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Archives
July 1-31, 2002
Ponce calls on scientists to reflect on their impact in society
by Ma. Rowena S.A. Briones
 The
Batac Science Community (BSC) flocked to the Teatro
Ilocandia of the Mariano Marcos State University to
start the one-week celebration of the National Science
and Technology Week last July 4, 2002 as it also commemorated
its 6th foundation anniversary with Dr. Eliseo R. Ponce,
director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research, as
the keynote speaker. The audience is composed of the
officials, staff, faculty and students of colleges and
universities and agencies in Regions I, II and CAR.
"I would like to invite the science
community to get out from the comforts of the university
and see how our country is faring," Ponce stated.
Indeed, situations such as crisis call not just for
action but also for reflection. Not finding faults but
assessing what has been done and discerning lessons
from them.
"Agriculture is 20 percent of our
gross national product and employs more than 50 percent
of our population but it never gets the attention it
deserves. Our population grows at about 2.3 percent
each year but agriculture's average growth in the last
ten years had remained at two percent. If we compare
our agricultural productivity to that of Indonesia,
Malaysia, Vietnam-our productivity is among the lowest,"
disclosed Ponce.
Questions such as why we do not have enough
food, why poverty incidence worsens and why we don't
have decent opportunities for employment need to be
answered. Ponce is emphatic that scientists should deal
with these issues. "Because the academic community
is supposed to be the voice of reason, it should be
the first one to say that, hey, wait, the country is
in trouble!"
With the BSC in its sixth year of existence,
Ponce challenged them to "ask yourselves your reasons
for existence." BSC facilitates productive scientific
endeavors and maximum interaction through cooperation
and sharing of resources of the member agencies. The
community hopes that through such partnership, they
can help in creating a science and technology culture
among member-agencies in Region I, namely, the Department
of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture,
Mariano Marcos State University, Mariano Marcos Memorial
Medical Center, Cotton Development Authority, National
Tobacco Administration, Philippine Carabao Center, Agricultural
Training Institute, Philippine Rice Research Institute
and the local government units.
The scientists connected with these agencies
hope to accelerate the socio-economic development of
Batac and ultimately, Regions I, and II through the
generation, verification, packaging and dissemination
of technologies and information for promoting agriculture,
health, industry and natural resources development---thus
achieving relevance in the society that they operate
in.
Ponce stressed the importance of assessment
and credibility, " You should excel in your endeavors
so that people will listen to you because you are credible."
He challenged them to assess bravely, even it would
mean realizing the possibility that "BSC has not
gotten any nearer in the excellence that it wants to
achieve."
An instructor from St. Paul University
in Cagayan commented that science communities encounter
difficulties in translating their mission into actions.
He said that what Dr. Ponce stated, does not discourage
them. This is a challenge for them to work harder in
fulfilling their goals.
Dr. Carlos Pascual, director of BSC, in
a response, disclosed that "we will immediately
discuss in our next board meeting the lessons we gleaned
from Dr. Ponce's message."
Achieving our dreams does not only require
courage and boldness. Dr. Ponce urged the scientists,
managers and students present in the celebration to
be willing to "buckle down to work to become useful
in the society we vow to serve." 
July 1-31 2002 Articles: ::
The Philippines is host to 2002 CGIAR AGM
::
RDE networks gear for better resource allocation
::
Ponce calls on scientists to reflect on their impact in society
::
UPLB scientists introduce biological approach to increase yield in veggies
::
Make profits from sea urchin culture
::
Bt corn: the saga continues
::
The exotic dragonfruit: A hot new fruit
::
ERP provides insights on poverty
::: More July 2002 articles :::
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