‘pagbangon at pananaig’: research council’s meet to address pandemic woes

‘RECOVERY and rebuilding ought to be the focus of local research efforts in the pandemic’s wake,” said Dr. Gregorio e. H. del Pilar, president of national Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP).

the NRCP Governing Board set “Pagbangon at Pananaig: national Recovery and Rebuilding” as the theme for the council’s online Annual scientific Conference and 88th General membership Assembly on march 10, an NRCP news release said.

the second virtual general assembly by the premier collegial body since 2020 will convene its membership dispersed across the 17 Philippine regions, composed of nearly 5,000 seasoned and young researchers and artists, along with local and foreign practitioners in science and technology, and research.

Del Pilar pointed out that it is not enough to address recovery from the overwhelming effects of the pandemic alone (pagbangon).

He said the country needs rebuilding through the many lessons and various strides already attained by Filipinos (pananaig).

He cited the resource efficiency and convenience of online meetings, now a daily routine of Filipinos, as an example of one such positive attainment.

Pre-pandemic meetings were beset with issues—such as nonattendance, heavy traffic, lost time, and food costs or wastage, del Pilar noted.

Leading Filipino anthropologist and Academician, emeritus Prof. michael Lim tan, will deliver a plenary presentation tackling how “pagbangon at pananaig” can be realized.

Department of Finance Undersecretary and Chief economist Gil s. Beltran will deliver the conference keynote message.

top Department of science and echnology officials, secretary Fortunato de la Pena and research and development Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara will also deliver presentations.

the conference features parallel sessions on the essential aspects and lenses on national recovery and rebuilding by some of the country’s most notable experts-researchers, NRCP said. these are in:

▪ Reviving the Philippine economy and sustaining Growth

▪ Bridging science, Politics and People in Research

▪ securing the Country from Pandemic and Other Disruptions

▪ Interdisciplinary Research for Public Policy: Development for the Countryside

▪ Arts and Human expressions in Policy studies

the council aims to produce recommendations for policy and insights to help reorient researchers toward the goal of contributing to national recovery and rebuilding.

the council will also hold its first-ever virtual poster exhibit and competition, and name seven NRCP Achievement Awardees for 2020 from various scholarly disciplines and fields, along with two senior NRCP members being conferred the NRCP member emeritus distinction.

Another highlight of the conference is the revealing of the commissioned sculpture masterpiece by artist manolo sicat dedicated to the Filipino researcher.

A membership Business meeting, to be led by del Pilar, will follow the plenary and parallel sessions, while an oath-taking of newly elected Governing Board members, regular members, and confirmed associate members of the Council will proceed after its Business meeting.

In march 2020, the NRCP was the first among all local collegial organizations to postpone a major conference days before the event upon malacañang’s pronouncement declaring a state of national emergency brought by Covid-19. It successfully pulled off an online mode for the conference and membership assembly in only less than three months.

NRCP vice President and medical sciences Division Chairman, Dr. Raul v. Destura, who delivered the last conference’s virtual plenary presentation on Global Health Risks, was widely cited for having developed the first local test kit for Covid-19.

moreover, the council held a series of webinars billed “Kapakanan ng tao sa Oras ng Pandemya” to inform the public about the results of its quick smallbudget commissioned researches on the various social dimensions of the pandemic. the successful webinar series continues until the end of 2021.

Attached to the Dost, the NRCP serves as a think-tank on issues of national interest, and funds researches on a wide array of disciplines, particularly those that are transdisciplinary in approach.