The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said that in order to attain the AmBisyon Natin 2040, the government needs to continuously innovate and make its systems more resilient against future crises through foresight planning.
“Today’s event is crucial as it demonstrates our resolve to chart a better future through foresight planning. The PAGTANAW 2050 highlights the efforts of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the National Academy of Science and Technology to provide an outlook of the possible development scenarios that could influence Filipino aspirations in the next 30 years,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said during the turnover ceremony of the PAGTANAW 2050 on November 22, 2021.
Chua said that several nations such as Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan have already adopted foresight into their Science, Technology, and Innovation, or STI planning, and institutionalized this concept in their policy-making process.
According to Chua, these countries recognize the need for innovative products and their underlying drivers, such as blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing.
“Following the experiences of other countries, we also aspire to improve our Global Innovation Index ranking by encouraging more research, development, and adaptation of new technologies,” Chua said.
Chua also said that PAGTANAW 2050 will complement the National Innovation Strategy, a 10-year foresight plan that aims to weave and harmonize existing policies and strategies with the evolving innovation ecosystem. These strategies will be monitored by the newly established National Innovation Council (NIC), the highest innovation policy-making body in the country.
Recognizing the role of innovation in the country’s long-term development, Chua said that NEDA is gearing up for the full implementation of the Philippine Innovation Act. As vice-chair of the NIC, NEDA has established a full-time innovation staff group and will prioritize innovation as one of the key themes of the next Philippine Development Plan.
“The Philippines will soon be an upper-middle-income country in one or two years, and a high-income country over the next generation. What will underpin and sustain this growth is innovation. […] We look forward to working with the DOST and our partners in transforming the Philippines through the new lens of strategic foresight planning,” Chua affirmed. -rir
