Policy and purpose of the State
- The State recognizes science and technology as an essential element for national development and progress (Section 2).
- The State adopts a policy to provide a program of human resources development in science and technology to achieve and maintain the necessary reservoir of talent and manpower (Section 2).
- The State shall establish, promote, and support programs such as science and engineering scholarship programs, improvement of the quality of science and engineering education, popularization of science culture, and provision of incentives for careers in science and technology (Section 2).
Core definitions for S&T work
- “Department” refers to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) created under Executive Order No. 128 (Section 3).
- “Scientific and Technological Activities (STA)” are systematic activities closely concerned with the generation, advancement, dissemination, and application of scientific and technical knowledge in all fields of natural science and technology (Section 3).
- STA includes three broad groups (Section 3):
- Research and Experimental Development (R & D): systematic and creative work in physical, natural, mathematical, and applied sciences to increase the stock of knowledge and to devise new applications (Section 3).
- Scientific and Technological Services (STS): activities supporting R & D, dissemination, and applications of science and technical knowledge, including library, information and museum services; geological and hydrological surveys; meteorological and seismological observations; routine statistics; testing, standardization and quality control; counseling of clients; patenting and licensing; and engineering and technical services (Section 3).
- Scientific and Technical Education and Training (STET): higher education and training leading to a university degree, post-graduate and further training, organized lifelong training, and specialized non-university higher education (Section 3).
Who is covered and how S&T is classified
- A science and technology career system for government science and technology personnel shall be formulated by the DOST in coordination with the Civil Service Commission, and it shall be patterned after the Scientific Career System (SCS) (Section 4).
- S & T personnel may be classified into the following categories (Section 5):
- S & T managers, supervisors, and planners: those who are graduate degree holders or have at least ten (10) years of managerial experience or are performing executive, planning, and policy-making functions to effectively carry out STA-related activities as defined in Section 3 (Section 5).
- Members of the scientific career system (Section 5).
- Scientists, engineers, and researchers: those who are at least undergraduate degree holders in natural science and engineering courses and are involved in research and development or other scientific and technological activities (Section 5).
- DOST technicians and related S & T personnel: those who obtained at least twelve (12) units in science, engineering, and other related courses or appropriate training as determined by the Secretary of the Department, and who provide support services to S & T personnel enumerated in the three preceding categories (Section 5).
- S & T personnel not employed by the DOST (i.e., not employed by the Department) who are involved in STA may avail of the benefits under this Act upon certification of the Secretary of the Department (Section 8).
Career system, salary, and other benefits
- Government salary scales for employees shall not apply in determining the salary scale of science and technology personnel under Section 5 (Section 6).
- A new salary scale shall be developed by the Department in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management and the Civil Service Commission, subject to the approval of the President (Section 6).
Benefits granted to S&T personnel
Science and technology personnel defined under Section 5 shall receive the following benefits, notwithstanding Section 12 of Republic Act No. 6758 (Section 7):
Honorarium: S & T personnel who rendered services beyond the established irregular workload shall be entitled to receive honorarium subject to rules set by the Department (Section 7(a)).
Share in royalties: S & T scientists, engineers, researchers, and other S & T personnel shall be entitled to a royalty share subject to Department guidelines on a sixty percent-forty percent (60%-40%) basis in favor of the Government and the personnel involved in the technology/activity produced or undertaken during regular performance of their functions (Section 7(b)).
The Act defines share in royalties as a share in the proceeds of royalty payments arising from patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights (Section 7(b)).
If the researcher works with a private company and the program of activities is mutually agreed, any royalty arising therefrom shall be divided according to the equity share in the research project (Section 7(b)).
Hazard allowance: S & T personnel involved in hazardous undertakings or assigned in hazardous workplaces shall be paid hazard allowances ranging from ten percent (10%) to thirty percent (30%) of their monthly basic salary depending on the hazard’s nature and extent (Section 7(c)).
Hazardous workplaces include (Section 7(c)):
- radiation-exposed laboratories and service workshops;
- remote/depressed areas;
- areas declared under a state of calamity or emergency;
- strife-torn or embattled areas; and
- laboratories and other disease-infested areas.
Subsistence allowance: S & T personnel shall receive full subsistence allowance equivalent to three (3) meals a day, computed and implemented per implementing rules and regulations; those assigned out of their regular work stations shall receive per diem in place of the allowance (Section 7(d)).
Laundry allowance: S & T personnel required to wear a prescribed uniform during office hours shall receive laundry allowance of not less than One hundred fifty pesos (P150) a month (Section 7(e)).
Housing and quarter allowance: S & T personnel on duty in laboratories, research and development centers, and other government facilities shall be entitled to free living quarters within the government facility where stationed, provided their residence is outside the fifty (50)-kilometer radius from the facility (Section 7(f)).
Longevity pay: S & T personnel shall be paid monthly longevity pay equivalent to five percent (5%) of monthly basic salary for every five (5) years of continuous and meritorious service as determined by the Secretary of the Department (Section 7(g)).
Medical examination: During tenure, S & T personnel shall receive compulsory free medical examination once a year and immunization as warranted; the medical examination shall include complete physical examination, routine laboratory, chest X-ray and ECG, psychometric examination, dental examination, and other indicated examination (Section 7(h)).
Scholarships, grants, and consultancy privileges
- S & T personnel in public and private sectors are entitled to scholarship benefits and grants for pursuing undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, or training courses under a scholarship program implemented by the Department (Section 9).
- Scholarship grantees may study within the Philippines or abroad, and the Department shall provide strict measures to ensure their return to render the service obligation (Section 9).
- Recipients of undergraduate scholarships must, after graduation, render service in the government for the equivalent number of years they availed of scholarships (Section 9).
- If there are no available positions in the government, undergraduate scholarship recipients may be allowed to work in the private sector (Section 9).
- Scholarship privileges may be full-time or part-time and include tuition fee, book allowance, transportation allowance, monthly stipend, dissertation grants, insurance, and the payment of regular salary and other benefits (Section 9).
- The Human Resource Development Council created under Republic Act No. 8248 shall formulate the rules and regulations and implement the Scholarship Program under this Act (Section 9).
- Scientists, engineers, researchers, technologists, technicians, and other S & T personnel may render consultancy services to the private sector and shall receive honorarium paid by the private entity concerned (Section 10).
- Consultancy payments are over and above their salary from the government during the consultancy period and are not double compensation (Section 10).
- Consultancy is allowed only if it will not jeopardize or adversely affect the operations or activities of the originating office, and the Secretary of the Department approves the consultancy (Section 10).
Secondment to private sector and staffing rules
- Scientists, engineers, researchers, and other S & T related personnel employed on a regular basis in the government may be seconded to a private entity whenever such services are required, regardless of whether they have any rank under the Scientific Career System (Section 11).
- Secondment duration to the private entity must not exceed one (1) year (Section 11).
- Secondment is allowed only if it will not hamper or adversely affect the operations or activities of the originating office, and the head of the agency approves the detail or secondment (Section 11).
- During secondment, payment of the seconded employee shall be borne by the seconding private entity under a contract (Section 11).
- The period of secondment shall be used in computing retirement benefits but not for the commutation of leave credits earned in the mother agency (Section 11).
- Secondment shall not affect security of tenure nor result in loss of seniority rights, subject to guidelines on secondment in the IRR of the Act (Section 11).
- Appointment of S & T personnel to positions of research assistant and upwards is not covered by the Attrition Law and CSC rule on nepotism due to the highly technical nature of these positions (Section 12).
- S & T personnel already receiving the same benefits under any other law cannot avail of benefits under this Act unless they submit in writing their intention to withdraw the benefits already being received and opt for benefits provided under this Act (Section 13).
Retirement, preservation of benefits, and reemployment
- Upon retirement, S & T personnel shall automatically be granted one (1) salary grade higher than their basic salary, and retirement benefits shall be computed based on their highest salary received (Section 14).
- Nothing in this Act eliminates or diminishes benefits being enjoyed by S & T personnel at the time of effectivity (Section 15).
- An employee retired under any existing law who, in the judgment of the governing board or head of a research agency, has technical qualifications to undertake specific scientific research activities may be rehired on a contractual basis without refunding the unexpired portion of gratuity and accumulated leave benefits received from the Government (Section 16).
- Rehiring is allowed provided no qualified science and technology expert is available to undertake the scientific activities (Section 16).
Waiver for government scholars and awards
- Graduates or grantees of government S & T scholarship programs or trainings shall be given temporary waiver of CSC eligibilities for at least two (2) years (Section 17).
- Government scholarship/training graduates or grantees shall receive preferential access to financial grants from any government agency authorized to extend grants and to loans with easy terms from government financing institutes for science and technology projects that are viable and in line with the development thrust of the country (Section 17).
- The Act creates a Science and Technology Awards Committee to confer annually Science and Technology Awards for outstanding achievement/s and excellence or original contribution to science and technology (Section 18).
- The Committee shall promulgate implementing guidelines and specify the categories of awards and the amount of financial reward for each category (Section 18).
Oversight commission and reporting
- A Congressional Commission on Science and Technology (S and T COM) is created to review and assess the state of Philippine human resources development in S & T, the state of computerization and information technology in the Philippine economy and society, and the implementation of this Act (Section 19).
- The S and T COM shall be composed of five (5) Members of the House of Representatives and five (5) Members of the Senate, and shall be co-chaired by the Chairpersons of the Committee on Science and Technology of both Houses of Congress (Section 19).
- The commission shall undertake congressional review at least once every five (5) years (Section 19).
- The Secretary of the Department shall submit to the S and T COM an annual report on the status of implementation of this Act (Section 21).
Funding, implementation rules, and final clauses
- The amount necessary to fully implement this Act shall be provided in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the year following its enactment into law, under the budgetary appropriations of the DOST and concerned agencies (Section 20).
- The Department shall formulate implementing rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act in consultation with government and nongovernment agencies involved in STA (Section 22).
- All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with this Act are amended or repealed accordingly (Section 23).
- The provisions of this Act are separable; if any provision is rendered unconstitutional, the remaining provisions stay valid and effective (Section 24).