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1. What is ATC?
ATC (Area Technical Committee): A joint project
of DOST (Dept. of Science and Technology) and PCCI (Phil, Chamber
of Commerce and Industry), assisted by IRF (Industrial Research
Foundation) is intended to bring technology to the countryside.
One ATC is formed in each of the five (5) Philippine
geographical AREAs (North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao
and NCR), wherin all the DOST Regional Offices (DROs) and PCCI
Local Chapters (LCCIs) within an AREA sign a Memo of Agreement
(MOA) pledging to infuse much needed technology to the AREA.
Through the ATC, technology is brought to the remotest
barrio, thus, ATC becomes the Agency to Transform the Countryside.
2. How did the ATC come about?
In May 1999, then newly appointed DOST Secretary Filemon A. Uriarte
Jr. requested the assistance of IRF (Industrial Research Foundation)
in bringing DOST closer the the private sector.
Acting on this request, IRF Chairman Meneleo J. Carlos Jr. wrote
to PCCI President Alberto P. Fenix Jr. suggesting a partnership
be forged between DOST and PCCI to address technology issues now
existing in Philippine Industry.
This request culminated in the historic signing of an MOU (Memo
Of Understanding) between DOST Secretary F. A. Uruarte Jr. and
PCCI VP for Industry Donald Dee on October 21, 1999, pledging
to narrow the technology gap that exists in the country, particularly
in industry.
3. What is the first implementing step in
the MOU?
The first implementing step in the MOU is the formation of ATC.
4. What is the purpose of ATC?
The ATC will institutionalize an existing, but
informal relationship pertaining to technology issues between
the DOST Regional Offices and the private sector, converting this
casual relationship into an ATC, a forum where the
Local PCCI Chapter (LCCI), now representing the private sector
and the DOST Regional Office (DRO) sign a MOA (Memo of Agreement)
pledging a joint effort upgrade the technology level of the AREA
through:
- Persistent productivity advocate of existing industries;
- Active Promoter of new enterprises through technology
transfer;
- Mobilization of all Technical Resources in the AREA
through LTS (Localizing Technology Solutions), to create a nearly
self-contained technology community where most technology problems
are solved locally.
5. What is the vision of DOST, PCCI and
IRF for ATC?
" For every AREA, an ATC; every ATC,
a dynamic instrument of technological innovation"
The impact on the economy of the countryside can be tremendous:
- ATC can address both industrial and agricultural
technology issues;
- ALL Five AREA ATC and Fifteen (15) Regional
Chapters, on constant technology-improvement watch;
- Modernizing existing industries/ preparing for globalization;
- Promoting technology-based industries utilizing local
resources.
6. What Technical Services improvement can
ATC bring to each AREA?
Through ATC, the services of the whole DOST system
may be accessed.
However, exporting technology issues outside the AREA for solutions
will be tedious and expensive, so an LTS strategy was conceived.
7. What is Localizing technology Solutions
(LTS) ?
LTS or Localizing Technology Solutions, is the mobilization of
all Technological Resources within the AREA into an integrated
and certified, semi-autonomous technological community where most
technology problems of ATC find solutions.
LTS will be implemented in three steps:
| Step One: |
Recruitment of Technical Experts in the AREA into an AREA
Technical Expert Pool or ATEP |
| Step Two: |
Mobilization of all Technical Facilities (academe, private
sector) into a TECHnical NETwork or TECHNET |
| Step Three: |
As part of TECHnet, expansion of DOST Regional facilities
to meet the additional needs of TECHNET. |
8. What is the "value-added" by
ATC to the present relationship between DOST Regional Office
and the private sector?
- The new relationship between DRO and LCCI is no longer as
technology provider and client but as partners in building up
the ATC superstructure, a synergy of shared efforts
that can actualize the ATC motto as the Agency
to Transform the Countryside;
- The ATC as a persistent productivity improvement
advocate for existing Industries will institutionalize Productivity
Improvement Programs as a year-round activity;
- ATC as an active and persistent promoter of
new enterprises through an exhaustive inventory of Area resources
and systematic matching with DOST-developed (or other) technologies
that will result in new enterprise.
- The full mobilization of the technical resources in the Area
to create a nearly self-contained technological community where
most technical problems are solved within the Area through LTS
or Localizing Technology Solutions.
- ATC creates a culture of technology awareness
within the community, induced by the systematic, year-round
schedule of technology-oriented activities, such that tech-awareness
becomes second nature due to constant exposure.
The failure of ATC
maybe a big loss to commerce and industry...
but a bigger loss to the country.
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