The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is pushing MIMAROPA to move beyond adopting technologies and turn locally developed ideas into products, businesses and solutions that can drive regional development.
DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said the region’s geographic isolation, rich natural resources and diverse communities give it an important role in demonstrating how science, technology and innovation can address local problems while creating economic opportunities.
“MIMAROPA is not only adopting technologies, MIMAROPA is creating them,” Solidum said.
He said innovations developed in the region should not end at the idea or prototype stage but must be tested, validated, commercialized and scaled so they can contribute directly to the economy.
Solidum cited MIMAROPA’s biodiversity, agricultural lands, marine resources, tourism destinations and indigenous cultures as assets that can be supported by science and technology.
The region’s geography, however, presents its own challenges. As an archipelago, MIMAROPA faces long travel times, limited connectivity and communities separated by sea, making access to services and economic opportunities more difficult, particularly in geographically isolated areas.
“These realities make MIMAROPA not just a beneficiary of innovation but an important proving ground for science and technology, demonstrating their greatest value despite the challenges and the distances,” Solidum said.
DOST has supported efforts to address these challenges, including about 31 water technology projects across the region involving desalination systems and filtration facilities. These projects have reached 18,141 beneficiaries and served 3,639 households.
The department has also assisted about 1,200 micro, small and medium enterprises through its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program, with investments totaling about P91 million to help businesses improve their operations through technology.
Solidum said these initiatives reflect the department’s broader goal of making science and technology more accessible and useful to communities, particularly those that face geographic and economic barriers.
“MIMAROPA as an island region has a challenge because development must know how to cross waters,” he said.
The DOST chief also said the department plans to expand its scholarship program to Kalayaan, the only municipality in MIMAROPA that has yet to be reached by the program. The scholarship has already covered 72 of the region’s 73 municipalities.
Solidum said expanding access to science and technology should include making these fields accessible to people regardless of their technical background.
He said science should not be viewed as something reserved for people with advanced technical knowledge, but as a tool that communities can use to improve their lives and livelihoods.
“Investments in science are ultimately investments in people,” Solidum said.
