The Senate of the Philippines recently approved Senate Bill No. 3416 or the Technology Transfer Bill.
Formerly S.B. 1721 and H.B. 5208, it is formally known as “An Act Providing the Framework and Support System for the Ownership, Management, Use, and Commercialization of Intellectual Property Generated from Research and Development Funded by Government and for Other Purposes”.
The Bill was passed unanimously on its third and final reading last December 1, 2009 through the floor sponsorship of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri.
This development also signaled the Bill’s transition to a full-fledged Republic Act as soon as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signs it into law.
The House of Representatives, through Rep. Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, adopted the Senate version on December 15, 2009. Abaya is the foremost supporter and proponent of the House Version (H.B. 5208).
The Bill, principally sponsored by Sen. Edgardo J. Angara and co-sponsored by Senators Manuel Roxas II and Loren Legarda, seeks to promote and facilitate the transfer, dissemination, and use of technologies and knowledge from government-funded research and development (R&D).
Roxas and Angara are the chairs of the Senate Committees on Trade and Commerce and Science and Technology, respectively.
Senators Pia Cayetano, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Aquilino Pimentel, Jinggoy Estrada, and Zubiri also co-author the Bill.
Early on, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro and DOST Undersecretary for Science and Technology Services Fortunato T. dela Peña were the resource persons for the proposed law during the Senate Committee deliberations.
Incidentally, Undersecretary dela Peña heads the Senate Technical Working Committee (TWC) on the Bill.
Meanwhile, PCARRD Executive Director and DOST-TWC Chair Patricio S. Faylon, and co-chairs Albert Aquino and Bessie Burgos were elated after the Senate approval. They said this is a feat for the inter-agency policy advocacy collaboration.
PCARRD has led the DOST-TWC in the Bill’s legislative advocacy and public awareness activities since 2006. It currently implements the program “Implementing the Information, Education and Communication Activities for Legislative Advocacy and Awareness Campaign for the Technology Transfer Bill.”
Meanwhile, the technical and financial support given by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Philippines, DOST Planning and Evaluation Service, and DOST councils and institutes were instrumental in the legislative advocacy of the Bill.
Currently, DOST and IPO are preparing the basis for the bill’s implementing rules and regulation (IRR) even before its full enactment into a Republic Act.