CEBU 3rd District Rep. Pablo John Garcia wants the government to pour more funds for scholarships, scientific research, innovation and enterprise, and education and skills training to prepare the country for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He stressed the need to improve human resources to better boost the economy.

Garcia filed House Bill 9883 or the proposed Knowledge Economy Human Resources Development Act, which aims to “catalyze” the Knowledge Economy.

He said that based on the World Economic Forum’s Readiness for the Future of Production Report 2018, the Philippines is not prepared to manage the Fourth Industrial Revolution as manifested in its weak performance across the drivers of production, which include technology and innovation, human resources, global trade and investment, instritutional framework, sustainable resources, and demand environment.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds,” Garcia said in his explanatory note.

Under the measure, the National Innovation Council shall put the development of human resources for the knowledge economy at the forefront of the National Innovation Agencda and Strategy Development.

The government will allot P1 billion for Science and Technology Scholarship Fund; P1 billion for National Broadban Plan Program under the Department of Information and Technology; and P500 million for activities of the Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Labor and Employment regarding capacity-building, entrepreneurship, innovation, and employment.

The measure also mandates an additional P500 million fund for the Philippine Science High School System.