Senator Bam Aquino presided over the Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee B budget hearing for the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) proposed Fiscal Year 2027 national budget, emphasizing that modern technology must directly transform the daily lives of ordinary Filipinos.
Championing the mantra “Dapat Ramdam ang Agham”, a vision shared with DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., Aquino underscored that scientific research and technological innovations must move beyond academic papers and prototypes to deliver lower commodity prices, safer communities during disasters and expanded opportunities for local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
During the hearing, the senator pressed DOST officials on the rapid global rise of Artificial Intelligence, cautioning that relying solely on foreign AI models risks culturally bias and linguistic erasure. He called for building homegrown Large Language Models (LLMs) and localized AI applications trained on Filipino culture, languages and sovereign data.
“As you keep on using the AI, the AI you’re training… but the AI is also training you. And a lot of the time, the output that it gives you is from the perspective of the creators of the AI… If we are not careful and our countrymen, our youth, are all using AI coming from other countries, eventually there will be a type of assimilation of culture, language, mores, and norms,” he explained.
Highlighting the necessity of a sovereign AI ecosystem, Aquino praised the DOST’s homegrown “iTanong” platform and localized AI initiatives like Butuan City’s municipal chatbot.
He encouraged scaling these applications to government portals like eGov to streamline public services and municipal inquiries across the country.
With the Philippines facing worsening climate shocks, Aquino underscored the irreplaceable role of accurate forecasting, hazard mapping and early warning technologies in saving lives and protecting livelihoods.
“Ang DOST po, ramdam na ramdam rin sa pagprotekta ng ating komunidad laban sa baha, bagyo, matinding init, lindol, pagguho ng lupa, at iba pang mga sakuna. Mas maagang nakapaghahanda ang mga lokal na pamahalaan at mga mamamayan. Mas maraming buhay ang naliligtas at inaasahan na mas kaunting tahanan, pananim, negosyo, at imprastraktura ang masisira,” he said.
He also tackled the critical need for AI-enhanced weather prediction models that can compress computational forecasting times from hours down to 15-minute cycles, giving local government units (LGUs) and families vital lead time during sudden torrential rainfalls and extreme weather events.
“The more we can predict it, the more we can prepare… whether it’s a flight or low-lying areas… Ito po ‘yung mga halimbawa na may ginagawa ang DOST at Pag-asa na scaled up, at ramdam ng maraming tao,” he said.
As the author of landmark legislation including the Go Negosyo Act and the Innovative Startup Act, Aquino stressed that DOST’s inventors and scientific breakthroughs must break out of pilot-program traps and scale up into full-fledged commercial enterprises.
“Sa tamang paggamit ng Agham at Teknolohiya, maraming magagandang bagay ang pwedeng mangyari. Pwedeng mapataas ang ani ng magsasaka at mangingisda, pwedeng mapahaba ang shelf life ng pagkain… Matutulungan din ang maliliit na negosyo na gumamit ng teknolohiya upang makalikha ng de-kalidad ngunit mas murang pagkain, gamot, at iba pang pangunahing bilihin,” he added.
To bridge the gap between Filipino researchers and global markets, Aquino proposed establishing joint regular trade expos with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to link DOST-backed startups directly with established industrial manufacturers and private investors.
“Ang tagumpay po ng DOST ay hindi lamang nasusukat sa dami ng pag-aaral, patent, inventions, or innovation. Dapat nararamdaman rin ito ng ating mga kababayan sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na buhay—sa palengke, sa paaralan, sa kung saan sila nagtatrabaho. Let’s lead with that… Kasi at the end of the day, ang hahanapin sa atin with this budget is ano ‘yung ramdam talaga… Our goal should be scale, because we are a national agency,” he concluded.
