The prevent the country’s best and the brightest from leaving the Philippines, presidential candidate Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he will provide free housing units and vehicles, on top of a competitive salary package, for Filipino scientists should he win the presidency in the upcoming May 2022 elections.

Lacson said this move is part of his and running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s overall objective to offer a more dignified remuneration for those who are supporting the Philippines’ research and development (R&D) sector, especially in aid of the country’s farmers.

The senator assured the contributions of Filipino scientists to help solve the challenges of living in modern society would not be left unappreciated under his watch.

Both Sotto and Lacson also said they are open to the suggestion of senatorial candidate Emmanuel “Manny” Piño, former agriculture secretary, l to consider granting Pinoy scientists a special rate, separate from the normal civil service salary grading of government employees, to keep themselves motivated.

“Secretary Manny Piñol was right. If you are a scientist, you deserve an incentive, a higher salary grade that distinguishes you from the ranks of civil service employees under the Civil Service Commission,” said Lacson, in a recent town hall forum with residents, farmers and researchers in Zamboanga Sibugay.

“We have a lot of talented researchers, but due to lack of funding and support, they are forced to take their talents abroad where they are supported,” he said.

“Once they develop their inventions there, we buy it back; but while they were here, we let them go,” he lamented.

The Lacson-Sotto tandem earlier visited Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay with Piñol and fellow senatorial aspirant Dr. Minguita Padilla, where they were informed of the many challenges confronting the farming sector.

The presidential bets and the senatorical candidates expressed belief the challenges hounding the farming sector can be addressed by the scientific community with better research funding.

Lacson, likewise, reiterated the need to invest further in the R&D industry, which is only receiving 0.4 percent from the national budget.

Under his administration, Lacson said he will increase their funding to at least two percent, so that more scientists could support local agriculture, public health and the engineering sectors.

“I have always been appreciative of the research and development (industry) because it helps our country survive, so that we don’t have to keep buying (products and services) from other countries,” he said.