A DECADE after the Philippines ranked as the third-highest exporter of highly educated migrants, the country still faces a familiar struggle. This phenomenon, known as brain drain, has been a long-standing issue among Filipino scientists. To reverse this trend, the “Balik Scientist Act,” enacted in 2018, institutionalized the call for Filipino scientists abroad to return and share their expertise with the country.
However, seven years after its enactment, the root causes of the Act’s implementation remain far from resolution. While Filipino scientists already answered the government’s call to return to the Philippines, the change they longed for still has not materialized, bringing them back into the very system that once drove many of them overseas.
Initial departure
The migration of Filipinos is not purely out of choice, but a product of their circumstances.
Andrea Anas, PhD, an environmental materials scientist hosted by the Angeles University Foundation and University of the Philippines – Visayas, recalled that in 2002, several Filipino scientists experienced up to six months of delay in receiving their salaries, which heavily affected those supporting their families. This mirrors a bigger reality: Filipino scientists are deprived of institutional support.
Salaries, however, are just a facet of the issue. Donna Guarte-Valida, PhD, a marine biologist hosted by Visayas State University, noted the difference in the research culture of the Philippines and Japan. In Japan, work is output-oriented and flexible, while the Philippines follows a rigid schedule that often mismatches the realities of experiments and fieldwork.
This rigidity extends to the roles scientists are expected to take on. Ricardo Jose Guerrero, PhD, a nanotechnology and systems engineer hosted by the Ateneo, said that Filipino scientists need to source materials and get supplier quotations—work that falls outside their role.
Despite the systemic struggles in the Philippines, their decision to come back is rooted in their purpose in their community.
Arriving back home
As Balik Scientists return to the country, Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) Research Development and Management Division Chief Ruby Raterta, PhD, tags the situation a reversal of “brain drain” to “brain gain.”
More than addressing manpower shortages, Anas emphasized that the Balik Scientist Program (BSP) responded to pressing problems of the country. She stressed that through the program, she returned and contributed to several innovations, such as natural products with antimicrobial properties, while promoting environmental sustainability.
For Guerrero, he observed that research abroad resulted in publications that were rarely implemented. Thus, he wanted to bring responsive solutions out of the laboratory to the Filipino people.
Beyond research and development, Guarte-Valida was able to coordinate with local government units for research-driven governance. In her engagements, she conducted marine habitat assessments in remote communities, whose insights serve as the basis for environmental programs and policies.
Prepare for turbulence
While BSP strives to uplift the country’s research field through innovations and consultations, the struggle extends beyond the field itself.
For Raterta, the bureaucracy of other stakeholders heavily impacts the initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology. She noted that regulations from the Commission on Audit slow down budget release, while import permit requirements from the Bureau of Customs complicate the entry of equipment and research materials into the country.
Engagement capacity remains another limitation. Raterta shared that the current BSP budget under the PCIEERD stands at Php 38 million for 2026. Due to difficulties in attracting potential Balik Scientists, the program’s budget remains unchanged.
“Ultimately, it’s not about the salary. It’s about the opportunity, the recognition, and the ability to make meaningful contributions,” she expressed.
She added that disparities in research infrastructure, career growth opportunities, international networks, family life abroad, and the need to restart their career continue to deter Filipino scientists from coming back.
Bigger skies to conquer
The pledge of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his first year in office to support Filipino scientists remains far from being a complete reality.
Guerrero concludes there is “no real advocacy” for doing research easier, as the administrative burden remains the primary factor that stunts the growth of Philippine science. “We need to have people worry[ing] about problems… There is no shortage of things that need good [and] dedicated people to work on,” he added.
Despite having deeper systemic problems to confront, Guarte-Valida encouraged fellow scientists to come back, as the country is in need of scientists’ expertise.
After lucratively incentivizing the Balik Scientists to return, the real challenge for the government is to address the long-standing issues that made them leave the first time. Being a scientist in the country should no longer be a mission of the martyrs. The praises for the nobility of the field should not be empty, but substantiated with a human-centered system.
