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It is a case of getting more from less: the Philippines has less money allocated this year for science and technology but has upped its investment on research and development.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) budget for 2010 is P4.8 billion, or less than the P5.7 billion got in 2009.

"But the money for research and development (R&D) has in fact increased," said DOST assistant secretary Mario P. Bravo.

There was a 9 percent decrease of P800 million in the overall budget. But other allocations, including that for R&D, increased by 8 percent, or P273 million, said Bravo, who is in charge for administration, legal and finance.

The focus is on the development of science manpower, especially scholars, scientists and engineers, and for higher education like that for PhDs, which get about P200 million, Bravo told Malaya Business Insight.

The allocations are found in the item Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) that includes grants in aid for R&D and human resource development.

The MOOE, in fact, gets a chunk of the pie, with an allocation of P3.56 billion, or an increase of 8 percent over last year’s. Most of that goes to R&D, said Juan Reyes Jr., director for finance and management.

The second biggest slice goes to salaries: P1.29 billion or 27 percent of the budget. It is followed by capital outlay for equipment, fixtures and so on.

Overall, the largest allocation of P2.5 billion or 42 percent of the budget, goes to the Office of the Secretary which includes regional offices, grants in aid and R&D, said Ely Corpuz, chief of the DOST budget division.

It is followed by service institutes – like the weather bureau and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology – which get P1.637 billion or 34 percent.

Among the DOST agencies, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Development – which concentrates mostly on agriculture – has the highest allocation of P268 million.

It is followed by the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (P91 million) and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (P55.7 million).

The lowest allocation of P35.7 million goes to the Philippine Council on Aquatic and Marine Resources Research and Development.

This year, the commercialization of scientific knowledge and technology diffusion gets P1.05 billion. Technology generation, or R&D, gets P1.545 billion.

Human resource development, including the budget of the Philippine Science High School system, gets P1.2 billion.

Bravo admitted that the Philippines "is far behind" the ideal of allocating 1 percent of its Gross National Product for science and technology as recommended by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

This year, the country is putting about 0.16 percent of its GNP to science and technology.

"That’s why we are concentrating on human resource development, especially in science and math," Bravo pointed out.

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