By Antonio L. Colina IV Davao City – The government should give more support to Filipino scientists, and increasing funding for projects that are related to science and technology innovation because these will lead to progress, according to a scientist from the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman. In an interview during the Second Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Science Diplomat Assembly, Dr. Richard Lemence, assistant professor at the UP-Diliman Institute of Mathematics, said the country must catch up with Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia which are now giving special attention to science and technology innovation. “If you have that (support), you have to make sure people are able to understand why you are prioritizing science and technology innovation because this will lead to progress. There is a need for government, policymakers and scientists to talk about policymaking that will lead to a better Philippines,” Lemence said. Lemence is one of the 16 scientists from ASEAN member states participating in the assembly that runs from April 23 to 27. He said it was time to strengthen the collaboration between government, most especially the policymakers, and the scientists. He said the government should make scholarships and research funds more available to the Filipino scientists. The UP professor noted that the government currently apportions a lean budget for science and technology, and underscored that agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department Agriculture (DA), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) be allocated with larger budgets. He said the government officials could make sound scientific-based policies with the help of the experts.