MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) are currently in talks for possible cooperation on food safety and security, and other areas, DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said on Tuesday.
DOST Undersecretary Renato Solidum, Jr. was among those who attended the meeting last April 23, to discuss areas of common interest and collaborative mechanisms that both institutions can jointly undertake.
The meeting between DOST and SCE became an avenue to discuss possible collaboration mechanisms between the two agencies that involve cooperation areas on water and waste management, food safety and security, digital government, and aquaculture, Solidum told the Philippine News Agency.
"However, the main focus of the discussion centered on food safety and security where DOST and SCE both shared their insights and both agreed that food security and safety is a whole of government approach and that DOST and SCE can co-develop a framework or roadmap on how to implement an effective ecosystem on food safety," he said.
He added that concerning food safety, parameters such as production, distribution, and policy should be considered.
Solidum said that it is expected for both DOST and SCE to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize their collaboration, and for the Philippine Embassy in Singapore to further link DOST and SCE to other Philippine government agencies who will show interest in collaborating in similar areas initially identified.
On the other hand, de la Peña said the SCE leads the public sector collaboration and partnerships of Singapore with foreign governments and generates economic spin-offs from Singapore’s private sector.
"It scopes out and tailors possible solutions to match the needs of foreign governments and help meet their development objectives," de la Peña said. (PNA)
DOST Undersecretary Renato Solidum, Jr. was among those who attended the meeting last April 23, to discuss areas of common interest and collaborative mechanisms that both institutions can jointly undertake.
The meeting between DOST and SCE became an avenue to discuss possible collaboration mechanisms between the two agencies that involve cooperation areas on water and waste management, food safety and security, digital government, and aquaculture, Solidum told the Philippine News Agency.
"However, the main focus of the discussion centered on food safety and security where DOST and SCE both shared their insights and both agreed that food security and safety is a whole of government approach and that DOST and SCE can co-develop a framework or roadmap on how to implement an effective ecosystem on food safety," he said.
He added that concerning food safety, parameters such as production, distribution, and policy should be considered.
Solidum said that it is expected for both DOST and SCE to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize their collaboration, and for the Philippine Embassy in Singapore to further link DOST and SCE to other Philippine government agencies who will show interest in collaborating in similar areas initially identified.
On the other hand, de la Peña said the SCE leads the public sector collaboration and partnerships of Singapore with foreign governments and generates economic spin-offs from Singapore’s private sector.
"It scopes out and tailors possible solutions to match the needs of foreign governments and help meet their development objectives," de la Peña said. (PNA)
