Strengthening Philippine Human Resource

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today called for strengthening the country's human resources and honing Filipino talent and creativity for these are the country,s most bankable assets.

People,s creativity constitutes the basis of our wealth. We must therefore work towards putting Filipino talent and skill in the forefront of national competitiveness, trade and investment for the country," Angara said speaking before executives during the 37TH Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) week celebration.

Angara noted that the Philippines has steadily and consistently declined in competitiveness over the last three years, because of a "lack of strategic human resource development plan, deepened by haphazard national spending on social services and basic infrastructure."

"Over the last three years, our country,s competitiveness has consistently slipped. We are currently the 77th competitive economy out of the 117 countries. This is because of our meager national investment on the education and training," Angara said.

Angara emphasized the need for an inventory of skills and sectors that will generate job opportunities for Filipinos.

"Agribusiness, food processing, electronics, science and technology, cyber services, tourism including medical tourism, seafaring, aviation, education, mining, construction and the creative fields of the performing arts, architecture and design will be the key drivers of our economy. These industries are expected to generate more than 4 million jobs from now until 2010. Massive and concentrated training on these areas will allow us to compete globally" Angara said.

"Unfortunately, our present educational system is not thoroughly geared to produce the necessary manpower to operate these engines," he continued.

Angara together with Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. has filed a Senate joint Resolution to create a Congressional Commission on Science, Engineering and Technology (COMSET) that will undertake an urgent assessment of science and technology, and engineering research and development in both public and private sectors.

The Commission will review the science education system in both public and private schools at all levels, especially graduate education. It will submit its finding and make a master plan for boosting science and technology, and engineering R & D.