September of every year was declared as Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 247 signed on September 2, 2002, to underscore “the need for promoting, enhancing, instilling, and drawing awareness and appreciation of the importance and necessity of policy research.” The yearly observance of the DPRM aims to gain public support and wider understanding of the importance of policy research as a tool for national development and of the activities in line with it to help advance the quality and standard of policy research in the Philippines. Under the presidential proclamation, PIDS was designated as the overall coordinator of all the programs and activities of the DPRM. Since its first observance in 2003, the annual DPRM focused on areas that the PIDS considers of national importance and therefore in need of utmost attention and support. Last year`s DPRM focused on “Regional Economic Integration and Inclusive Growth” to underscore the impact of greater regional economic integration and globalization, taking into account the impending establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.
