Ordinance that seeks to establish ‘research and development fund’ for students passed

NAGA CITY --- The Sangguniang Panlungsod here has enacted on November 12, this year, the ordinance that establishes a fund which allows the city government to extend financial support to students who are involved in research and development.

City Councilor Joselito S.A. del Rosario, who authored Ordinance 2019-090, said that with the enactment of the measure more partnerships will be built and strengthened between the city government and educational institutions.

Co-authored by 11 city councilors, the ordinance, Del Rosario said, will help boost the linkages of the two sectors in the generation of technologies needed to accelerate knowledge-based economy aside from empowering the academe, specifically the students and their schools and other research enthusiasts who need to realize their academic pursuits.

The city councilor also underscored the need for such ordinance that will allow the city to benefit from the gains that research and development undertaken by the academe may bring.

“In fact, numerous government agencies like the Department of Science and Technology, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and other private entities are offering grants-in-aid and funding support to research and development which contribute much in harnessing the country’s scientific and technological capabilities that led to spur and attain sustainable economic growth and development,” he said.

Del Rosario expressed elation over the feat achieved by 3 students of Camarines Sur National High School by winning in an international competition held in the United States. The three were internationally recognized by naming 3 minor planets in their honor, such as these planets will be named as Eugene Rivera, Joscel Kent Manzanero and Keith Russel Cadores, respectively.

“Those three student-scientists from CSNHS, as I remember, once asked for our assistance to help fund their research. To be frank, some of us were hesitant to help because we did not know whether their research will be worth our support,” Del Rosario said.

He said that the passing and approval of the proposed measure would provide the city government with the necessary guidelines that will systematically and carefully allow the LGU to grant support to student-researchers.

(Please refer to pages 11-14 of this issue for the full-length publication of the ordinance. -Editor)