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Just two decades ago, Filipino inventors lorded it
over at the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Office as
the most prodigious in recognized and patented output. Now, we are
among the laggards in the world.
Said Virgilio Sangutan, an
engineer and president of the Filipino Inventors Federation,
“Japan filed for more than 400,000 patent applications with the
World Intellectual Property Office, while South Korea had 150,000 in
2006. In contrast, the Philippine filed only 50.
This jolts everyone as the
country’s outstanding innovators-entrepreneurs hold their National
Inventors’ Week, intended to provide a suitable venue to showcase
products and services with the most potential in marketing.
Assisting the inventors in
putting up their exhibit are the Departments of Science and
Technology and Trade and Industry.
The exhibit includes those that
are either already patented with the government’s Intellectual
Property Office, awaiting their patents or those that are simply
commercially available and ready to be acquired by interested
buyers.
All items have passed product
testing in terms of safety and performance.
All products were developed
either by professional or amateur inventors, including those still
in high school.
The products include the most
mundane like a rat trapper, pressure cooker, multipurpose
handicapped wheelchair, energy-saving devices, air cleaning device,
rice-based vitamin beer, stove for green charcoal and trash cart.
Some are grimly reflective of the
times we are in, like the reusable coffin by Antonio Andes Sr. Such
is the case with a two-layer coffin in which a well-ornamented
outside metal layer serves as the viewing coffin, while the physical
body will be buried or cremated using the wooden inner coffin that
can be pulled out.
Environmentalist and practical,
and certainly reflective of the Pinoy’s practical humor, it has
already been adopted by some local government units for their poor
constituents.
Another product that local
government units can also adopt is the urinal developed by Dr.
Virgilio Malang that makes use of an oil-based solution to kill
odor-causing bacteria, or styropor and sando-bag recycler developed
by the Departments of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology
Development Institute.
Filipino inventors have
tremendous capacity for exploration, making use of the usual
substances and things found in everyday life. Hence, you have
vitamin-fortified lollipop, three-handled communal drinking cup,
mobile multipurpose shredder, acne ointment from oyster mushrooms,
fiberglass made from chicken feathers and hydroelectric generator.
The last three are all products
of high school students, proving that the spirit of invention has
been nurtured in the country among the young. For them, the special
Sibol Award for outstanding student creative research has been
included among the awards to be given. One Sibol award will each be
given for high school and college students.
Other awards are the Tuklas award
for the most outstanding patented invention and the Likha award for
the most outstanding creative research. Both are given to
professional and amateur inventors.
In the press conference,
outspoken inventors reiterated their aspirations for more assistance
to their sector, primarily for government agencies to engage in
direct lending.
Said Carlita Rex Doran, who
manufactures coconut oil-based products, therapeutic soaps and
herbal drugs, her firm lost $50 million in foregone revenues when
the Development Bank of the Philippines refused to fund her
expansion proposal.
The Development Bank of the
Philippines is mandated to fund exploratory innovative programs,
projects, products and services, including those produced by
scientists and technologists.
Unfortunately, direct lending by
government is construed as a subsidy banned under controversial
World Trade Organization rules. This explains why some scientists
have asked government to relax its adherence to globalization, and
show more preferential treatment to its own scientists and
entrepreneurs.
This also explains why many
sectors all over the world have criticized all governments following
the World Trade Organization line of free trade and liberalization
in an era that demands protectionism, a trend resorted to by the
mighty United States of America and the European Union regardless of
their verbiage.
The normally apolitical
scientists are demanding technology, marketing and other business
development support. There are existing government programs like
product development and technology support, but more could be
explored by government if it were to spur innovation and invention
in the country.
Some programs like the Small
Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program and the Technology
Incubation for Commercialization Program are appreciated, but there
is always something in sight.
Marketing is one area where the
Department of Science and Technology tries to link with other
government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry that
sponsors market encounters to bring together product buyers and
sellers or suppliers, completing a cycle of assistance for
entrepreneurs.
Bigger business can assist
scientist-entrepreneurs, as is proven by Chemrez, a chemical firm,
that is giving the Green Chemistry Award for the development of
green technology products and services for scientists,
professionals, industry practitioners and academicians.
Filipino inventors certainly
deserve support for making things better and our world more livable.
ngamolo@manilatimes.net
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