Science, Technology, and Nation-Building

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this chapter, the student should be able to;
1. Determine how early Filipinos applied scientific principles in their daily
living.
2. Present government policies on science and technology and explain
their importance to the nation
3. Relate the importance and role of science and technology in nation-
building

Introduction

Philippines have developed science and technology long way ago. Many
Filipinos were known because of their contributions to S&T. Technology adoption allows
the country’s firms and people to benefit from innovations created in other countries,
and allows it to keep up and even leap frog obsolete technologies. This can lead to
significant improvements in the productivity of firms in agriculture, industry, and
services.
Pre-Colonial Period
 Early Filipinos were using herbs and plants as medicines.
 They cultivate crops through terraces on the mountainsides.
  Irrigation system was incorporated. To achieve elaborate farming system, waters
were from the forests and mountain tops.
 The rice terraces are the proof of the innovative and ingenious way of native to
survive.
Colonial Period
 Colonization provided the country the means of construction.
 Walls, bridges, roads, and other large infrastructures were built using some of the
engineering skills and tools brought by the Spaniards.
 Spanish government developed health and education system that were enjoyed
by the principalia class.
 American established the Bureau of Science, an agency that will nurture the
development in the field of science and technology.
 One of the most remarkable contributions of the Spanish colonization was the
establishment of a university where philosophy, theology and the humanities are
studied — the University of Santo Tomas
Post-Colonial Period
The Contributions of the Philippine Presidents
Pres. Carlos P. Garcia (1957 - 1961)
 lack of support of experimental work
 marginal budget for scientific research
 low salaries of scientists employed by the government
 established the National Science Development Board

Pres. Ferdinand Marcos (1965 - 1986)

 -directed the Department of Education to revitalize the science courses in public
high schools
 channeled additional funds to support projects in applied sciences and science
education
 he proclaimed 35 hectares in Bicutan, Taguig, Rizal as the site of the Philippine
Science Community
 scholarships for graduate and undergraduate science scholars, and workshops
on fisheries and oceanography
 added the Philippine Coconut Research Institute to the NSDB to modernize the
coconut industry.
 support for the promotion of scientific research and invention with Presidential
Decree No. 49, s. 1972
 he enacted a law under Presidential Decree No. 1003-A, s. 1976 to establish the
National Academy of Science and Technology
 He enacted a law on the completion of the National Agriculture and Life Sciences
 Research Complex at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (Executive
Order No. 840, s. 1982)
 he established the Mindanao and Visayas campuses of the Philippine Science
High School to encourage careers in science and technology
 established other research institutes like PAGASA, National Grains Authority,
Philippine Council for Agricultural Research, Philippine National Oil Company

Pres. Corazon Aquino (1986 - 1992)

 National Science and Technology Authority was replaced by theDepartment of
Science and Technology
 science and technology's role in economic recovery and sustained economic
growth was highlighted
 created the Presidential Task Force for Science and Technology which came
upwith the first Science and Technology Master Plan or STMP
 Executive Order No.128 abolished R.A. No. 3859, also known as the “Philippine
Inventors Incentive Act.”
 gave assistance to Filipino inventors through giving financial aid, patent
application assistance, legal assistance, and to help inventors market their
products domestically and abroad
 R.A. 6655 or the Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988 opened doors to
free education up to the secondary level
 “Science for the Masses Program” which aimed at scientific and technological
literacy among Filipinos
Pres. Fidel V. Ramos (1992 - 1998)
 significant increase in personnel specializing in the science and technology field
 addition of Philippine Science High Schools in Visayas and Mindanao
 government provided 3,500 scholarships for students who were taking up
professions related to S&T
 Schools were becoming more modernized and updated with the addition of high-
tech equipment for student
 Priority for S&T personnel increased when Magna Carta for Science and
Technology Personnel (Republic Act No. 8439) was established
 award was published in order to give incentives and rewards for people who
have been influential in the field of S&T (Inventors and Inventions Incentives Act
or Republic Act No. 7459)
 programs such as National Program for Gifted Filipino Children in Science and
Technology
 enactment of a law creating a nationwide system of high schools specializing in
the field of science and engineering (Science and Technology Scholarship Law
of1994)
 enacted the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293)
Pres. Joseph Estrada (1998 - 2001)
 launched a full-scale program based on cost-effective irrigation technologies
 establishment of one science high school in every province
 advancement of industries and schools into the Internet age,
 passage of the e-Commerce Act

Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001 - 2010)

 the science and technology sector of the Philippines was dubbed as the "golden
age” during her term
 Numerous laws and projects that concerns both the environment and science to
push technology as a tool to increase the country's economic level
 the term "Filipinnovation" was the coined term used in helping the Philippines to
be an innovation hub in Asia
 Science Technology and Innovations (STI) was developed further by
strengthening the schools and education system such as the Philippine Science
High School (PSHS), which focuses in science, technology and mathematics in
their curriculum
 imposes Republic Act 10601 which improves the Agriculture and Fisheries
Sector through Mechanization (AFMech)

Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III (2010-2016)

 implemented the K to 12 program curricula
 upgraded government health facilities
 systematic deployment of health professionals to far – flung areas
 free vaccination to children
 numerous policies to improve financial protection
 pushed or an accelerated phase of industrialization to tur the country into
“modern economy”
 set out the vision off renewable energy as a tool to break the Philippines from its
dependence on imported fossil fuels
 made a 5-year national advocacy program to provide a conductive environment
for assembling and manufacturing of the equipment for agriculture and fisheries
production processing and marketing
 signed R.A. No. 10844 which created the Department of Information and
Communications Technology
 Constructed NAIA Terminal, Naga Airport, Legazi Base Port, Jct. Menzi-Dahican-
Lawigan Touris Road, Tabaco Port and many more
 Honored four distinguished scientists, Academicians Gavino C. Trono, Angel C.
Alcala, Ramon C. Barba, and Edgardo D. Gomez, were conferred the rank and
title of National Scientist

Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte (2016-2022)

  Development and various Improvement on crop, livestock and poultry production
 Adaptation of land satellite (landsat) remote-sensing as a rapid and cost-effective
method of environmental and resource survey.
 Pioneering geological surveys of thermal springs as potential sources of
electricity.
 Demonstration of the feasibility of generating electric power using geothermal
energy, so that the Philippines would become the second-largest producer in the
world.
 Industrial use of geothermal steam, e.g. production of iodized salt, grain drying,
and fish canning.
 Establishment of the technical and economic feasibility of utilizing natural and
man-made forests in the Philippines as sources of heat energy.
 Pioneering production of biogas from animal and agricultural wastes.
 Integrated coconut processing with products from coconut milk to activated
carbon.
 Production of chemicals for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries from
coconut oil.
 Creation of artificial rain through cloud seeding, using smoke generator and
meteorological balloon.
 Determination of the meteorological parameters in the development of typhoons
for more accurate prediction.
 Design and fabrication of appropriate low-cost equipment for small and medium
industries, e.g., chipping machines, wood-fired boilers, mixer machines.
 Local manufacture of aircraft parts.
 Nationwide survey of mercury and other heavy metal pollution, the results of
which prompted the NPCC to impose sanctions on the industries responsible.
 Support for the fabrication of prototype models.

For the People: Government Policies in Science and Technology

Science and technology (S&T) play an important role in sustaining a long-term growth of
the country.
In the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is the agency
concerned with advancing the country’s scientific and technological capacity. The
department is mandated to “provide central direction, leadership and coordination of
scientific and technological efforts and ensure that the results therefrom are geared and
utilized in areas of maximum economic and social benefits for the people” (Executive
Order 128, 1987).
The DOST is composed of the following: the sectoral planning councils, collegial and
scientific bodies, S&T services and research and development (R&D) institutes. The
department puts effort into attaining the following 11-point agenda (DOST 2017):
 pursue R&D to address pressing national problems
  conduct R&D to enhance productivity and improve management of resources
 engage in R&D to generate and apply new knowledge and technologies
across sectors
 strengthen and utilize regional R&D capabilities
 maximize utilization of R&D results through technology transfer and
commercialization
 develop STI human resources and build a strong STI culture
 upgrade STI facilities and capacities to advance R&D activities and expand
S&T services
 expand STI assistance to communities and the production sector, particularly
the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
 provide STI-based solutions for disaster risks and climate change adaptation
and mitigation
 strengthen industry-academe-government and international STI collaboration.
 enhance effectiveness of STI governance

The Department of Science and Technology worked together with the National
Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) in order to determine strategies and
policies that can help the country prepare itself in accomplishing the ASEAN 2015
goals. The resulting policies were clustered into four as follows:
 Social sciences, humanities, education, international policies and governance
 Physics, engineering and industrial research, earth and space sciences and
mathematics
 Medical, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences
 Biological sciences, agriculture and forestry
Aside from these, the DOST have existing projects such as: (1) funds for researches,
patents and projects related to science and technology; (2) scholarship grants for
undergraduate and graduate studies of S&T students; (3) more campuses of the
Philippine Science High School where young Filipino students are trained in S&T; (4)
S&T parks to encourage academic and industrial partnerships; (5) Balik Scientist
Program to encourage Filipino scientists to come home and work on researches and
projects with fellow Filipino scientists; (6) establishment of the National Science
Complex and the National Engineering Complex in order to develop S&T and
engineering manpower resources in the country.
Other programs that are supported by the government include those that were
established and developed by the Philippine-American Academy of Science and
Engineering (PAASE), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Philippine
Congress.
The Filipino in S&T
Dr. Queena Lee-Chua, in her book 10 Outstanding Filipino Scientists published in 2000,
identified the following Filipinos whose researches and works have made useful and
significant contributions to science and technology in the country:
1. Ramon Barba, tissue culture in Philippine mangoes
2. Josefino Comiso, observing Antarctica using satellite images
3. Jose Cruz Jr., famous electrical engineer, offices of Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering
4. Lourdes Cruz, research on seasnail venom
5. Fabian Dayrit, herbal medicine research
6. Rafael Guerrero III, Tilapia culture research
7. Enrique Ostrea Jr., invention of meconium drugs testing
8. Lilian Patena, research on plant biotechnology
9. Mari-jo Ruiz, outstanding educator and graph theorist
10. Gregory Tangonan, communications technology research

References:
 Alesina, Alberto and Reich, Bryony. (2015). Nation-building. Retrieved from:
http://bit.ly/nationbuilding_alesina_reich
 Executive Order №128, s. 1987, Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/EO128
 Lee-Chua, Queena N. (2000). 10 outstanding filipino scientists. Quezon City:
Anvil Publishing.
 Lee-Chua, Queena N. and Sebastian, Leocadio S. (2006). In love with science.
Pasic City: Anvil Publishing.
 National Economic and Development Authority. (2017). Philippine Development
Plan 2017–2022, abridged version. Pasig City: National Economic and
Development Authority.
 Serafica, Janice Patricia Javier, Pawilen, Greg Tabios, Caslin, Bernardo Nicolas
& Alata, Eden Joy Pastor. (2018). Science, technology, and society. Manila,
Philippines: Rex Book Store.
 Tegon-Geron, Antonette G., Guaves, Grace R., Maalihan, Erma De Mesa,
Malaluan, Nerrie E., Rocina, Jose Aims R. (2018). Science technology and
society. Malabon City, Philippines: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.