A scientific call for help: Rise Philippine science and mathematics

Many people consider the P21 rollback in fuel prices as breathing room, but they forget that it is only a temporary fix for a broken system. The way the Department of Energy reacts to the national energy crisis shows that it is failing to be a truly visionary body.

Every time someone suggests a bold solution, or there is news about someone pushing for change and a stronger focus on renewable energy, people say that reality bites or that energy independence is just a dream. Since when have we become defeatist and cynical fools who accept reality just the way it is? Have we not learned from our past that no matter how large the odds may be, we still need to keep fighting for change?

For 300 years, we endured the colonization of Spain, and for many more years, we endured the colonization of the United States and Japan. But now, with the energy of our future and the scientific strength of our nation on the line, have we simply decided to give up? Our past battles should have taught us to be independent, but instead, we have interpreted our situation as a reason to depend on the innovation of other nations. Everyone needs to know this: we need to stop waiting for the right time and start making reality adapt to us. Accepting things as they are is a defeatist mindset that has become far too common.

While some senators push for renewable energy and the advancement of science and mathematics in the country, the public stays helpless because they think the system is built to fail them. This creates a massive gap between the people and the government.

The system is flawed, and the public mindset is flawed too, but fixing this is the only way to make the Philippines a global scientific contender.

Yet, people are too focused on their own self-interests. They would rather prioritize being right over being open-minded to alternatives. This selfishness stops us from seeing the bigger picture. We spend more time arguing with each other or protecting our own small comforts instead of looking for solutions that help everyone.

If we continue to choose our own pride over progress, we will never find the alternative paths that could save our economy. We need to stop looking for someone to blame and start looking for a way to contribute.

It is time for Philippine science and mathematics to rise up. Every prayer that you send to God needs to have an action right after it. We do not wait for miracles to happen; we make those miracles happen through the power of science. It is our intellectual responsibility to work together and deal with this energy crisis as fast as possible.

So I ask every single brilliant mind in the country: help the Philippines. Do not use your skills in science and mathematics for mere competitions. Use those skills to innovate and solve the actual issues that our country is facing today. Because the moment that science gains real power, true change can finally happen, which will benefit the masses in the long term.

Rise, Philippine science, and let us not waste time any longer. I am calling for a national scientific mobilization. Not in 10 years. Not when it is convenient. But right now.

Marciano L. Legarde, marcianolegarde@gmail.com

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