Diwata-1 engineers compensated well, long hours 'normal' -DOST, academics

In response to criticism over its alleged mishandling and neglect of the Filipino scholars who built the country's first microsatellite, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) claims that the student engineers were actually duly credited and fully compensated for their work on the satellite.

Academics and former scholars have also come forward, pointing out that long work hours are a fact of life for graduate students around the world.

'Not engineers, just students'

In a now-viral Facebook post, engineer and Diwata team member Paolo Espiritu decried the way he and his team were supposedly treated by the DOST.

"According to (our) contract, we are to build the satellite without pay, with 4 years of return service. On paper, we were just students. On paper, we weren't part of the project. On paper, we were not engineers," he said.

"(N)ormal students go in at 9am, and leave at 5pm (but we) are not just students. We go in at 9am, and leave at 1am. Most of the days, we have no choice but to skip our classes to work on the microsatellite. We have no chance to work on our thesis projects. We go the lab on Saturdays. We go to the lab on Sundays. We go to the lab on holidays. We go to the lab during Christmas. So no. We are not just students," he added.

Point of misunderstanding?

Many observers have noted that the disagreement may simply be a case of misunderstanding.

At least one scientist has reasoned that Espiritu's complaints make sense if the team was engaged in a professional rather than an academic capacity.

"If you view the Diwata project as a job, for which you need to train, then the student's claims are understandable. Especially kung hindi niya thesis ang satellite kasi parang free labor 'yun, from that perspective. (but) if you look at it as a competitive scholarship which was handed to you on a silver platter, then developing the satellite may be viewed as a reasonable exchange. Most grad students who went to grad school for school alone would understand this," the scientist told GMA News.

Normal grad school experience

Although numerous academics sympathized with Espiritu's exasperation, they were also quick to point out that his is a common experience for graduate students.

"Yung complaints nila na inabot sila ng 1 am, that's normal in grad school, especially in Japan," said one Filipino scientist who obtained his PhD in Japan, but who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Grad school doesn't follow a 9 to 5 schedule. You really have to extend work hours to finish all of the readings and experiments. Some Japanese professors also expect you to stay long hours. Strict professors don't even allow students to go home until he leaves the lab," said another Filipino professor who earned his PhD from Osaka University on a MEXT scholarship from the Japanese government.

"(If) you enrolled (in) a graduate course, you are a 'student'. And yes as a student, you have to work almost every day there if you want to finish in two years," explained Paul Karson Alanis, a DOST employee and former Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) scholar.

"We graduate students understand that we are at the beck and call of our academic supervisors. Ibang-iba ang culture ng graduate school sa Japan, compared sa US and Europe. If you are sent to Japan, ready ka dapat magtrabaho (na parang) kalabaw," adds Raymond Patrick Maximo, who is currently pursuing graduate studies in geochemistry in Europe under a collaborative partnership between PHIVOLCS-DOST and the Université libre de Bruxelles.

Full compensation for work

In any case, the DOST claims that the Diwata team was compensated for its work on the satellite on top of the full scholarship the team received.

"As scholars, the Diwata-1 engineers in fact receive stipends 35% higher compared to what a Monbusho scholarship provides. On top of that they also get additional compensation for their work in the development of the microsatellite," the DOST said in its official statement.

The prestigious Monbusho or Monbukagakusho scholarships are awarded by the Japanese government for higher education at Japanese universities.

According to their official website, graduate research scholars receive a monthly stipend of at least JPY143,000 or roughly PHP60,000 a month.

Each member of the Diwata team would therefore be receiving over JPY193,000 or over PHP80,000 per month from the scholarship alone, based on the DOST's statement. 

The DOST also said that the requirement that team members return to the Philippines to work for a number of years commensurate with the number of years spent abroad is "conditio sine qua non"—an essential condition—for all government scholars, to ensure that their skills are put to use for the country's benefit in exchange for the scholarship. — GMA News