Marcos cites need to back research and development in PH --- By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday highlighted the need to support research and development in the Philippines to improve the country's health and technology sector. "I have asked all of those who are involved that we need to now be very conscientious and put together a program wherein we can support in whatever way that the government can on research and development, and as I think all of us know that some of the problems are in the development side," Marcos said in a speech. "We kept talking about what are the ways that we can – what are the methods that we can do so that the R&D or the new knowledge, the new technologies can be brought to market as it were, as quickly as possible," he added. This as he conferred the Order of National Scientist to Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla for her pioneering work as a world-renowned clinical geneticist as well as for the establishment of the Philippine Genome Center (PCG) at the Malacañang Palace. Marcos acknowledged the contributions of the PCG at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The Philippine Genome Center was at the forefront of the country’s pandemic response and provided the government and the country’s policymakers with the information that we need to better understand the virus and implement measures to limit and manage its spread," he said. Meanwhile, Marcos also conferred the Presidential Medal of Merit to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Allan Gepty for his invaluable contribution to the negotiations in relation to the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He said the Philippines’ participation in RCEP is expected to strengthen linkages in regional supply chains as it will serve as a catalyst for attracting more foreign direct investments into the country. "This should open opportunities for Filipinos and the Philippine companies to export trade and services to a market exceeding 2 billion people that are within the RCEP region," Marcos said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News

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