GEC 107 – LESSON 3: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND NATION

BUILDING
PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD THE PHILIPPINES GOVERNMENT SCIENCE &
• Limited to the use of herbal medicines and only TECHNOLOGY AGENDA
farming, fishing, mining, and weaving were the first
livelihood skills developed by the Filipinos. What is the role of our government in science and
• Technology is used by people in building houses, technology?
irrigations and in developing tools that they can use in • To prepare the whole country and its people to meet the
everyday life and it is evident in the excavated stone demands of a technologically driven world and
flicks used as tools and weapons and even in sewing capacitate the people to live in a world driven by
and polishing stones for other purposes such as science. The Department of Science and Technology
hunting, cooking, and fishing. (DOST) has sought the expertise of the National
• Later on, ornament of seashells and battery were Research Council of the Philippines to consult various
developed together with metal tools and ornaments sectors in the society to study how the Philippines can
until the importation of cast iron from China. prepare itself in meeting the ASEAN 2015 goals. As a
• They also learned to build boats for trading purposes result, the NRCP has been expected to recommend
like the Planck built warships called karakoa suited for policies and programs that will improve the
the inner island trades. Spaniards even utilized Filipino competitiveness of the country in the ASEAN region.
expertise in boat making and seamanship to fight rival
groups and countries. 4 POLICIES CLUSTERED BY NRCP
1. Social Sciences, Humanities, Education, International
SPANISH REGIME Policies and Governance.
• They brought with them their own culture and 2. Physics, Engineering and Industrial Research, Earth
practices. They established schools for boys and girls and Space Sciences, and Mathematics.
where they focused on learning science and 3. Medical, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
understanding different concepts related to human 4. Biological Sciences, Agriculture, and Forestry.
body, plants, animals, and heavenly bodies.
• Philippines became modernized due to the adaptation SOCIAL SCIENCES, HUMANITIES, EDUCATION,
of some western technology and their ways of life that INTERNATIONAL POLICIES AND GOVERNANCE
even advanced methods of agriculture were taught to Focused on the improvements of education and the
the natives. welfare of the society. It includes:
• Galleon trade and the opening of the Suez Canal • Integrating ASEAN awareness in basic education
brought opportunity for Filipinos to study in Europe without adding to the curriculum
and get influenced by the rapid development of • Emphasizing teaching in the mother tongue
scientific ideals brought about by the Age of • Developing school infrastructure and providing for ICT
Enlightenment. Broadband
• On the later part of 16th century, more schools were • Local food security.
developed which opened more opportunities for
Filipinos to learn science and ignite their curiosity PHYSICS, ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH,
towards the world. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES, AND MATHEMATICS
- University of Santo Tomas • Degrees, licenses, and employment opportunities
- Colegio de San Ignacio, Manila (1595) o Colegio de • Outright grants for peer mentoring or the funding
San Jose, Manila (1601) provisions for researchers
• Review of RA 9184 (Government Procurement Reform
AMERICAN REGIME Act
• Public education system • Harnessing science and technology
• Science research agencies
• Bureau of Public Works MEDICAL, CHEMICAL, AND PHARMACEUTICAL
• Due to no competent Filipino engineers, American SCIENCES
engineers had to imported. Special efforts were made • Compliance to ASEAN-harmonized standards
to attract Filipinos to pursue advanced studies leading • Standardization of pharmaceutical services and care
to career as engineers. • Conduct of evidence-based research and allocating 2%
• The University of the Philippines was established and of the GDP to research
remains the only publicly supported institution for • Human genome projects
higher education. The bureau of government
laboratories in the National Research Council of the BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, AGRICULTURE, AND FORESTRY
Philippines were also established, even the study of • Protecting and conserving biodiversity
tropical diseases and production of vaccines have been • Use of biosafety model by ASEAN
dealt with and there were researches done to control • Promoting indigenous knowledge systems
malaria, cholera, and tuberculosis and other tropical • Common food and safety standards
diseases.
GOVERNMENT-SUPPORTED PROGRAMS THROUGH
WORLD WAR II DOST
• The country had a difficult time to rebuild itself from • Funding provisions for basic research and patents
the ruins of the war. Through the help of Japan, • Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate
reparation funds focused on building some institutions • Philippine Science High School branches
and public facilities like schools, hospitals, and • Science and Technology parks
transportation systems. • Balik Scientist Program
 • Establishment of National Science Complex and • RA 8792: Electronic Commerce Act of 2000, providing
National Engineering Complex for the recognition and use of electronic commercial
and non- commercial transactions.
PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND
ENGINEERING (PAASE, 2008) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
• National Centers of Excellence • Filipipino innovation, to refer to the Philippine as an
• Engineering and Science Education Program (ESEP) innovation hub in Asia.
• Establishment of regional centers • RA 9367: Biofuels Act, to utilize indigenous materials
• Establishment of science and technology business as resources or sources of energy.
centers
• Strengthen science education BENIGNO AQUINO III
• Gavino C. Trono – seaweed species
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND • Angel C. Alcala – Marine biology research
PERSONALITIES IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN THE • Ramon C. Barbara – Induction of flowering of mango
PHILIPPINES • Edgardo D. Gomez – national conservation program for
coral reefs.
FERDINAND MARCOS
• Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical & Astronomical RODRIGO DUTERTE
Services Administration (PAGASA) • The Philippine Space Technology Program Launched
• Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) Diwata 2 in 2018 after the launched of Diwata 1 in 2016
• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) that displayed Philippine flag in space.
• Philippine Coconut Research Institute • RA 11305: An act institutionalizing the Balik Scientist
• Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries Program was signed into law on June 15, 2018. This law
aimed to give more incentives to returning Filipino
CORAZON AQUINO experts, scientists, inventors, and engineers who would
• National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) was share expertise.
renamed to Department of Science and Technology • 271 new weather stations were installed by the DOST
(DOST). throughout the country
• Science and technology master plan to update the
production sector, improve research activities, and FAMOUS FILIPINOS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE
develop infrastructures for science and technology • Abellard Aguilar – helped in the invention of the
sector. antibiotic erythromymcin from a strain of bacterium
called streptomyces erythreus.
FIDEL RAMOS • Gregorio Zara – invented the videophone or a two-way
• Philippines had approximately 3000 competent television but sent it as a photo signal separator
scientists and engineers. network.
• RA 8439: Magna Carta for Scientist, Engineers, • Fabian Millar Dayrit – made contribution for his
Researchers, and other Science and Technology in the research on herbal medicine.
government • Diosdado Banatao – introduced the first single-chip
• RA 7459: Inventors and Inventions Incentive Act, to graphical use interface or GUI accelerator that made
promote and encourage the creation and manufacture computers work faster and for helping develop
of Philippine invention. ethernet controller chip that made internet possible.
• RA 8293: Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, • Daniel Dingel – inventor of water powered car in 1969,
to give people and business property the right to the his hydrogen reactor uses electricity to transform
information and intellectual goods they create. ordinary tap water with salt into deuterium oxide or
• Doctors to the Barrio Program (1993), that made heavy water.
healthcare accessible in far-flung areas in the country. • Gregory Ligot Tangonan – research in the field of
• RA 8749: Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, the communications technology
comprehensive air quality management policy and • Fe del Mundo – invented the incubator, an incubator is
program which aims to achieve and maintain healthy an apparatus used to maintain environmental
air for Filipinos. conditions suitable for newborn babies.
• Lourdes Jansuy Cruz – research on sea snail venom.