‘FUND RESEARCH, NET OF THINGS’
We must increase patents in the country as these create new value added to our economy. New value added creates new wealth which leads to reduction of poverty in the country. IKE SENERES Former National Computer Center chair
ICT experts say increasing patents will help PH economy in knowledgebased economy
Government should increase its research grants to universities to help create innovative solutions through information and communications technology (ICT) to ensure that the Internet of Things (IOT) will help the country advance.
Former National Computer Center Chairman Ike Seneres made this call on Saturday in a forum held at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City, saying that growth in researches will lead to the creation of patents that will strengthen the country’s competitiveness in the emerging knowledge-based economy.
“We must increase patents in the country as these create new value added to our economy. New value added creates new wealth which leads to reduction of poverty in the country,” Seneres said.
According to the ICT expert, most of the Philippines’ neighboring countries in Southeast Asia such as Singapore and Ma- laysia have increased their funding on science and technology, which resulted in higher economic development.
“I hope that the government will be able to create a mechanism that will increase funding of the researches of our universities with the end goal of increasing patents,” he added.
He said emerging IOT tech- nology is seen to improve the living standards of Filipinos as it can create innovations in various sectors especially in agriculture, health and transportation.
For instance, farmers can decide on the suitable season and areas to plant crops such as rice and corn through sensors that are capable of providing information about crop yields, rainfall, pest infestation, and soil nutrition that will improve their farming techniques.
Passengers and motorists can also plan their travels through real time mapping of congested roads which may be activated through sensors installed on automobiles with the information presented through their mobile apps.
The former government offi- cial hopes that the Philippines will be able to provide cloudbased services through the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry as it shifts from voice to data.
For his part, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio said the agency aims to provide free internet nationwide through the rollout of at least 15,000 free Wi-Fi zones yearly.
This, as the government pursues the implementation and construction of a new broadband infrastructure that will provide internet capabilities equivalent to those being provided by major telecommunications players in the country. /