The Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) is observed every September to promote and draw nationwide awareness on the importance of policy research in the formulation of development plans, programs and policies, pursuant to Proclamation No. 247, issued by Malacañang in September 2002.
The Proclamation underscores the “need for promoting, enhancing, instilling, and drawing awareness and appreciation of the importance and necessity of policy research” in development planning and policymaking. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) was designated as overall coordinator of all the programs and activities of the DPRM.
This year, the DPRM theme is “Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Creating our Future Today (Isulong ang Fourth Industrial Revolution Tungo sa Katuparan ng Ating Kinabukasan Ngayon). “It was chosen to kindle policymakers’ attention to the potential impacts of Industry 4.0 and motivate them to formulate appropriate adaptation measures. The conference also aims to convene researchers, policymakers, and the private sector to share their insights on how the Philippines can take advantage of the benefits of the FiRE while managing the risks associated with it,” said PIDS (https://dprm.pids.gov.ph/latest-news/118-pids%E2%80%99-annual-public-policy-conference-to-focus-on-industry-4-0).
The culminating activity will be the Annual Public Policy Conference (APPC) on September 19, 2018 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel Manila in Mandaluyong City.
Other activities scheduled for the month-long celebration include the following: 1) press conference to kick off the DPRM; 2) regional events, such as the Fourth Mindanao Policy Research Forum on September 11 in Cagayan de Oro City; 3) press conference with local officials and stakeholders during this forum; 4) one-day exhibit on September 19 that will feature technologies/innovations and videos, and publications and knowledge materials produced by the conference sponsors, such as the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Science and Technology, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Asian Development Bank, Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, Global Development Network, and the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Small Enterprises Research and Development Foundation (SERDEF) is among the partners of PIDS in the month-long celebration. Aside from the announcement of the DPRM in the SERDEF website, a DPRM banner with the SERDEF logo was also printed and displayed within SERDEF premises.
To find out more about the 16th DPRM, visit http://dprm.pids.gov.ph, http://appc.pids.gov.ph, and https://www.pids.gov.ph.