THE Department of Science and Technology (DoST) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with various government agencies to support its program of establishing smart and sustainable communities in the Philippines.
Signatories to the document were DoST Secretary Renato Solidum; Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. represented by Asst. Secretary Atty. Romeo Benitez of the Legal Affairs Department; Information and Communication Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy; and Atty. Engelbert Caronan Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Development Academy of the Philippines.
Signatories to the document were DoST Secretary Renato Solidum; Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. represented by Asst. Secretary Atty. Romeo Benitez of the Legal Affairs Department; Information and Communication Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy; and Atty. Engelbert Caronan Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Development Academy of the Philippines.
Each agency has its own set of mandates to pursue the vision of the program. For DoST, among its responsibilities is to “lead in the development of a holistic and synergistic research-driven framework and roadmap through a dynamic partnership of government, academe, private sector, civil society sector and other instrumentalities/organizations for smart and sustainable communities.”
The parties also have common responsibilities which include “the development and integration of safety measures/mechanisms in the program’s framework to defend communities from cyberattack, among others, which may compromise the integrity and safety of data and information, and to sustain the operations and delivery of services.”
The important document further stressed that the MoU “serves only as a record of the parties’ intentions and does not constitute or create any legally binding or enforceable rights or obligations, expressed or implied, under domestic or international law and will not give rise to any legal process.”
SOURCE: The Manila Times
https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/07/26/public-square/support-sought-for-dosts-establishment-of-smart-sustainable-communities/1902350