To keep up with the rapid pace of technological advancement, state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) enjoins legislators in the country to prioritize policies that will harness the benefits as well as reduce the adverse effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe).
This year’s theme for the 16th Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) is about the FIRe, otherwise known as Industry 4.0. The DPRM is a nationwide celebration held every September to promote awareness of the importance of policy research in the formulation of development policies, programs, and projects. The PIDS-led celebration, pursuant to Malacanang Proclamation No. 247, aims to cultivate a strong culture of research and use of data and evidence among the country's national and local decisionmakers in policymaking and program planning.
Each year, a theme is chosen and related activities are organized by PIDS and its partner-agencies to encourage informed dialogue and discussion of key issues. For 2018, the DPRM theme is “Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Creating Our Future Today” or in Filipino, “Isulong ang Fourth Industrial Revolution Tungo sa Katuparan ng Ating Kinabukasan Ngayon”. Through this, the PIDS hopes to rouse the interest of policymakers and influence them to prioritize the FIRe in the national agenda.
In particular, the central theme revolves around the potential impacts of automation and other innovations in science and technology and how the Philippines can harness them to its advantage, not only in terms of improving economic competitiveness but also in making progress both sustainable and inclusive.
As part of the DPRM month-long celebration, the PIDS, together with other members of the DPRM steering committee, will organize policy seminars and dialogues, press conferences, and roundtable discussions with institutions, fellow researchers, planning advisers, policymakers, and the media.
Among the activities slated for September are the following: a kickoff press conference on September 4 to herald the start of the DPRM celebration; the 4th Mindanao Policy Research Forum on September 11 in Cagayan de Oro City in partnership with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTSP); a press conference during the PIDS-MinDA-USTSP forum; and the Annual Public Policy Conference (APPC) on September 19 at the EDSA Shangri-La Manila in Mandaluyong City. To run alongside the APPC is a one-day exhibit to feature technologies/innovations and videos, as well as publications and knowledge materials of the event’s sponsors such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Commission on Higher, Education Asian Development Bank, Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, Global Development Network, and the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Furthermore, the Institute issued memorandum circulars enjoining government agencies (through the Civil Service Commission), as well as local government units (through the Department of the Interior and Local Government) to participate in the DPRM celebration by displaying the DPRM banner (either the English or Filipino version) within their office premises; to share DPRM infographics, promotional videos, and other related announcements in their respective dissemination outlets; or to organize activities or events related to the theme or to policy research.
Chaired by PIDS, the DPRM Steering Committee consists of different government agencies. Its permanent members are the National Economic and Development Authority, Civil Service Commission, Philippine Information Agency, BSP, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Presidential Management Staff. For this year, the committee also included the DOST, DTI, DOLE, Commission on Higher Education, and Department of Information and Communications Technology.
To know more about the APPC and the DPRM, the public may visit the following websites http://dprm.pids.gov.ph, http://appc.pids.gov.ph, and https://www.pids.gov.ph. They may also check on PIDS’ social accounts at https://www.facebook.com/PIDS.PH/ and https://twitter.com/PIDS_PH. We also encourage everyone to use the hashtags #DPRM2018 and #APPC2018onFIRe when making comments and messages about these events. ###
