In the Philippines, the evolution of science and technology has already existed a long time ago.

Many
vital inventions and discoveries made my brilliant Filipinos and the impact on the nation-building and
the world.

The development of science and technology in the Philippines has already come a long way. Many
significant inventions and discoveries have been accomplished by or attributed to the Filipinos.

Pre-Colonial Period

Scientific and technological development in the Philippines began in the pre-colonial period.
Even before the Spaniards came to the Philippine islands, early Filipino settlers were already using
certain plants and herbs as medicines. Systems of farming and animal raising were also implemented.
Moreover, early Filipinos also develop different modes of transportation, whether terrestrial or
maritime.

A complicated engineering feat was achieved by the natives of the Cordilleras when they built
rice terraces by hand. Through these terraces, the people were able to cultivate crops on the
mountainsides in cold temperatures. They incorporated an irrigation system that uses water from the
forests and mountain tops to achieve an elaborate farming system. The rice terraces of the Cordilleras,
which are still functional, show the innovative and ingenious way of the natives to survive in an
otherwise unfriendly environment.

• Modern man from the Asian mainland first came over land and across narrow channels to live in
Palawan and Batangas around 50,000 years ago.
• The early Filipinos had attained a generally simple level of technological development,
compared with those of Chinese and Japanese, but this was sufficient for their needs at that
period of time.
• Simple tools or weapons of stone flakes
• Developed techniques for sawing, drilling, and polishing hard stones
• Settled in other major Philippines islands (Mindanao, Negros, Samar, Luzon)

By the first century A.D., Filipinos were:

• Weaving cotton
• Smelting iron
• Making pottery
• Glass ornaments
• Engaged in agriculture
• Lowland rice was cultivated in fields
• Boat making

Fishing in coastal areas and many Filipinos were still living as hunters and gatherers

On the whole, the pre-colonial Filipinos were still highly superstitious. The Spaniards found no
temples or places of worship. Although the Filipinos know how to read and write in their own system,
this was mainly used for messages and letters. They seem not to have developed a written literary at
that time. This would have led to a more systematic accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, a
condition that is necessary for the development of science and technology.
Colonial Period

Colonization by the Spaniards provided the Philippines with modern means of construction.
Walls, roads, bridges, and other large infrastructures were built using some of the engineering skills
and tools brought by the Spaniards. In addition, the Spanish government developed health and
education system that were enjoyed by the principalia class.

The beginning 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.

The net result of reduction was the creation of towns and the foundations of the present system
of local government. The precolonial ruling class, the datus and their hereditary successors, were
adopted by the Spanish colonial government into this new system to serve as the heads of the lowest
level of local government; i.e. as cabezas de barangay. The colonial authorities found the new set up
expeditious for establishing centralized political control over the archipelago.

• Establishment of reduccion (consolidation of the far-flung, scattered barangay communities

into a compact settlements within the hearing distance of the church bells)
• Decline in agriculture production

Various decrees were issued in Spain calling for the establishment of a school system in the colony
but these were not effectively carried out. Primary instruction during the Spanish regime was generally
taken care by the missionaries and parish priests in the villages and towns. Owing to the death of the
qualified teachers, textbooks and other instructional materials, primary instruction was mainly religious
education.

• University of Santo Tomas remained as the highest institution of learning

• Run by the Dominicans
• It was established as a college in 1611 by Fray Miguel de Benavides
• It initially granted degrees in theology, philosophy, and humanities

The American occupation modernized almost all aspects of life in the Philippines. They
established a government agency, the Bureau of Science, for the sole purpose of nurturing
development in the field of science and technology.

• Science and technology in the Philippines advanced rapidly during the American
regime.
• This was made possible by the simultaneous government encouragement and support
for an extensive public education systems; the granting of scholarships for higher
education in science and technology and engineering; the organization of science
research agencies and establishment of science-based public services.
Post-Colonial Period

After achieving independence from the colonizers, the Philippines, under different
administrations, continued to pursue programs in science and technology. Each leadership had its own
science and technology agenda. However, it is important to note that some Philippine presidents
posted more developments in the field than others.

One of the presidents who ushered in advancements in science and technology was the former
president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Under his term, many agencies in science and technology
were established and strengthened, including the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in place of the abolished Weather Bureau; the
National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST); and the reconstituted National Science and
Technology Authority (originally established in 1958 as the National Science and Development Board
and now the Department of Science and Technology), among others. Marcos saw that the key to
nation-building is the continued development of science and technology. The progress in science and
technology continued even after his dictatorial rule and the president after him left their own legacies in
the field.

Key Points:

• The Philippines underwent in a period of pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial, which has a
great influence in the development of science and technology in the country.
• Even before the arrival of the colonizers the ancient Filipinos already had a unique practices,
tools and beliefs.
• The Spanish, American and even the Japanese colonizers had a great influence to the
development of science and technology in the Philippines.
• Post-colonial Period aside that Philippines gained independence the science and technology
continue to foster as a priority concerns of some Philippine presidents.