Journal Status Report 2019

This particular issue of Volume 148 presents a yearly status report in line with a practice that was started three years ago in 2017. The aim is to provide our valued readers and stakeholders with timely information that allows them to gauge correctly the current state of affairs of the Philippine Journal of Science (PJS) and to make them aware of the challenges that it is facing moving forward. The report is our tangible contribution in the ongoing effort to foster a culture of evidence-based decision-making in the Philippine scientific enterprise system—which includes the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Academy of Science and Technology, and the higher education institutions that offer STEM Ph.D. programs. Palpable scientific culture is more likely to take root in a society when its science community is the one showing the way by example. Metric-dependent planning coupled with data-driven implementation is essential in cultivating a nurturing research and development (R&D) environment that enables scientific talent to realize their full potential.