Marcos cites science's role in battling pandemic, urges Pinoy scientists to widen expertise

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Friday called on Filipino scientists to continue broadening their field of expertise, noting the important role of science in battling the pandemic.

Marcos graced the Annual Scientific Conference and National Research Council of the Philippines held at the Philippine International Convention Center.

The chief executive acknowledged the role of scientists in curbing the coronavirus and its adverse effects to the society, especially on the discovery of the vaccine against COVID-19.

"It was science that helped us work through the pandemic. It was science that brought to us the cures that we were looking for. It was science that developed the vaccine. It was science that made us understand, what we were facing, the unseen enemy of COVID," Marcos said in his speech.

"It was science who provided the answers and it will continue to be science as we are continuing down the path of high technology, and high technology and science once again will be providing the answers and that is why we look to you our eminent researchers, our eminent institutions for the different solutions that we are going to need to have to face this new world that the pandemic has left us," he added.

"And so I encourage you all to continue broadening your fields of expertise, collaborate with all other experts, inspire Filipino youth especially to pursue fulfilling careers in science and technology," Marcos said.

He also pointed out that by integrating science and good governance, the Philippines can "build a future where our children can look back at our generation and say that we did truly changed the 21st century and we did that change for the better."

"Imagine what we can accomplish together once we light our path with the foundations of science: sustainable agricultural technology that will help our farmers; cities that will run on green energy; safe and affordable medicines for diseases that were once thought incurable, amongst many others successes that we have seen from the scientific field," he said.

Marcos, meanwhile, lauded the Department of Science and Technology and the NRCP for successfully organizing this year's conference.

"It is truly a delight for me to stand before our country’s outstanding scientists, researchers, and experts from various fields, especially since it is the first face-to-face meeting that we have had for the last two and a half years," he said.

"And I’m glad that we—I am able to attend at this conference and that we are starting to feel the diminishment of the problems that we had been feeling during the pandemic," he added.

The President earlier encouraged Filipino scientists and researchers to stay in the Philippines, saying they could be the government's active partners in terms of nation-building.—AOL, GMA Integrated News