Making Science serve the Country
Recent Tweets about proposed legislation to “institutionalize a permanent, science-based, multidisciplinary national institution for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction [to be] named the UP National Climate Resilience Institute” make me very happy as that is a very important matter for the Philippines.
A scientist like Dr. Mahar Lagmay who spearheads such work is making science serve the country in a very critical matter I wrote about in the article Rising Waters in the Philippines last September. A modern country with modern vulnerabilities needs modern tools to protect people and investments.
Institutionalizing such tools is evidence of what Karl wrote in April that We Are Not Starting From Scratch because it utilizes foundations built ever since Project NOAH which would become part of the institution. And it is far from the Spaced out dreams a la Kidlat Tahimik and yoyos in space I wrote about last year.
It is also extremely far from the idea of some older Filipinos that a Filipino should win the Nobel Prize, something akin to Filipino Pride, which I think is as old as ilustrados being happy about Juan Luna’s awards. Nothing wrong with that and we all can continue to be proud of Alex Eala and other Filipinos that excel.
And hopefully real use of science in protecting the nation itself will finally lay unneeded myths to rest like that of the flourescent lamp being invented by Agapito Flores or the moon buggy having been Pinoy-designed. Quiet pride like that of the Dutch who have managed the sea for centuries is more real.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Thanks for this article.We need this bad.
Next is how to manage brain drain.