SAINT MICHAEL COLLEGE OF HINDANG LEYTE INC.

A Bonifacio St., Poblacion II, Hindang Leyte

Website: smchindang.edu.ph
E-mail: smchindang@gmail.com

Course : Science, Technology, and Society

Department : Business Department
School Year : 1st Semester, S.Y. 2021 - 2022
Instructor: : Riza Mae B. Fortuna
Topic : SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND NATION-BUILDING

Objectives:

1. Discuss the role of science and technology in Philippine nation building;

Evaluate government policies pertaining to S&T in terms of their contributions to nation-building; and
2. Identify actual S&T policies of the government and appraise their impact on the development of the
Filipino nation.

Brief Historical Background of Science and Technology in the Philippines

The early inhabitants of the archipelago had their own culture and traditions.
– Own belief system and indigenous knowledge
– Keeps them organized and sustained their lives and communities for many years

Pre-Spanish Philippines
-Embedded in the way of life.
-SCIENCE
 Planting crops that provide them food
 Taking care of animals Food production
 Interpret the movements of heavenly bodies to predict seasons and climates
 Medicinal uses of plants

-TECHNOLOGY
 Building houses
 Irrigation
 Developing tools
 Musical Instruments

Spanish Rule
 Brought their own culture and practices
 Established schools and introduced the concepts of subjects and disciplines
 Learning of science in school focuses on understanding different concepts related to the human body,
plants, animals and bodies.
 Technology focuses on using and developing house tools

Life during the Spanish Era

 Became modernized
o Filipinos replicated technology brought by the Spaniards using indigenous materials.
o Medicine and advanced science were introduced in formal colleges and universities
o Galleon Trade
o The galleon trade was supplied by merchants largely from port areas of Fujian who traveled to
Manila to sell the Spaniards spices, porcelain, ivory, processed silk cloth and other valuable
commodities.
o From 1565 to 1815, the galleon trade contributed to the change of culture, language and
o More influence in the Development of S&T environment for both Philippines and Mexico.
 o The Galleon Trade was a government monopoly. Only two galleons were used: One sailed from
Acapulco to Manila with some 500,000 pesos worth of goods, spending 120 days at sea; the other
sailed from Manila to Acapulco with some 250,000 pesos worth of goods spending 90 days at sea.
o The country became one of the centers of global trade in SEA
 One of the most developed places in the region.
o Superstitious beliefs and Catholic doctrines and practices halted the growth of science in the
country.
Metal Age Influence
 Gold and Silver

Trading with other countries

American Period
 More influence in the Development of S&T
 Public education system
 Improved engineering works and health of the people
 Mineral resources were explored and exploited
 “Americanize” the Filipinos
o Reorganized the learning of science
o In basic education, science education focuses on nature studies and science and sanitation
 Health and Sanitation
o Filipinos learned the value of cleanliness, proper hygiene, and healthy practices
o Hospitals, clinics, and health centers were established including public hospitals for lepers
 Infrastructure
o Americans built roads, streets and bridges
o The new infrastracture helped make the movement of products and services more iffecient.
o Boulevards, zone districts, and centers of leisure were also established.
 World War II
o The country had a difficult time to rebuild itself from the ruins of the war. The human spirit to
survive and to rebuild the country may be strong but the capacity of the
o country to bring back what was destroyed was limited.

Influences in the Development of S & T in the Philippines

Filipino Presidents and their Contributions in the Development of Science and Technology in the
Philippines

Philippine Presidents and the Status of S&T during their administration

Pres. Carlos P. Garcia (1957 - 1961)

-lack of support of experimental work

-marginal budget for scientific research
-low salaries of scientists employed by the government
-established the National Science Development Board
Pres. Ferdinand Marcos (1965 - 1986)

-directed the Department of Education to revitalize the science

courses in public high schools
- channelled additional funds to support projects in applied sciences
and science education
 - he proclaimed 35 hectares in Bicutan, Taguig, Rizal as the site of
the Philippine Science Community
- scholarships for graduate and undergraduate science scholars, and workshops on
fisheries and oceanography
- added the Philippine Coconut Research Institute to the NSDB to modernize the
coconut industry.
- support for the promotion of scientific research and invention with Presidential
Decree No. 49, s. 1972
- he enacted a law under Presidential Decree No. 1003-A, s. 1976 to establish the
National Academy of Science and Technology
He enacted a law on the completion of the National Agriculture and Life Sciences
Research Complex at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (Executive
Order No. 840, s. 1982)
- he established the Mindanao and Visayas campuses of the Philippine Science
High School to encourage careers in science and technology
-established other research institutes like PAGASA, National Grains Authority,
Philippine Council for Agricultural Research, Philippine National Oil Company
- among others

Pres. Corazon Aquino (1986 - 1992)

- National Science and Technology Authority was replaced by the Department of

Science and Technology
- science and technology's role in economic recovery and sustained economic growth
was highlighted

- created the Presidential Task Force for Science and Technology which came up with
the first Science and Technology Master Plan or STMP
- Executive Order No.128 abolished R.A. No. 3859, also known as the “Philippine
Inventors Incentive Act.”
- gave assistance to Filipino inventors through giving financial aid, patent application
assistance, legal assistance, and to help inventors market their products domestically and
abroad
- R.A. 6655 or the Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988 opened doors to free
education up to the secondary level
“Science for the Masses Program” which aimed at scientific and technological literacy
among Filipinos
 Pres. Fidel V. Ramos (1992 - 1998)

-significant increase in personnel specializing in the science and

technology field
-addition of Philippine Science High Schools in Visayas and
Mindanao
- government provided 3,500 scholarships for students who were
taking up professions related to S&T
- Schools were becoming more modernized and updated with the addition of high-
tech equipment for student
- Priority for S&T personnel increased when Magna Carta for Science and
Technology Personnel (Republic Act No. 8439) was established
- award was published in order to give incentives and rewards for people who
have been influential in the field of S&T (Inventors and Inventions Incentives Act
or Republic Act No. 7459)
- programs such as National Program for Gifted Filipino Children in Science and
Technology
-enactment of a law creating a nationwide system of high schools specializing in
the field of science and engineering (Science and Technology Scholarship Law of
1994)
- enacted the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No.
8293)

Pres. Joseph Estrada (1998 - 2001)

launched a full-scale program based on cost-effective irrigation

technologies
- establishment of one science high school in every province
- advancement of industries and schools into the Internet age,
-passage of the e-Commerce Act

Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001 - 2010)

- the science and technology sector of the Philippines was dubbed

as the "golden age“ during her term
- Numerous laws and projects that concerns both the environment
and science to push technology as a tool to increase the country's
economic level
- the term "Filipinnovation" was the coined term used in helping the Philippines to
be an innovation hub in Asia
- Science Technology and Innovations (STI) was developed further by
strengthening the schools and education system such as the Philippine Science
High School (PSHS), which focuses in science, technology and mathematics in
their curriculum
- imposes Republic Act 10601 which improves the Agriculture and Fisheries
Sector through Mechanization (AFMech)
 Filipino Scientists and their Inventions

Names
Ramon Cabanos Barba
Josefino Cacas Comiso
Jose Bejar Cruz Jr.
Lourdes Jansuy Cruz
Fabian Millar Dayrit
Rafael Dineros Guerrero III
Enrique Mapua Ostrea Jr
Lilian Fomalejo Patena
Mari-Jo Panganiban Ruiz
Gregory Ligot Tangonan
Caesar A. Saloma
Edgardo Gomez
William Padolina
Angel Alcala
Contribution
For his outstanding research on tissue culture in Philippine mangoes
For his works on observing the characteristics of Antartica by using satellite images
Known internationally in the filed of electrical engineering; was elected as officer of
the famous Institute of Electrical Engineering
Notable for her research on sea snail venom
For his research on herbal medicine
For his research on tilapia culture
For inventing the meconium drug testing
For doing research on plant biotechnology
For being an outstanding educator and graph theorist
For his research in the field of communications technology
An internationally renowned physicist
Famous scientist in marine science
Chemistry and president of National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)-Phil.
Marine Science

Name: ________________________ Year and Section: _______________ Week No. ______

Quiz 1:

1. What are the significant contribution of the Spaniards and Americans to the development of S & T in the
Philippines

2. What can you say about the state of science and technology during the Spanish and American period?

3. How does school science shape science and technology in the country?

Exercise 1: The fate of the Philippine Science and Technology Innovation

Instructions: Form groups with four members each. Among the scientists and inventors mentioned above, chose
two and identify one impact of their inventions and discoveries. Address the question below using a Power Point
presentation.

1. How did these inventions and discoveries impact the society?

2. How were these inventions and discoveries supported by the government?
3. Did these invention and discoveries serve the public good? Explain your answer.