FREE SEMINAR

We were invited to Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura, a radio show at DWWW 774, every 4:30-7:30am Sundays.

This is hosted by NinaManzanares-Agu, Tony Rola and Zac Sarian. Very enjoyable as it has fast paced interaction amongst guests/hosts, unscripted, and informative to listeners from the phoned in questions.

We look forward to be active in this radio show and during the Agri Kapihan every 4th Sunday of the month, DWWW, 23 E. Rodriguez near corner D. Tuazon.

Basic research is key to innovation

	OPINION	By Sen. EDGARDO ANGARA
	Investigations that had no practical objective  have yielded most of the major discoveries of medicine – X-rays and penicillin and genetic engineering
	In this globalized age where innovation is critical to prosperity and growth, countries face tremendous pressure to support research. Not just any research but the kind that promises immediate applications and quick payoffs.   At the same time, history has powerfully demonstrated that basic research is the pacemaker of technological progress. And history has likewise shown that innovation has been mostly derived from basic research.    The search for knowledge, the innate desire to satisfy one’s curiosity, should be enough reason to support basic research. But when there are pressing matters that compete for finite resources, we have to explain why basic research is worth our human and capital investments.   Many see basic research as unnecessary. We have needs in health, education, food, water, and housing, among others. And we must respond to these now.   But our vision should extend beyond what needs to be done today. And this vision compels us to move towards directions such as the pursuit of basic research.     New ideas   In doing basic research, scientists are able to push the frontiers of knowledge. It is in these frontiers where new ideas come from – the kinds of ideas that give us answers on what to do with, say, water shortage, energy depletion, or chronic diseases.   Computers, polio vaccine, penicillin, jet propulsion, and disease-resistant grains and vegetables – these are some of the thousands of scientific advances that have enhanced our well-being.   Breathtaking advances may be just around the corner. Genetic research, for example, gives promise of better treatments for Alzheimer's, cancer, and other diseases. Lighter and stronger composite materials are being developed with applications in transportation, medicine, and the military.   In the long term, basic research lays the foundation for much more imaginative, sustainable, and effective solutions to the problems we confront now and in the future.   What needs to be done   If we are to keep pace with the exponential progress in science and technology, we have to support the conditions that allow innovation to thrive. These are:      a) incentives that would keep our scientists in this country;      b) flexibility to pursue a research agenda;      c) competition for research grants;     d) networks of scientists; and      e) inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional linkages.    First, improve the salaries of frontline scientists. The climate for financing scientific research is stressful and distracting for scientists.   At present, the DOST guidelines allow a principal investigator to receive a monthly salary of about P3,000.   So we have scientists who, instead of spending their time making discoveries in the lab or mentoring younger scientists, spend their time in an office writing grant applications. This is not an effective use of their talent.   Second, provide a physical anchor where scientists can seriously pursue research. They must have laboratories with equipment and supplies; and support facilities like animal centers that can provide mice or guinea pigs for experimentation.   Our scientists do not have access to a DNA microarray. This tool allows the study of every gene, or thousands of genes, in an organism -- in one single experiment.   Without access to this tool, our scientists are practically handicapped and would have a difficult time investigating genetic material.    Flexibility   Give our scientists the autonomy and flexibility to set and pursue their research agenda. The scientist is allowed, and even required, to select problems for investigation, without having to justify their relevance for the institution or looking for its immediate effect on the employer’s bottom line.   The assumption that justifies such a policy is that "scientific progress on a broad front results from the free play of free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner dictated by their curiosity."   Competition and networks   Let our scientists in the country compete with each other for grants on the basis of excellence. This peer-reviewed competition is extremely good intellectually. If our scientists compete actively with other scientists from peer institutions, they have to strive constantly towards excellence.   Establish or strengthen mechanisms that allow scientists to exchange ideas. Our scientists should be able to participate in national and international scientific activities in their field of interest.   Let our scientists engage in regional or international research projects that have to be executed partly in one of our institutions in this country.     Inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional linkages   Bridge the gap between disciplines, between academic institutions here and abroad, and between the academe and industry.   Experiences of developed countries have shown that acceleration of innovation takes place when functional linkages are established between disciplines, universities, and industry.   An example is the collaboration between Harvard, MIT, and the Whitehead Institute for Medical Research. This was set up in 2004 by the Broad Institute whose mission is to fulfill the promise of the Human Genome Project for new advances in medicine.   The Broad Institute gathered scientists, physicians, and engineers who work together in molecular biology, genomics, chemistry, engineering, computational science, and medicine. In its first two years, they are already providing new insights into diseases and their cures.   This is a model for what institutional collaborations can achieve.   Culture of creativity   Basic research has its virtues. It cultivates a culture of creativity and boldness. It is a culture where commitment, discipline, perseverance, and intellectual maturity prevail.   In this environment, short-term gains are given up for long-term benefits as discoveries rarely happen instantaneously; openness and exchanges are crucial as collaboration is imperative; and critical thinking is indispensable as it pursues the answers to the truly significant questions -- why, what, how, and when.   But basic research is seen as a luxury, especially in the face of pressing problems.   Dr Arthur Kornberg, Nobel Prize winner for Medicine and Physiology, wrote, “Investigations that had no practical objective, have yielded most of the major discoveries of medicine – X-rays and penicillin, genetic engineering and recombinant DNA.”   Such scientific advances show what cutting-edge research can do. I believe we can create new knowledge that would lead to further advances.   In the world of basic research, the possibilities are limitless.

Go Negosyo is a movement that constantly inspires. I congratulate Joey Concepcion for the outstanding work he has done with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship and for creating a program for entrepreneurial support. I also thank him for allowing me to share some thoughts in his column.

Joey has brought so much awareness and the much needed encouragement for the youth to pursue an alternative career path beyond the traditional corporate life -- the path of entrepreneurship. This is certainly not the easy route for anyone, especially with the intensified volatility of markets and the increasingly competitive business environment. But there are great opportunities for individuals with the courage to pursue their dreams. Entrepreneurship offers an exciting way to engage all of one’s senses. It requires creative energy, self-discipline, a keen analytical mind, an appetite for risk, and the ability to constantly innovate, reinvent, and evolve.

Entrepreneurship puts one at the center of a thriving economy. For after all, a country’s capacity to grow rests on the ability of its people to develop new businesses, generate new jobs, and create new wealth.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, the majority of entrepreneurs create new businesses in the small and medium scale, which today account for 99.6% of the country’s total business enterprises and generate 69.1% of all jobs. Clearly, SMEs are a major backbone of our country’s economy. It must be sustained with the necessary support not only from government and public policy, but also from the private sector and the academe.

How can we continue to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship, especially among our youth? To my mind, the private sector can play an important role and contribute to sustaining the entrepreneurial drive. We have tried to do our part, in a modest way, through the Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI). AFI has chosen to focus on entrepreneurship as one of the key areas of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, alongside education and the environment.

We believe entrepreneurship builds on our innate creativity and innovativeness; the ability to spot, to create, or to take advantage of opportunities around us and to transform them into something useful and productive. In addition, by encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit of the Filipino, we also nurture the values of integrity, independence, hard work, excellence, and responsibility.

There are, however, a number of challenges that we face in harnessing the potential of entrepreneurship among Filipinos. One of the most pressing ones is to increase entrepreneurial opportunities among the youth.

One of the ways that the Ayala Foundation is addressing this challenge is through a program called Technology Business Incubation (TBI). The first TBI established to promote entrepreneurship in the field of technology is our partnership with the University of the Philippines under the UP-Ayala Technology Business Incubator (TBI). Launched in 2000, the UP-Ayala TBI assists new technology businesses by offering them a space in the incubator building at the UP Diliman campus at lower than market rates. An additional benefit is that they can tap into the unique skills and talents of the professors in UP who can also offer students part-time work on campus. The start-ups are likewise offered a range of services and training programs to facilitate business growth.

In today’s global business environment, there is an enormous need for information, technology, and communication (ICT). Many of our youth have a unique skill in this area and can certainly play an important role in the development of this sector. Currently, the UP-Ayala technology business incubator houses nine techno-preneurs in information and communications technology – both hardware and software design. They currently employ over 160 people. Two of our incubatees have already graduated from the incubator to become full-fledged medium to large-scale businesses.

The UP-Ayala TBI caught the attention and garnered the support of the World Bank and its InfoDev Program because of its unique feature of being supported by the private sector. Many of the other business incubators in their global program were supported by the government.

Buoyed by the success of the UP partnership, AFI also recently opened a new incubator at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) which will have the capacity to house 15 to 17 businesses, primarily engaged in software development and services.

As in UP, the technology business incubator at AIM offers a range of services and training programs to assist entrepreneurs in growing and nurturing their businesses. These include an Innovation Forum and the Kape at Teknolohiya series where scientists, technical experts, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs meet to discuss the possible commercialization of scientific or technical discoveries. In the past year, some of the topics discussed included Open Source software, mobile telecommunications, the internet, biotech, health and medicine, and renewable energy.

TBI also supports technology start-ups through its training programs. These programs have included a series on Intellectual Property Protection for businesses as well as Technology Licensing Policies and Practices for universities. Through these courses, entrepreneurs and university science administrators are taught how to file for copyrights, trademarks, and patents as well as develop technology licensing agreements between developers and academic institutions. These practices help ensure that both developers and university research labs are protected and are appropriately rewarded commercially for their discoveries.

The latest offering at TBI is the Technology Boot Camp, an intensive three-day course on how to take a technology business from idea to marketplace. This seminar walks entrepreneurs through the essential steps of building up a business plan, sourcing funds, making a pitch to investors, marketing, and operations.

The boot camp is unique in the sense that almost all instructors and lecturers are themselves successful technology entrepreneurs or venture capitalists or both. They include the likes of Dado Banatao of Tallwood VC and Denny Roja of Acuity Ventures, Paco Sandejas (Narra VC), Dan Pagulayan (ICCP), Donald Lim (Yehey), Winston Damarillo (Exist Global), Joey Gurango (Gurango Software), Dondi Mapa (Dell), Dickie Gonzales (PESO), Martin Lichauco (AO Capital), and many others.

This camp is also unique because it ends with a session where each entrepreneur makes a three-minute presentation to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of attracting enough interest to warrant a serious discussion and proposal for equity in their ventures. In this year’s Tech Boot Camp Release 1.0, about 75 entrepreneurs of various ages attended the three-day camp and vied for the attention of VCs through their project presentations. The camp has attracted so much interest that a second Tech Boot Camp and perhaps even a Biotech Boot Camp are planned for 2008.

By pushing these technology incubator services, we hope to encourage and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs to propel the country forward and enable us to compete more aggressively in the global business arena.

We hope that in our own modest way, we can make entrepreneurship a launching pad for the Filipino youth to create a better future for themselves and for the country, while striving to showcase the ingenuity, talent, creativity for which the Filipino is known. By doing so, we too share in the spirit to “GoNegosyo”.

A principal reason why the Philippines continues to lag behind its Asian neighbors in economic development is because of the lamentable absence of a wide-spread entrepreneurial orientation and a woeful lack of entrepreneurial skills among Filipinos. Even today, our youth are still brought up on the principle that the key to success is to get a good education preferably with impressive grades to be able to find good employment in big multinational companies. One look at our more successful Asian brothers will easily reveal that their economies were founded on local entrepreneurships, not employment.

There is therefore an urgent need to correct this anomaly that has left our country behind in economic development. This is most crucial as the whole world economy now faces the onslaught of globalization, a trend which cannot be stopped and will not be stopped.

Our country drastically requires the development of a mass-based entrepreneurial class if we are to survive globalization. A country of employees such as ours will always have a government that is beholden to multinational companies. On the other hand, a Philippines with a wide-based entrepreneurial class can exist on its own and could even wield companies hostage in this country.

The Philippine economy must be controlled by Filipinos. "Para umunlad ang ating bayan, kailangan umunlad ang negosyanteng pinoy" we hope to spread the seeds of Filipino entrepreneurship to the four corners of the archipelago or wherever the Filipinos maybe.

With you, the local entrepreneurs, behind us, we will succeed finally in creating a powerful entrepreneurial class. YOU the local entrepreneurs of this country will be the next heroes of the Philippines!

 

Bakit kailangan mong mag-negosyo?

 

Magagamit mo ang iyong kinikita sa kapaki-pakinabang na paraan.

Hindi mo na kailangang magsilbi sa iba, sa negosyo mo, ikaw ang 'amo'
Magkakaroon ka ng oras para sa iyong pamilya.

Di mo na kailangang mawalay sa iyong mga mahal sa buhay upang kumita ng
pera sa malayong bansa. Di na kailangan ang mawalay sa iyong mga mahal sa buhay. Magiging buo ang iyong pamilya at mabibigyan mo ng maayos na patnubay ang iyong mga anak dahil kapiling mo sila.

Makakatulong ka sa bayan sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng trabaho at serbisyo sa mga taong nangangailangan.

 

Kung ikaw ay isang OFW ; Habang ikaw ay nasa ibang bansa bilang OFW, maaari ka na rin magsimula ng negosyo sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng  " Negosyong Abot Kaya"

 

Pumili ng isang kamag-anak o taong mapagkakatiwalaan para magsimula ng negosyo bilang iyong manager. Tuturuan at bibigyan gabay ang iyong manager sa pagpapatakbo negosyo sa pamamagitan ng "Business Development Seminar" Program ng ASC Mom Cares Mktg Co. upang magsimula ng negosyo para sa iyo. At sa gayon, pagbalik mo sa Pilipinas, ay "smooth-sailing" na ang takbo ng negosyo para sa maayos mo na 'take-over' ng negosyo.

 

Mayroon din isinasagawang FREE Livelihood Training  para sa ating kababayan.

 

Para sa mga katanungan at paglilinaw, tumawag sa Telepono 5414501 o celphone 09052438172 o magpadala ng email sa antaran23@yahoo.com.ph o mannix.antaran@gmail.com.