THE COUNTRY needs more researchers now because policy-making is driven by research, an official of the Department of Science and Technology said.

The DOST and the National Research Council of the Philippines recently held the Basic Research Caravan 2020, a webinar attended by over 120 participants.

Marieta Sumagaysay, director of DOST-NRCP, said that demand for researchers had grown as lawmakers are requesting research studies as basis for their policy development.

Some of these researches requested by the lawmakers were on biodiversity, water crisis, assessment and conservation for ecotourism development; study on the utilization of marang fruit, and assessment of fruit production in Mindanao, among others.

The DOST-NRCP has 4,840 research members scattered nationwide.

A very small portion, 31, of these researchers are from MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan). Region IV-A has 15.6 percent research members registered with DOST-NRCP.