2

Lesson

Science and Technology Development in

the Philippines

Aim High!

At the end of this lesson, you can:

 determine how the scientific and technological development affect the society
and environment (locally); and
 create a timeline of scientific and technological development in the
Philippines.

THE WH’s

What is the development of Science and Technology in the Philippines during pre-
colonization?

In the pre-Spanish Philippines, is embedded in the way of life of the people. Scientific
knowledge is observed in the way they plant the crops that provide them food, in taking care
of animals to help them in their daily tasks, and for food productions.

Science is observed in the way they interpret the movements of heavenly bodies to
predict seasons and climates, and in organizing days into months and years. They use science
in preparing the soil for agricultural purposes, and like any other ancient culture, they
discovered the medicinal uses.

Technology is used by people in building houses, irrigations, and developing tools

that they can use in everyday life. They developed tools for planting, hunting, cooking, and
fishing, for fighting their enemies during war or tribal conflicts, and for transportation, both
on land and on waterways. They also developed technologies in creating musical instruments.

Around 40,000 B.C, early Filipinos made simple tools and weapons of stone flakes
and later developed a method of sawing and polishing stones. 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.
 During the Iron age period (3rd century B.C. -11th century A.D), Filipinos were
engaged in the extraction, smelting, and refining of iron from ores until the importation of
cast iron from Sarawak and later from China. 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 caracoa suited for interisland trade raids.

Around 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. The People of Ma-I and San-Hsu (Palawan)
traded bee wax, cotton, pearls, coconut heart mats, tortoiseshell, and medicinal betel nuts,
panie cloth for porcelain, leads fishnets sinker, colored glass beads, iron pots, iron needles,
and tin.

Filipinos were already engaged in activities and practices related to science, forming
primitive or first wave technology. They were curative values of some plants 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 period of the
moon and from one harvest to another

What happened to S&T during the colonization period?

According to Caoli, the development of science and technology in the Philippines has
been greatly influenced by its historical experience as a colony of Spain and the United
States. Colonial policies, particularly those on economic development and external trade,
have, over the centuries, fostered a primarily agricultural, export-oriented economy
dependent on the outside world as a market for its products and a source of manufactured
goods. This has led to neglect and a lack of support for industrialization.

This problem of colonial development has affected the historical development of

Philippine science and technology. Agricultural science generally tended to receive more
funding and support compared to the physical sciences. This pattern of support persisted
despite the introduction of the other sciences into the country's educational system during the
American regime.

Please read the full article of Olivia Caoli using this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qXYP-
wwLDpsb2b3F0hMTZPfRHoWcbdAF/view?usp=sharing

What are the inventions and discoveries made by Filipinos after the colonization
period?

The Philippine Inventions

McNamara et al., (2018) stated that, regardless of being viewed as a developing

nation, the Philippines additionally add to the worldwide progression of science and
innovation. It is very striking to take note of the resourcefulness of the Filipinos in spite of
the scarcity of resources.

Here are some of the discoveries and inventions made by Filipinos:

a. Salamander Amphibious Tricycle. This is a land and/or water capable tricycle
designed by Victor Llave and his group at H2O Technologies, which can go across
overflowed roads as well as waterways and lakes. It might likewise be used to make a
trip from island to island.

http://henyopinoy.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/11/salamander.jpg

b. SALT Lamp. This is a lighting system that uses a material bountiful in the
Philippines-( salt) and was designed a young Filipina named Aisa Mijeno. This
Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALt) light is an environment- friendly light source
that runs on saltwater.

https://www.goodnewspilipinas.com

 Medical Incubator. An invention of a Filipino pediatrician named Dr. Fe del Mundo

made from indigenous and cheap materials that did not run on electricity.

https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/fe-del-mundo.

 Mosquito Ovicidal/ Larvicidal Trap System. A mosquito trap system developed by

the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its Industrial Technology
 Development Institute (ITDI), which was introduced in 2011 with its aim to control
the population of dengue-carrying Aedes mosquito.
(http://filipinoinventionsanddiscoveries.blogspot.com/2013/07/dost-mosquito-
ovicidallarvicidal-ol_4.html)

http://www.dost.gov.ph/knowledge-resources/news

Smart and Techie Student’s WAY

Filipino Inventions

Do these!

Activity 1. Interview
Directions: Set an appointment with the Head of the Municipal Planning Development
Coordinator Office in your municipality and ask for a schedule of an interview to be
conducted by you about the scientific and technological development that is recently put up
or to be put up in your locality particularly in addressing the present health crisis, the
COVID-19 pandemic. The interview questions focus on the impact of the said project to the
constituents as well as to the environment and are given below for your guidance. Write a
written report of your interview in a separate sheet of paper. Please refer to Appendix B.3 for
the rubrics.

Follow the suggested format:

Font Size: 12”, Font style” Century Gothic, 1.5 spacing, Justified
Guide Questions:
1. Does our local government have any project or project proposal on the combat against the
COVID-19 pandemic today, which involves scientific and technological concepts?
2. What is the name of the project? What is the project all about?
3. What benefits will the people of this municipality gain from the said project?
4. What are the possible problems that the project may inflict on the people and the
environment?
5. What is your message to the people regarding the proposed project?

Activity 1. Trace me
Directions: Read the whole paper of Olivia Caoli on “A History of Science and Technology
in the Philippines. After reading, create a timeline of the scientific and technological
developments in the Philippines. Identify the developments that occurred in every period.
Use a separate sheet for your output. A sample is given below as your guide. See Appendix
B.4 for the rubric.