI: Huddle, Analyze, Build, Innovate’ last April 28.
Innovation is crucial for the economic growth and development of a country. By providing resources, funding, and incentives for research and development, the government can help scientists and inventors create new products, develop new technologies, and build new systems to make entrepreneurs, farmers, fishermen, and other sectors more globally competitive.
Hence, RA 11293 established the National Innovation Council (NIC), tasked to act in all levels and areas of education, training, research, and development towards promoting innovation and internationalization activities of MSMEs nationwide.
The Philippine Innovation Act also includes a provision for the Innovation Fund to provide financial support for research and development initiatives, technology transfer, and other innovation-related activities.
“Through the Philippine Innovation Act, we hope to elicit invention in all layers of government, bring together the brightest and most innovative minds, and think elastically and out of the box; and in order to do so, we hope to provide an innovation ecosystem that facilitates and supports these risk-taking behaviors,” said Legarda.