Republic of the Philippines

DAVAO ORIENTAL STATE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Guang-guang, Dahican, 8200 City of Mati, Davao Oriental

INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES

STS 10 – SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

LECTURE NOTES

CHAPTER I. General Concepts and Historical Events in Science, Technology and Society

A. Science, Technology and National Development

 National development is the ability of a country to improve the social welfare of the people. It includes
all aspects of development – political, social, economic, cultural, etc.
 The development of science and technology in the Philippines is shaped by internal factors and external
influences.
- Internal factors: culture, economic activities
- External influences: foreign colonizers, trades with foreign countries, international economic
demands
 Development is always linked with technology, and technology happens when there is advancement in
science. Scientific and technological development underpin economic advances, improvement in health
systems, education and infrastructure.
 Countries are classified as developed and developing. The major categorization is based on the economy
and the application of science and technology. Countries which have strong base in science and
technology develop faster.

Impact of Science and Technology to Society

 Development in science and technology is fundamentally altering the way people live, connect and
communicate.
 Technology has improved transportation which provides convenient mobility for people and goods.
 Technology has improved communication. Electronic media such as radios, televisions, internet and
social media have improved the exchange of ideas. People use media to voice their societal concerns and
they communicate through mobile phones and online service systems. Communication technology is used
to persuade, entertain and inform people.
 Technology has improved education. Educational technology is used in the teaching-learning process
to make it more effective. Distant learning is also made possible through technological advancement.
 Other important aspects which are influenced by science and technology:
- Health
- Agriculture
- Environmental Management
- Economic growth and Rural development
- Poverty alleviation
B. Government Laws and Policies Pertaining to Science and Technology
 To improve and strengthen science and technology including research development, it is necessary that
the government enact laws.
 The following are several laws related to science and technology:
1) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 2067 “SCIENCE ACT OF 1958” – AN ACT TO INTEGRATE,
COORDINATE, AND INTESIFY SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT AND TO FOSTER INVENTION; TO PROVIDE FUNDS THEREFOR; AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
2) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9367 “BIOFUELS ACT OF 2006” – AN ACT TO DIRECT THE USE
OF BIOFUELS, ESTABLISHING FOR THIS PURPOSE THE BIOFUEL PROGRAM,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
3) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10055 "PHILIPPINE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACT OF 2009"
– AN ACT PROVIDING THE FRAMEWORK AND SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE
OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, USE, AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY GENERATED FROM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDED BY
GOVERNMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
 4) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8439 MAGNA CARTA FOR SCIENTISTS ENGINEERS
RESEARCHERS AND OTHER S T PERSONNEL IN THE GOVERNMENT
5) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1606 – AN ACT TO PROMOTE SCIENTIFIC, ENGINEERING AND
TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH, INVENTION AND DEVELOPMENT.
6) REPUBLIC ACT No. 8792 – AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE RECOGNITION AND USE
OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCIAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS AND
DOCUMENTS, PENALTIES FOR UNLAWFUL USE THEREOF AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
7) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10175 – AN ACT DEFINING CYBERCRIME, PROVIDING FOR THE
PREVENTION, INVESTIGATION, SUPPRESSION AND THE IMPOSITION OF PENALTIES
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
8) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10844 – AN ACT CREATING THE DEPARTMENT OF
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, DEFINING ITS POWERS
AND FUNCTIONS APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
9) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11363 – AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE SPACE
DEVELOPMENT AND UTILIZATION POLICY AND CREATING THE PHILIPPINE SPACE
AGENCY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
10) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10612 – AN ACT EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND STRENGHTENING THE
TEACHING OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

C. Famous Filipinos in the Field of Science and Technology

1) Fe del Mundo – first woman to be recognized as a National Scientist way back in 1980. She invented
the bamboo incubator, a makeshift device used to maintain normal body temperature of premature
babies
2) Diosdado Banatao – developed the first single-chip 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator in the
1970s. He created the world’s first system logic chip sets in 1981.
3) Angel C. Alcala – named a National Scientist of the Philippines in 2014 for his research into
Philippine amphibians and reptiles, as well as the conservation of marine-protected areas
4) Ramon Cabanos Barba – named a National Scientist of the Philippines in 2014 for inventing a way
to induce flowering in mango trees regardless of season, boosting the local mango industry
5) Tetchi Cruz-Capellan – founder of the Philippines Solar Power Alliance; propagated the solar power
industry in the country
6) Edgardo D. Gomez – led the world’s first national-scale assessment of damage to coral reefs
7) Alfredo Mahar Lagmay – received the 2015 Plinius Medal from the European Geosciences Union
for his research in natural hazards and disasters in the Philippines, in particular volcanic hazards,
earthquakes, typhoons, landslides and floods. He is also executive director of the Department of
Science and Technology Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH), a flagship program
for disaster risk reduction and management in the Philippines.
8) Aisa Mijeno – Together with her brother Ralph, she co-founded Sustainable Alternative Lighting
(SALt), a social enterprise that is developing an LED lamp that runs on just table salt and water
9) Reina Reyes – “The Filipina who proved Einstein right” when she confirmed Albert Einstein’s Theory
of Relativity on a cosmic scale in 2010 during her Ph.D. studies in the United States