‘Youth must be encouraged to take science, technology’

Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged global parliamentarians yesterday to encourage the youth to go into science and technology to attain peace and address the growing need for innovation.

She told the 139th International Parliamentary Union (IPU) general assembly in Geneva, Switzerland that for the world to achieve peace and cope in the age of innovation and technology, young people must be encouraged to take science and engineering courses.

Arroyo, who heads the Philippine delegation to the IPU assembly, said parliaments and parliamentarians throughout the world should “provide the budget to encourage more youth to pursue scientific and engineering studies.”

The delegation includes Sens. Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto and Panfilo Lacson and Reps. Rodante Marcoleta, Greg Gasataya, Federico Sandoval, Ron Salo, Ma. Theresa Collantes and Karlo Alexei Nograles.

IPU is a global organization of parliamentarians from 178 member-states. Its annual general assembly brings together noted parliamentarians from memberstates to promote and address democracy, equality, development and peace in their own countries and at international level. This year’s assembly theme is “Parliamentary Leadership in Promoting Peace and Development in the Age of Innovation and Technology.”

Arroyo recalled that in 2007, when she was president, Congress provided a P4.9-billion budget for a program called engineering research and development for technology (ERDT), which aimed to develop a critical mass of MS and PhD graduates in engineering, specifically through a highly specialized academic research program.

It was jointly implemented with seven Philippine universities in a consortium arrangement to better facilitate the production of future engineers needed for industrial growth, she said.