CHAPTER II

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Objectives:

At the end of the topic, the readers are expected to:

1. Describe how science and technology in the Philippines have

evolved over time.
2. Identify the influence of colonization to the science and technology
of the century.
3. Describe the huge role of education in the development of
Philippine science and technology.

Stone Age

Archeological findings show that modern man from Asian mainland

first came over land on across narrow channels to live in Batangas and
Palawan about 48,000 B.C. Subsequently they formed settlement in
Sulu, Davao, Zamboanga, Samar, Negros, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal,
Bulacan and Cagayan.

Inventions

 They made simple tools and weapons of stone flakes and later
developed method of sawing and polishing stone around 40,000
B.C.
 By around 3,000 B.C. they were producing adzes ornaments of
seashells and pottery. Pottery flourished for the next 2,000 years
until they imported Chinese porcelain. Soon they learned to
produce copper, bronze, iron, and gold metal tools and ornaments.

Iron Age

The Iron lasted from the third century B.C. to 11th century A.D.
During this period Filipinos were engaged in extraction, smelting and
refining of iron from ores, until the importation of cast iron from Sarawak
and later from China.
 Inventions/Discoveries

 They learn to weave cotton, make glass ornaments, and cultivate

lowland rice and dike fields of terraced fields utilizing spring water
in mountain regions
 They also learned to build boats for trading purposes.
 Spanish chronicles noted refined plank built warships called
caracao suited for interisland trade raids.

10th century A.D.

Filipinos from the Butuan were trading with Champa (Vietnam) and
those from Ma-I (Mindoro) with China as noted in Chinese records
containing several references to the Philippines. These archaeological
findings indicated that regular trade relations between the Philippines,
China and Vietnam had been well established from the 10th century to
the 15th century A.D.

Trading

The people of Ma-I and San-Hsu (Palawan) traded bee wax,

cotton, pearls, coconut heart mats, tortoise shell and medicinal betel
nuts, panie cloth for porcelain, leads fishnets sinker colored glass
beads, iron pots, iron needles and tin.

Pre-Spanish Period

Filipinos were already engage in activities and practices related to

Science forming primitive or first wave technology. They were curative
values of some plant on how to extract medicine from herbs. They had an
alphabet, a system of writing, a method of counting and weights and
measure. They had no calendar but counted the years by the periodic the
moon and from one harvest to another. Additionally, some indigenous
technology existed with regards to wet rice and dry rice agriculture. The
use of Technology was also evident in the handicrafts, pottery, weaving,
metal ware and boats used by ancient Filipinos.

Spanish Period

When the Spaniards colonized the country, they forever changed the
lives of the native peoples. History shows us that the primary reason for
such colonization was for Spain to obtain a source of raw materials
which it shall then use for international trade. The entire colonial
government in the Philippines then was set up for easy extraction of raw
materials and faster production of goods that shall be traded by the
mother country. Socio-political systems were created and designed to
divide the country's land , resources and people in order for the colonial
masters to readily extract from the country any valuable resources it
finds (e.g.the enconmienda system, hacienda system)

After three hundred years under Spain, the country had evolved into
a colony largely exporting it raw materials and importing those that it
cannot produce. Any local technological innovation was by far and large
stifled the information of foreign manufactured goods.

Other important events in this period:

16th Century

Development of schools

 Colegio de San Ildefonso - Cebu (1595)

 Colegio de San Ignacio - Manila (1595)
 Colegio De Nuestra Señora del Rosario - (1597)
 Colegio De San Jose - Manila (1601)

Development of Hospitals

 San Juan Lazaro Hospital the oldest in the Far East was
founded in 1578

17th Century

 Successive shipwrecks of and attacks of pirates on the

galleons led to declining profits from the trade that led to
economic depression in Manila during the later part of the
17th century.

18th Century

 The Real Sociedad Economica de los Amigos Del Pais del

Filipinas founded by Governor Jose Basco y Vargas in 1780
encouraged research in agriculture and industry.
  In 1789, Manila was opened to Asian shipping, inagurating
an era of increase in export of rice, hemp, tobacco, sugar, and
indigo, and imports of manufacturing goods.

19th Century

 In 1863, the colonial authorities issued a royal degree to

reform the existing educational system.

 In 1871, the school of medicine and pharmacy were opened

to UST, after 15 years it had granted the degree of Licenciado en
Medicina to 62 graduates.

Additional Information:

 Higher Education was generally viewed with suspicion as

encouraging rebellion among native Filipinos and thus only few
daring students were able to undertake higher studies.

 The expanded world trade and commerce in the later part of

the 19th century led to the rapid development of Manila as
cosmopolitan center. Modern amenities such as steam tramways,
waterworks, newspapers, electric lights, banking system were
introduce in 19th century.
 Jesuits promoted meteorological studies founding Manila
observatory at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila 1865.

American Period

During the American colonial rule, the feudal system established by

the Spanish were maintained but this time, a fare "trading" system
between the colony and its colonial master was established that
Philippine raw materials of low technological input were traded for
foreign finished products of high technological input. As the value of the
country's export products are less than that of foreign finished products,
trade between the Philippines and more advanced countries is basically
unequal. This trade imbalance has caused for lesser developed countries
to incur loans to pay for this trade deficit. Such foreign loans grew
steadily, as the balance of trade became more unequal.
 In order for the colonial powers to maintain their dominance in the
world market, it was essential that other countries, including their
colonies, do not develop its own system of manufacturing goods and
services that shall complete with the goods produced by the mother
country. For the Philippines, this would mean that no genuine program
for scientific and technological advancement would ever be drawn up.

After World War II

After fifty years under American rule, the Philippines had slid down
from being the second country next to Japan in terms of technological
development being next to the bottom of the barrel in terms of
technological development in South East Asia.

Even after 100 years of "Independence", our country has yet to rid
itself of the systems first created by the colonial masters and later on
adopted by the succeeding Philippine governments.

Present Period

Until now, Science and Technology agencies created by the

Philippine government still do not serve the needs of the Filipino masses.
There has been little or no contribution to agriculture, our country's
main mode production of which 75% of our population is engaged in. It
has done nothing to spur rural industrialization that which is very much
needed by 85% of our population who resides in the countryside. To this
day, we have yet to establish our basic industries -- paper, cement and
steel. We have yet to efficiently develop our infrastructure, energy
generation, transportation, communication, information technology, and
basic services (utilities, health care, etc.)

The little Science and technological innovation that can be made in

the present situation is still in service of the old system of exporting raw
materials in exchange for importing high-input finished products. This
system is expected to continue should there be no sincere efforts to
address the state of the country's S&T, and to seriously root out the
problems of technological backwardness.

Thus, until the vicious cycle of poor science education, backward

science and technology, trade imbalance and economic subservience is
stopped, the Philippines may well become the technological laggard of the
21st century.
 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Name: ________________________________Date: _________________________

Year & Section: ______________________Score:_______________________

TEST I. Write True if the statement is correct and False if the statement
is not correct.

_________1. Before the Spanish Period, Filipinos were already engage in

activities and practices related to Science forming primitive or
first wave technology.

_________2.San Juan Lazaro Hospital the oldest in the Far East was
founded in 1758.

_________3.The Iron Age lasted from the 11th century B.C. to 3rd cenrury
A.D.

_________4. Modern amenities such as steam tramways, waterworks,

newspapers, electric lights, banking system were introduce in
18th century.

_________5. After fifty years under American rule, the Philippines had slid
down from being the second country next to Japan in terms of
technological development being next to the bottom of the
barrel in terms o technological development in South East
Asia

TEST II. Enumeration.

Give the five schools/universities that was developed in the 16th century
during the Spanish Period.

1. ______________________

2. ______________________

3. ______________________

4. ______________________

5. ______________________