Uncuff our scienti S opinion
cientists and researchers have time and again hunkered down to face the tiresome, if not daunting, task of cutting through the miles-long red tape that stands between them and the fulfillment of every publiclyfunded research project they wish to see through to the end. Never-ending piles of paperwork that have to be filled out and submitted have been a familiar and less-than-comforting mainstay in every office or laboratory since time immemorial. However, bureaucracy in the field of science and technology (S&T) in the Philippines may be more than just a workplace hassle preventing one from catching the last jeep home.
The slow burn of research The 149-page Republic Act No. 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, outlines the necessary procedures surrounding the procurement of all publicly-funded materials and services in the country, including scientific and research equipment. Previous complaints about the excessive bureaucracy surrounding the procurement process brought about the creation of the Anti-Red
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Tape Authority and the Government Procurement Policy Board, both of which seek to expedite the inefficiency of the government procurement system. However, red tape continues to persist within the S&T sector and beyond. Scientific research often requires the use of various precise and highly specific instrumentation. Unfortunately, the lack of industries in the Philippines that can produce specialized scientific equipment means that Filipino scientists have to depend on a handful of foreign manufacturers to buy equipment from outside the country. Since direct contracting with foreign companies for instrumentation and materials is forbidden, one has to find a local partner to purchase the needed equipment in a bid. This, however, increases the probability of the price shooting up to double, or even triple the original price as local contractors compete with each other. “Because the procurement system creates a local monopoly amongst the vendors, the vendors charge two to three times more for the same items
scientia vol 27 no 1
