Republic of the Philippines

Bacolod City
Topic: Science and Technology and Nation Buiding
Rod J. Torela , LPT, MAed
Objectives:
1. Discuss the role of Science and Technology in Philippine nation building.
2. Evaluate government policies pertaining to science and technology in terms of their
contributions to nation buliding.
3. Identify actual science and technology policies of the government and appraise their impact on
the development of Filipino nation.

The Philippine Government Science and Technology Agencies

Science and technology in the Philippines describes scientific and technological progress
made by the Philippines and analyses related policy issues. The main agency responsible for
managing science and technology (S&T) is the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
There are also sectorial councils for Forestry, Agriculture and Aquaculture, the Metal Industry,
Nuclear Research, Food and Nutrition, Health, Meteorology, Volcanology and Seismology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_the_Philippines
What is Philippine government science and technology agenda?

The Department of Science and Technology in the Philippines is a government agency

tasked with overseeing and managing national technology development and acquisition,
undertaking technological and scientific research and promoting public consciousness of science
and technology

INTRODUCTION
The need to develop a country's science and technology has generally been recognized as one of
the imperatives of socioeconomic progress in the contemporary world. This has become a
widespread concern of governments especially since the post world war II years. Among Third
World countries, an important dimension of this concern is the problem of dependence in science
and technology as this is closely tied up with the integrity of their political sovereignty and
economic self-reliance.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(Filipino: Pangasiwaan ng Pilipinas sa Serbisyong Atmosperiko, Heopisiko at Astronomiko,[2]
abbreviated as PAGASA [pagˈasa], which means "hope" as in the Tagalog word pag-asa) is the
National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) agency of the Republic of the
Philippines mandated to provide protection against natural calamities and to insure the safety,
well-being and economic security of all the people, and for the promotion of national progress by
undertaking scientific and technological services in meteorology, hydrology, climatology,
astronomy and other geophysical sciences. Created on December 8, 1972 by reorganizing the
Weather Bureau, PAGASA now serves as one of the Scientific and Technological Services
Institutes of the Department of Science and Technology.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS; Tagalog
pronunciation: [ˈfivolks]; Filipino: Surian ng Pilipinas sa Bulkanolohiya at Sismolohiya[1]) is a
Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes,
earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the
protection of life and property and in support of economic, productivity, and sustainable
development. It is one of the service agencies of the Department of Science and Technology
The Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI) is a service agency of the
Department of Science and Technology in the Philippines. TAPI is responsible for advancing the
commercialization of technologies and promoting the services of other operating units of the
Department. By advocating a culture of innovation and encouraging the adoption and utilization
of inventions and competitive technologies, TAPI aims to achieve and sustain socio-economic
growth. It manages the Invention Development Assistance Fund and provides technical
consultancy and financial assistance for new projects, strengthening collaboration with diverse
stakeholders.
The Technology Resource Center(TRC) serves the public through the acquisition and
promotion oftechnology and livelihood skills and information for Filipinos worldwide. Only
TRC offers you the expert business and livelihood technologytraining courses that can transform
your ideas into practice and profits.

The Science and Technology Information Institute (STII), one of the service institutes of the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is located inside the DOST Complex, General
Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City.
-To establish a science and technology databank and library
-To disseminate science and technology information
-To undertake training on science and technology information
These mandates are being processed and implemented by STII’s technical divisions: Information
Resources and Analysis Division (IRAD) and Communication Resources and Production
Division (CRPD) with the support of the Finance and Administrative Division (FAD).
http://www.stii.dost.gov.ph/transparency/about-
us?fbclid=IwAR04CFM9NnM6MLV6GnHt793smjb7po2kDx7BgzvolTfBzDgmFU8CKSjh
Lrc

Major Development Programs and Personalities in Science and Technology in the

Philippines
The major contributions of science and technology to Philippine nation-building are linked to its
socio-economic progress and its industrialization. Today, the current state of our country is very
low in its capacity to produce local goods for domestic needs as well as in international scientific
research publications. One of the primary reasons for the slow growth of science and technology
in the Philippines is because of the lack of funding and support from the government for the
improvement of science educational fields, especially in the research and development.

Moreover, the history of science and technology in the Philippines can be traced as early as the
stone age. The discovery of tools to aid in human life is one of its first foundations. Next is in
bronze age, people learned to use metals for tools and weapons, as well as, domestication and
agriculture. Moving forward, all the discoveries and developments of tools lead to more
knowledge and advancements in the field of science. More scientists rose to invent and apply
science for the betterment of our society. Our community life changed from rural living to
urbanized cities, especially in Manila where it becomes very crowded due to greater work
opportunities and higher demands of manpower. Though as time goes by, technical innovations
have lessened the load of people and led to greater demand of studying newly applied
technologies. On the other hand, medical science has contributed much to the cure and
prevention of diseases including the application of vaccines and the promotion of cheaper
medicines. Lastly, the field of communication welcomed a drastic change from the internet usage
to the different supply of cellular phones- in just a snap people from far distances can already see
and commune with each other. Until now, more inventions are being researched and studied.
However, no matter how many innovations have broken out in the Philippines, the country’s
progress isn’t much highly competitive. Hopefully, as we welcome new seasons, there would be
more support in studying and advancing sciences in our country.

Personalities in Science and Technology in the Philippines

Fe Villanueva del Mundo, OLD ONS OGH, (born Fé Primitiva del Mundo y Villanueva; 27
November 1911 – 6 August 2011) was a Filipina pediatrician, the founder of the first pediatric
hospital in the Philippines. Her pioneering work in pediatrics in the Philippines while in active
medical practice spanned eight decades. She gained international recognition, including the
Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1977. In 1980, she was conferred the rank and
title of National Scientist of the Philippines, and in 2010, she was conferred the Order of
Lakandula.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fe_del_Mundo
Eduardo Quisumbíng y Argüelles (Filipino: Eduardo Argüelles Quisumbing; November 11,
1895, Santa Cruz, Laguna – August 23, 1986) was a Filipino biologist, a leading authority of
plants in the Philippines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Quisumbing

Gavino Cajulao Trono Jr., Ph.D. (born 1931) is a Filipino biologist dubbed as the "Father of
Kappaphycus farming".[1] He was conferred the rank of National Scientist of the Philippines for
contributions to the study of tropical marine phycology, focusing on seaweed biodiversity. He is
currently working as a technical consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Aquaculture Seaweed Research and Development and is a professor emeritus of the University
of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavino_Trono

María Borosa e Ylagan (November 29, 1893 – February 13, 1945) was a Filipina food
technologist, pharmaceutical chemist, humanitarian and war heroine. She experimented with
foods native to the Philippines, and during World War II developed Soyalac (from soybeans) and
Darak (from rice bran), which she also helped smuggle into Japanese-run internment camps
which helped save the lives of thousands of Filipinos, Americans, and other nationals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Orosa
Read more on Brainly.ph - https://brainly.ph/question/1569394#readmore
Science Education in the Philippines
Science education is the teaching and learning of science to non-scientists, such as school
children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education
includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), some social science,
and some teaching pedagogy. The standards for science education provide expectations for the
development of understanding for students through the entire course of their K-12 education and
beyond. The traditional subjects included in the standards are physical, life, earth, space, and
human sciences.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_education

Overview Science is important to everyone. School science education should support the
development of scientific literacy in all students as well as motivate them to pursue careers in
science, technology, and engineering. These statements were drawn from a series of consultation
meetings and focus group discussions with different sectors of society held in 2006: industry,
university, scientists, parents, teachers, school administrators, community leaders, media,
students, and many others.
• Importance of the School Science Education Science is useful because of its links to
technology and industry, which, from a national perspective, are areas of high priority for
development. Science provides ways of making sense of the world systematically. It develops
students’ scientific inquiry skills, values and attitudes, such as objectivity, curiosity, and honesty
and habits of mind including critical thinking. All these are useful to the individual student for
his own personal development, future career, and life in general. These skills, values, attitudes,
and dispositions are likewise useful to the community that an individual student belongs to, and
are further useful to the country that he lives in. The learning of science is also important for the
nation’s cultural development and preservation of its cultural identity. Science is most useful to a
nation when it is utilized to solve its own problems and challenges, keeping a nation's cultural
uniqueness and peculiarities intact. Thus in many countries, science teaching and learning is
linked with culture.

• The Guiding Principles of Science Curriculum Framework

Science is for everyone. This principle recognizes the proactive relationship between science
and society. This means putting science into the service of individuals and society. Science
education should aim for scientific literacy that is operational in understanding oneself, common
human welfare, social, and civic affairs. Science should permeate all levels of society. Whether
or not students pursue a university education, they should leave school with a level of
understanding and scientific literacy that will prepare them to be informed and participative
citizens who are able to make judgments and decisions regarding science applications that may
have social, health, or environmental impacts.
Science is both content and process. Science content and science process are intertwined. The
value of science processes is to advance content or the body of knowledge. Without content,
students will have difficulty utilizing the scienceprocess skills.
Science processes cannot exist in a vacuum. They are learned in context. School science
should emphasize depth rather breadth, coherence rather than fragmentation, and use of evidence
in constructing explanation.
SCIENCE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK FOR BASIC EDUCATION 5
School science should be relevant and useful. To be relevant and useful, the teaching of
science should be organized around situations, problems or projects that engage the students both
as an individual and a member of a team.
School science should nurture interest in learning. Students are generally interested in
problems that puzzle them. They have a natural urge to find solutions. Organizing thecurriculum
around problems or phenomena that puzzle students helps motivate them to learn. Rather than
relying solely on textbooks, teachers are encouraged to use hands-on learning activities to
develop students’ interest and let them become active learners.
School science should demonstrate a commitment to the development of a culture of
science. A culture of science is characterized by excellence, integrity, hard work, and discipline.
School science should promote the strong link between science and technology, including
indigenous technology.
School science should recognize that science and technology reflect, influence, and shape
our culture. The science curriculum should recognize the place of science and technology in
everyday human affairs. It should integrate science and technology in the civic, personal, social,
economic, and the values and ethical aspects of life.

http://www.sei.dost.gov.ph/images/downloads/publ/sei_scibasic.pdf

Selected indigenous science and technologies

https://theconversation.com/how-indigenous-knowledge-advances-modern-science-and-
technology-89351
Throughout history, Indigenous peoples have been responsible for the development of many
technologies and have substantially contributed to science.
Science is the pursuit of knowledge. Approaches to gathering that knowledge are culturally
relative. Indigenous science incorporates traditional knowledge and Indigenous perspectives,
while non-Indigenous scientific approaches are commonly recognized as Western science.
Together, they contribute substantially to modern science.
Although the value of integrating Indigenous science with Western science has been recognized,
we have only begun to scratch the surface of its benefits.
Indigenous perspectives are holistic and founded upon interconnectedness, reciprocity and the
utmost respect for nature. Both Western and Indigenous science approaches and perspectives
have their strengths and can greatly complement one another.
As an Indigenous scientist who specializes in combining traditional ecological knowledge with
wildlife ecology research, I have come across many examples where blending both approaches
has resulted in excellent contributions to modern science.

Roots of food and medicine

For centuries, Indigenous people’s lives depended on their knowledge about the environment.
Many plant species — including three-fifths of the crops now in cultivation and enjoyed across
the globe — were domesticated by Indigenous peoples in North, Central and South America.
Corn, squash, beans, potatoes and peppers are just a few examples of foods that now contribute
vastly to global cuisine!

Staples of diets around the world, such as corn and squash, are derived from Indigenous
knowledge. (Shutterstock)
Indigenous knowledge about the medicinal properties of plants has been instrumental in
pharmacological development. For example, as settlers arrived in North America, Indigenous
people helped newcomers cure life-threatening scurvy through conifer-needle tonics that were
rich in vitamin C.

The active ingredient in the pain reliever Aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, was first discovered by
Indigenous people who utilized the bark of the willow tree. Medicinal plant properties are still
being recognized to this day — especially in tropical ecosystems — as Indigenous people share
their knowledge.

Technology to TEK
Technological innovations such as the canoe, kayak, toboggan or snowshoe aided in travel and
transport and were quickly adapted by European settlers.

Indigenous peoples, with their decades of personal experience combined with that of their
ancestors, harbour vast knowledge about the environment and the ecological relationships within
them. Tremendous opportunities exist where such knowledge can contribute to modern science
and natural resource management.
Indigenous knowledge, also known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), is essentially
the cumulative body of knowledge associated with ecological relationships, which is handed
down through generations by Indigenous people.

TEK has already provided insight into environmental change, wildlife population monitoring,
sustainable harvesting practices, behavioural ecology, ecological relationships and so much
more.

Indigenous knowledge has long added to modern science and technology. Conservator Kathryn
Etre discusses the preservation techniques she and others use to protect a 7.6-metre Indigenous
canoe, known as the Swan Lake Canoe, at the Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson, Miss.,
in September 2017. The rare platform-style, cypress-tree dugout is believed to have been made
between the years 1500 and 1600. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Inuit observations have identified several important environmental changes in the Arctic as a
result of climate change, and their knowledge about bowhead whale behaviour helped
researchers revise their survey methods to improve population size estimates.

Elders of the Heiltsuk First Nation in B.C. recognized two types of wolves — coastal and inland
— previously undocumented by Western scientific methods. With such proven value in only a
few examples, imagine how TEK can further inform science!

TEK continues to complement Western science. In light of recent moose population decline
across North America, my own research aims to incorporate Indigenous knowledge to help
identify factors that may be responsible for this decline.

Indigenous education is essential

Despite the recognized value of Indigenous perspectives and knowledge, there are few
Indigenous science scholars. Scholars with specialization in Indigenous science can provide
mentorship as well as become role models for current and prospective Indigenous science
students.

By encouraging Indigenous science scholar recruitment, forthcoming research incorporating

Indigenous perspectives can pave the way to promote culturally inclusive scientific approaches.
Many wildlife species are at risk across the planet, and engaging in co-operative management
initiatives that embrace Indigenous science are now more important than ever. Collaborations are
becoming more and more common. For example, the Canadian government incorporates TEK in
assessing species at risk. The Worldwide Indigenous Science Network (WISN) restores TEK
dialogue to the world’s most pressing ecological issues.

Throughout history, Indigenous people, perspectives, and knowledge have contributed

substantially to the development of science and technology and will surely continue to do so for
generations to come!

Indigenous Knowledge system

-Embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous , or local communities
-Orally passed
-Evident in stories, poems and songs
EXAMPLES OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE THAT ARE TAUGHT AND PRACTICED
BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Using indigenous technology
Building local irrigation
Classifying different types of soil for planting
Producing wines from tropical fruits
Keeping the custom of growing plants and vegetables
Indigenous people in the Philippines
North
Prediction of weather
-puwek ni kiling (storm of the kiling)
-shining moon with a rainbow encircling or a bloody red sunset
South
Prediction of weather
-kasili (mythical fish)
- during new year, when the cow or horse eat grass, wail, it meant drought
-when the goat repeatedly wail, there will be landslide
Medicine
North
-114 plants used by Tadayawans
South
-herbolarios, tuob, anino
Preserving of foods
North
-etag
Agriculture
North
-Banaue Rice Terraces
South
-swidden farming, agricultural cycle: pendupi, miyan, pemeres
-the constellatiom of Orion
Technology
-pottery, weaving, finer metal craft
-sumbiring, bidyo
Producing wines
North
-tapey
Houses
North
-bulit their houses on a hillside
South
-hut, subanon house