Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PRECOLONIAL PERIOD
Farming – in the highland, rice and vegetables were grown in terraced rice paddies that
utilized spring water
Fishing
Mining
Weaving
Pottery
Crafting – Natives made tools out of STONES for sawing, drilling, and polishing. Later,
they made use of COPPER, GOLD, BRONZE, and IRON to craft metal tools.
Shipbuilding and Seafaring – expertise which allowed them to trade with
neighboring regions such as Borneo, Malacca, parts of the Malay Peninsula, and China
Banaue Rice Terraces – among the engineering marvels made during the precolonial period
Modernization of science and technology began when the country was colonized by Spain
Real Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais de Filipinas (Royal Economic Society
of Friends of the Philippines)
– founded by Gov. Gen. Jose Basco y Vargas under the authority of the Royal Decree
of 1780
– composed of private individuals and gov officials functioned like a modern national
research council
– promoted the cultivation of several crops and the development of the silk industry
– provided with funds which were used to provide incentives for successful experiments
and inventions for the improvement of agriculture and other industries
– funded the publication of scientific literature, trips of Filipino scientists from Spain to
the Philippines, and foreign and local scholarships for Filipinos
1) Sanitation
2) More advanced agricultural practices
3) Roads, bridge, and buidings via polo y servicio
4) Modern innovations (i.e. tram networks, electric lights, newspapers, and the banking
system) by the latter half of the 19th century
5) Offices and commissions to undertake studies and regulations on various area such as
mines, Philippine flora, agriculture, geology, and chemical analysis of mineral waters
6) Meteorological studies promoted by the Jesuits
7) Introduction to formal education by establishing colleges and universities
8) Study of medicine
Manila Observatory
Polo y servicio – system of forced labor required of every male native aged 16 to 60 years old
Suez Canal – opened in 1869 and made travel & trade easier
– led by ilustrados (i.e. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, etc.) established networks in
Europe and asked the Spanish gov for reforms in the Phil failed and incited the
Philippine Revolution
– moved to Asia and established headquarters in Hong Kong
Mariano Ponce
Philippine Journal of Science – published by the bureau in 1906 that reported work done in
local lab and scientific developments abroad which were relevant to the Phil
Bureau of Health
Bureau of Mines
Bureau of Forestry
Weather Bureau
Bureau of Public Works
Bureau of Agriculture
Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey
Bureau of Plant Industry
Bureau of Animal Industry
– national educational institution, along with organized faculties in the areas of sciences,
arts, medicine, philosophy, and literature, established on June 18, 1908
– first colleges to be organized under UP: The College of Agriculture, School of
Forestry, School of Pharmacy, and the Graduate School of Tropical
Medicine and Public Health
Research councils and scholarship grants were given (for advanced training aboard). Basic
and applied research in the field of medicine and agriculture also received significant support
during the American occupation.
Post-war to Present
There has been little innovation in the education and training of scientists and engineers due to
the conservative nature of self-regulation of professional associations
Philippine Bureau of Science – transformed into the INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE in 1947