Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Lopez, Quezon Branch

GEED 10083
Science, Technology, and Society

MODULE 1:
General Concepts and Historical Events
in Science, Technology, and Society

LESSON 2:
Science, Technology,
and Nation-building

Christopher B. Valencia, LPT, MAED

Professor
 LESSON 2
Science, Technology, and Nation-building

LESSON OBJECTIVES

After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Discuss the role of science and technology in Philippine nation-building
 Evaluate government policies pertaining to science and technology in terms of their
contributions to nation- building
 Identify actual science and technology policies of the government and appraise their impact
on the development of the Filipino nation.

Brief Historical Background of Science and Technology in the Philippines

There is a very little reliable written information about Philippine society, culture and
technology before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1521. (8) As such, one has to reconstruct a
picture of this past using contemporary archaeological findings, accounts by early traders and
foreign travelers, and the narratives about conditions in the archipelago which were written by
the first Spanish missionaries and colonial officials. According to these sources, there were
numerous, scattered, thriving, relatively self-sufficient and autonomous communities long before
the Spaniards arrived. The early Filipinos had attained a generally simple level of technological
development, compared with those of the Chinese and Japanese, but this was sufficient for their
needs at that period of time.

Archaeological findings indicate that modern men (homo sapiens) from the Asian mainland
first came over-land and across narrow channels to live in Palawan and Batangas around
50,000 years ago. For about 40,000 years, they made simple tools or weapons of stone flakes
but eventually developed techniques for sawing, drilling and polishing hard stones. These Stone
Age inhabitants, subsequently formed settlements in the major Philippine islands such as Sulu,
Mindanao (Zamboanga, and Davao), Negros, Samar, Luzon (Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan
and the Cagayan region). By about 3,000 B.C., they were producing adzes ornaments of
seashells and pottery of various designs. The manufacture of pottery subsequently became well
developed and flourished for about 2,000 years until it came into competition with imported
Chinese porcelain. Thus over time pottery making declined. What has survived of this ancient
technology is the lowest level, i.e., the present manufacture of the ordinary cooking pot among
several local communities.(9) Gradually, the early Filipinos learned to make metal tools and
implements -- copper, gold, bronze and, later, iron.

The beginnings of modern science and technology in the Philippines can be traced to the
Spanish regime. The Spaniards established schools, hospitals and started scientific research
and these had important consequences for the rise of the country's professions. But the
direction and pace of development of science and technology were greatly shaped by the role of
the religious orders in the conquest and colonization of the archipelago and by economic and
trade adopted by the colonial government.

Even before the colonization by the Spaniards in the Philippine islands, the natives of the
archipelago already had practices linked to science and technology. Filipinos were already
aware of the medicinal and therapeutic properties of plants and the methods of extracting
medicine from herbs. They already had an alphabet, number system, a weighing and measuring
system and a calendar. Filipinos were already engaged in farming, shipbuilding, mining and
weaving. The Banaue Rice Terraces are among the sophisticated products of engineering by
pre-Spanish era Filipinos. The colonization of the Philippines contributed to growth of science
and technology in the archipelago. The Spanish introduced formal education and founded
scientific institution. During the early years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. Parish schools
were established where religion, reading, writing, arithmetic and music was taught. Sanitation
and more advanced methods of agriculture was taught to the natives. Later the Spanish
established colleges and universities in the archipelago including the University of Santo Tomas.

The progress of science and technology in the Philippines continued under American rule of
the islands. On July 1, 1901 The Philippine Commission established the Bureau of Government
Laboratories which was placed under the Department of Interior. The Bureau replaced the
Laboratorio Municipal, which was established under the Spanish colonial era. The Bureau dealt
with the study of tropical diseases and laboratory projects. On October 26, 1905, the Bureau of
Government Laboratories was replaced by the Bureau of Science and on December 8, 1933,
the National Research Council of the Philippines was established. The Bureau of Science
became the primary research center of the Philippines until World War II.

In 1946 the Bureau of Science was replaced by the Institute of Science. In a report by the
US Economic Survey to the Philippines in 1950, there is a lack of basic information which were
necessities to the country’s industries, lack of support of experimental work and minimal budget
for scientific research and low salaries of scientists employed by the government. In 1958,
during the regime of President Carlos P. Garcia, the Philippine Congress passed the Science
Act of 1958 which established the National Science Development Board.

During Ferdinand Marcos’ presidency, the importance given to science grew. In the
amended 1973 Philippine Constitution, Article XV, Section 9 (1), he declared that the
“advancement of science and technology shall have priority in the national development.” In his
two terms of presidency and during Martial Law, he enacted many laws promoting science and
technology.In his Second State of the Nation Address on January 23, 1967, he declared that
science was necessary for the development programs, and thus, directed the Department of
Education to revitalize the science courses in public high schools. The Department of Education,
with the National Science Development Board (NSDB), is organizing a project to provide
selected high schools with science teaching equipment over a four-year period.

In 1986, during Corazon Aquino’s presidency, the National Science and Technology
Authority was replaced by the Department of Science and Technology, giving science and
technology a representation in the cabinet. Under the Medium Term Philippine Development
Plan for the years 1987-1992, science and technology’s role in economic recovery and
sustained economic growth was highlighted. During Corazon Aquino’s State of the Nation
Address in 1990, she said that science and technology development shall be one of the top
three priorities of the government towards an economic recovery. On August 8, 1988, Corazon
Aquino created the Presidential Task Force for Science and Technology which came up with the
first Science and Technology Master Plan or STMP. The goal of STMP was for the Philippines to
achieve newly industrialized country status by the year 2000. The Congress did not put much
priority in handling bills related to science and technology. The Senate Committee on Science
and Technology was one of the committees that handles the least amount of bills for
deliberation.

Fidel V. Ramos believes that science and technology was one of the means wherein the
Philippines could attain the status of new industrialized country (NIC). During his term, he was
able to establish programs that were significant to the field of S&T. In 1993, Science and
Technology Agenda for National Development (STAND) was established. Among its priorities
were: (1) exporting winners identified by the DTI; (2) domestic needs identified by the
President’s Council for Countryside Development; (3) support industries and (4) coconut
industry development. Congress, during his term, was able to enact laws that were significant for
the field. Among were: (1) Magna Carta for Science and Technology Personnel (Republic Act
No. 8439); (2) Science and Technology Scholarship Law of 1994 (Republic Act No. 7687) and (3)
Inventors and Inventions Incentives Act (Republic Act No. 7459). The Intellectual Property Code
of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293) was enacted during Ramos’ term. The law provides
industrial property rights, copyrights and related rights, and technology transfer arrangements.

In President Joseph Estrada’s term, two major legislations that he signed were Philippine
Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act No. 8749) which was designed to protect and preserve the
environment and ensure the sustainable development of its natural resources, and Electronic
Commerce Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 8792) which outlaws computer hacking and provides
opportunities for new businesses emerging from the Internet-driven New Economy. Aside from
these, in his first State of the Nation Address, President Estrada launched a full-scale program
based on cost-effective irrigation technologies. He also announced that Dole-outs are out, which
meant basic health care, basic nutrition, and useful education for those who want, but cannot
afford it. Lastly, he said that they would speed up the program to establish one science high
school in every province. It was in his second State of the Nation Address that President Estrada
announced the passage of the Clean Air Act, and the decision to pursue the 15-year
modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. His last State of the Nation
Address pushed for the advancement of industries and schools into the Internet age, as well as
the announcement of the passage of the e-Commerce Act.

In the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, the science and technology sector of the
Philippines was dubbed as the “golden age” of science and technology by then secretary
Estrella Albastro . Numerous laws and projects that concerns both the environment and science
to push technology as a tool to increase the country’s economic level. This is to help increase
the productivity from Science, Technology and Innovations (STI) and help benefit the poor
people. Moreover, the term “Filipinnovation” was the coined term used in helping the Philippines
to be an innovation hub in Asia.

In 2014, President Aquino conferred four new National Scientist for their contribution in the
Scientific field, Academicians Gavino C. Trono, Angel C. Alcala, Ramon C. Barba, and Edgardo
D. Gomez was honored in their respective fields. Trono’s contribution helped a lot of families in
the coastal populations through the extensives studies he made on seaweed species. On the
other hand, Alcala served as the pioneer scientist and advocate of coral reefs aside from his
contribution in the fields of systematics, secology and herpetology. Barba’s contribution changes
the seasonal supply of fresh fruits to an all year round availability of mangoes through his
studies on the induction of flowering of mango and micropropagation of important crop species.
Lastly, Gomez steered the national-scale assessment of damage coral reefs which led a
national conservation.

Science and technology in the country scored another milestone with the signing of the Balik
Scientist law by President Rodrigo Roa A. Duterte on 15 June 2018. Republic Act No. 11035,
also known as an “Act Institutionalizing the Balik Scientist Program,” would give more incentives
to returning Filipino experts, scientists, inventors, and engineers who would share their expertise
in the country. The enacted law would strengthen the implementation of the Department of
Science and Technology’s (DOST) Balik Scientist Program which was first established in 1975
through Presidential Decree No. 819 but was only implemented in 1986. Since its
implementation, several scientists have come back to the country on short- and long-term basis
to mentor science and engineering students and faculty along their line of expertise through
research and development, teaching, and other activities. This sharing of expertise significantly
contributed to the acceleration of the scientific, agro-industrial and economic development of the
country. Through the Balik Scientist Law, a returning scientist can participate in DOST’s
Grants-in-Aid research and development. A grant may be provided to the Balik Scientist and
released through the host institution for the implementation of the project in accordance with
relevant government regulations and the need of the program involved.

Government Policies on Science and Technology

The Philippines has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, expected to grow
from the 44th to the 16th largest by 2050. To keep up with this rate of growth, the nation’s
industries will have to define more clearly their need for science and technology services, while
enhancing the capacity of universities to train graduates in high-demand skills. Similarly,
collaborative innovation between and among universities and industry should be encouraged
through new initiatives. Such measures contribute to harnessing the intellectual capital of the
country’s higher education system that will sustainably and efficiently support Philippine
prosperity.To address these needs, RTI leads an eight-year effort, funded by the U.S. Agency
for International Development, known as STRIDE—Science, Technology, Research and
Innovation for Development.Launched in 2013, STRIDE works in support of the
U.S.–Philippines Partnership for Growth with Equity, a White House initiative that promotes
broad-based and inclusive growth. The program helps form partnerships between universities
and industry to enhance the nation’s capacity for innovation-led economic growth.

Using a number of initiatives, STRIDE seeks toimprove research qualifications of faculty

and staffboost research capacity in key disciplines strengthen university-industry links in
high-growth economic sectors bolster policy and management capacity of higher education
institutions in science, technology, and innovation By 2017, the Philippines had placed
innovation as a key component of national development plans, recognizing its importance in
driving self-sustaining economic growth. With this development, in 2018, STRIDE was extended
for three additional years by USAID. The extension allowed STRIDE to build on its prior
initiatives in support of the Philippine government’s journey to self-reliance.

Building on lessons learned in its first five years—from breaking university-industry barriers
to enabling exchange of knowledge and best practices between Philippine and American
universities through joint research and scholarships—STRIDE is now focusing on
institutionalizing the most sustainable initiatives. Working together with several government
departments, STRIDE helps implement a jointly developed national innovation roadmap that
defines policies and efforts required to make innovation drive economic growth. This is one of
the many vital steps STRIDE is supporting toward fostering stronger convergence among key
players in the Philippine innovation landscape.As an example, STRIDE recently participated in
the Inclusive Innovation Conference, organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and various other
innovation stakeholders. At the conference, DTI’s Secretary Ramon Lopez highlighted the
importance of fostering stronger collaboration among government, academe, and the private
sector in creating inclusive innovative industries:

STRIDE is working closely with the Philippine government and higher education institutions
to develop Professional Science Master’s degrees and providing advanced technical training for
research professionals. In addition, the project is supporting a network of Knowledge and
Technology Transfer Offices and Career Centers in Philippine universities, all which aim to
sustain linkages with industry. Local universities are also being assisted to manage research
more efficiently through diagnostics that will lead to interventions that can improve institutional
processes. U.S.-based experts from RTI, along with government partners, have co-developed
new strategies and policies to better capture the benefits of science and technology research.
This includes establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that measure societal impacts
of government-funded R&D projects and implementing communications efforts to better inform
the public of such positive outcomes.To improve the policy environment on innovation, STRIDE
conducted assessments of the Philippines’ overall innovation ecosystem, along with more
specific studies on the innovation space around agribusiness and priority technology sectors of
the government. Various innovation workshops, organized by STRIDE, provided a forum for
industries and academia to identify collaborative ideas in alternative energy, translational
medicine, electronics, chemical industries, agribusiness, and information technology.
By building institutional structures to support and sustain a system where industries become
active stakeholders in university research and universities become market-driven providers,
STRIDE is playing a dynamic role in facilitating economic development in the Philippines. Along
the way, STRIDE has helped build a professional workforce with world-class science and
technology research experience, equipping more Filipino graduates and their faculty to readily
participate and contribute in a global economy increasingly driven by rapid technological
advances. With the Philippines’ inaugural inclusion as one of the world’s “innovation achievers”
in the 2019 Global Innovation Index, STRIDE will continue to focus on the Philippine
government’s growing commitment to innovation as the country further strengthens the
foundation that it has built over the years toward innovation-driven, inclusive growth.

Thus, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) featuring some programs and
projects that we believe can make a big impact in the lives of the people and push the country to
attain socioeconomic growth and development. Some of the are the following:

1. Understanding Lightning and Thunderstorms for extreme weather monitoring and

information sharing (ULAT)
ULAT is a five-year collaborative research and development project aimed at conducting
and utilizing lightning and cloud measurements as additional inputs in enhancing the monitoring
and forecasting of extreme, short-term localized weather events. The project is deploying 50
lightning measurement stations in Metro Manila and additional 10 stations in synoptic weather
stations of DOST-PAGASA outside of Metro Manila. ULAT is also establishing a Ground
Receiving Station (GRS) in Dumangas, Iloilo to provide additional capability in communicating
with the Philippine microsatellites. The Iloilo GRS is equipped with a 3.5 meter satellite tracking
antenna and serves as redundancy to the existing ground stations in Quezon City and Davao
City

2. MAYA-3 AND MAYA-4 ( The first Philippine University-built Nanosatellites)

The Maya-3 and Maya-4 cube satellites (CubeSats) are the first nanosatellites built within
the country. Weighing approximately 1 kg, the CubeSats house components that are designed
to demonstrate nanosatellite-based remote data collection system and optical imaging within its
10 cm cubic frame. Maya-3 and Maya-4 are part of the course requirements of the Master of
Science/Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering under the Electrical and Electronics
Engineering Institute (EEEI) of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). These are being
developed by the first batch of the local nanosatellite engineering graduate program, comprising
of eight students with scholarship support from the Department of Science and
Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI). The local nanosatellite engineering
program lodged under the Space Science and Technology Proliferation through University
Partnerships (STeP-UP) Project of the Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation,
and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program, with funding from DOST and co-implemented
by UPD and DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI). Maya-3 and Maya-4 are
slated for launch in the fourth quarter of 2020.

3. iLAB Ornamental Labs

The Department of Science and Technology-Region III partnered with the local government
unit of Guiguinto, Bulacan for the project entitled “Development of the Gardening and
Landscaping Industry of Guiguinto, Bulacan thru the Establishment of an Innovative Tissue
Culture Laboratory (iLAB) for Sustainable Propagation of Various Ornamental Plants”. The
project will establish a tissue culture laboratory that will provide the following services: • Quick
generation of identical mature offspring of one plant with desirable traits, which is applicable for
commercial large-scale production of plants; • Production of multiple plants in the absence of
seeds or pollinators to produce seeds; • Production of plants from seeds or stems that may
otherwise have low chances of growing; • Production of novel hybrids and genetically modified
plants with improved agronomic traits; and • Production of plants with greatly reduced chances
of transmitting disease, pests and pathogens.

4. Tissue Cultured Coconuts and Hybrid Coconuts

To revitalize the Philippine coconut industry, there is a need to replant old and senile trees in
about 500,000 hectares of almost unproductive coconut plantations in the country. The low
productivity of coconut trees can be addressed with the Coconut Somatic Embryogenesis
Technology (CSet) developed by the Philippine Coconut Authority, in cooperation with state
universities and colleges. With CSet, around 200-300 plantlets per plumule on the average can
be produced through mass propagation of quality planting materials from responsive tall, dwarf,
and hybrid coconut varieties. Another initiative that is being implemented is the production of
coconut hybrid seedling through the establishment of coconut hybridization farms. This will also
provide S&T-based assessment of the performance of the mother palms of the hybrids in
diverse ecological conditions.

5. Philippine Genome Center in Visayas

The establishment of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in the Visayas ushers in the
growing need to expand the services of the PGC in the University of the Philippines Diliman to
generate and translate useful information in the field of genomics into actionable results. With
the rich biodiversity in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, the PGC Visayas will serve as hub for
extensive research in agriculture—from crops to livestock—as well as marine resources that can
be tapped as sources of natural products and other industrially and medically relevant resources.
Further, because of its strategic location, PGC Visayas will sustain activities aimed at deepening
the talent pool in genomics and bioinformatics in the regions. The program is being implemented
by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and
Development (DOST-PCHRD).

The National Academy of Science And Technology

The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) is the highest recognition and
advisory body on science and technology. It is composed of outstanding scientists to serve as a
reservoir of competent scientific and technological manpower for the country.
The 1973 Constitution stated that the advancement of science shall have priority in national
development and that the “State shall promote scientific research and invention.” In order to
implement this constitutional mandate, Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1003-A, s. 1976, created
the National Academy of Science and Technology, the highest recognition and advisory body on
 science and technology. Executive Order (EO) No. 818, s. 1982, mandated NAST to act as the
advisory body of the President of the Philippines and to the Cabinet in matters concerning
science and technology in the Philippines. Furthermore, the EO empowered the Academy to
engage in projects or programs designed to recognize outstanding achievements in science to
promote scientific productivity. Some of the National Scientists are the following:

Year
Name Field of Specialization
Conferred
1. Juan S. Salcedo, Jr., M.D. 1978 Nutrition and Public Health
2. Alfredo C. Santos, Dr.phil. 1978 Physical Chemistry
3. Gregorio Y. Zara, D.Sc. 1978 Engineering and Inventions
4. Fe Del Mundo, M.D. 1980 Pediatrics
Plant Taxonomy, Systematics, and
5. Eduardo A. Quisumbing, Ph.D. 1980
Morphology
6. Geminiano T. de Ocampo, Ph.D. 1982 Ophthalmology
7. Casimiro V. del Rosario, Ph.D 1982 Physics, Astronomy, and Meteorology
8. Gregorio T. Velasquez, Ph.D. 1982 Phycology
9. Francisco M. Fronda, Ph.D. 1983 Animal Husbandry
Human Nutrition and Agricultural
10. Francisco O. Santos, Ph.D. 1983
Chemistry
ASSESSMENT

Name: Date:

Course and Year: Module No. 1

Lesson No. 2

Direction: Explain each questions and provide concise answers with some relevant
examples for clarification, if necessary.

1. What are the significant contributions of the Spaniards and Americans to the development of
science and technology in the Philippines?
2. How does school science shape science and technology in the country?
3. Identify several issues in the Philippines. What science and technology related policies could
be developed and implemented to solve these issues
4. What can you say about the implementation of some science and technology policies and
projects in the country?
5. Identify 10 Filipino Scientists and research on their contributions in the field of science.