Science and Technology in the Philippines

PRE-COLONIAL
▪ slow pacing of spread of science and technology
- islands are scattered
- different dialects
- contented with primitive ideas
- strong superstitious belief

▪ Design, Impress, Work together

- Writing System: Baybayin
- The Concept of Time:
- Pre-colonial Filipinos have no clocks to show the hours or minutes.
-They had “taon” which means “assembly of many” referring to a collection of cosmological,
environmental, agricultural and religious elements that come together to mark the beginning
of a season.

- Early Filipinos weights and measures

Piranggot – ½ inch Talampakan – 12 inches Dakot – 10 grams

Sandamak – 4 inches Bisig – 16 inches Guhit - 100 grams
Dangkal – 8 inches Dipa – 68 inches Gatang – 1 kilo
Kaban – 25 kilos

DURING SPANISH REGIME

▪ Contributions of the Spaniards

Discipline
Development of house tools
 Catholic Christianity
Roads and bridges were built

▪ Real Sociedad Economica de los Amigos Del Pais de Filipinas

- (Economic Societies of the Friends of the Country)
- (Founded by Gobernador Jose Basco y Vargas)
- Aimed to stimulate economic and intellectual development of Spain by exploring and
exploiting the natural resources of the Philippines.
▪ Colegio de Manila
- First Royal and Pontifical University in Asia (located in Intramuros) founded in 1590 and
was renamed Colegio de San Ignacio 1626.

▪ Colegio de San Ildefonso

- (located in Cebu City) founded in 1595 but was closed in 1769 but reopened in 1783
under the name Colegio-Seminario de San Carlos and became University of San Carlos in
1948.

▪ Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Rosario

- (located in Manila) was founded in 1611 and became University of Santos Tomas in
1645. It is known as the oldest existing university in Asia.

▪ Laboratorio Municipal
- was created to examine food, water, and clinical samples, but was rarely used

DURING AMERICAN REGIME

▪ Contributions of the Americans in science and technology

- Science and technology focusing on agriculture, health and food processing was
established.
 - Basic education was introduced focusing on nature studies, science, and sanitation (the
value of cleanliness, proper hygiene, and healthy practices).
- Hospitals, clinics and health centers were established.
- Roads and bridges were built.
- The Bureau of Government Laboratories was established in 1901 replacing Laboratorio
Municipal under the Spanish regime, and was renamed Bureau of Science in 1905.
- In 1933 the National Research Council was established which became the primary
research center until World War II.

▪ University of the Philippines

- was founded in 1908, located at Calle Isaac Peral (now United nations Avenue) and
Padre Faura in Manila.

DURING COMMONWEALTH REGIME

▪ Commonwealth Period (American Regime)

- Bureau of Mines was established
- Scientific researches on plant and animal industry were encouraged.
- Free trade was introduced

▪ Commonwealth period (Japanese occupation 1942-1945)

- No significant contribution to science and technology

▪ Science and Technology (since independence 1946-1965)

- Increase in establishment of state colleges and universities
- Bureau of Science was renamed Institute of Science
- Institute of Nutrition was created.
- Science Foundation of the Philippines was established (focused on science and
engineering researches)
 - Commission on Volcanology was created
- Institute of Science was reorganized in 1951 and was renamed Institute of Science and
Technology.
- Congress enacted the Science Act of 1958.
- The National Science Development Board was created to formulate policies for the
development of science and coordinate the work at sciences agencies.

▪ Science and Technology During the Marcos Era (1965-1985)

- Marcos instructed the Department of Education to review the science courses in public
high schools
- He acknowledged that technology was the foremost factor in economic development
and channeled additional funds in order to support projects in applied sciences and
science education.
- Funds were allocated to private universities and urged them to create courses in
science, technology, and research.
- Improvement of science curricula by upgrading science equipment of different schools
in the Philippines.
- He enacted Presidential Decree no. 1003-A s. 1976 which established the National
Academy of Science and Technology

DURING FIFTH REPUBLIC (1986-present)

▪ Corazon Aquino Era

- Cory proclaimed the Executive Order No. 128 known as the Reorganization of the
National Science and Technology Authority, creating the Technology and Promotion
Institute whose prime responsibility is to promote the commercialization of
technologies and market the services of other operating units of the Department of
Science and Technology.
 - RA 6655 – Science for the Masses Program aimed at encouraging children who have
passion in science to study for free.
- Republic act No. 7459 – An act providing incentives to Filipino inventors.

▪ Fidel V. Ramos Era

- Magna Carta for Science and Technology Personnel (Republic Act 8439) – to address the
issue of less number of Filipino S & T workers.
- an incentive system was crafted to give additional benefits to S & T employees in the
government
- Ramos enacted Science and Technology Scholarship Law of 1994 (Republic Act No.
7687).
- Inventors and Inventions Incentives Act (Republic Act No. 7459).

▪ Joseph Estrada Era

- Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act No. 8749) - designed to protect and
preserve the environment and ensure the sustainable development of its natural
resources.
- -Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 8792) which bans computer hacking
and provides opportunities for new businesses emerging from the Internet-driven New
Economy.

▪ Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Era

- Science and technology sector was granted as the “Golden Age” era for Science and
Technology by then secretary Estrella Alabastro.
- R.A. 9367 or the “Biofuels” act. This act promotes the development and usage of
biofuels throughout the country.
- -Republic Act 10601 which improves the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector through
Mechanization (AFMech). RA 10601 covers research, development, and extension (RDE),
promotion, distribution, supply, assembling, manufacturing, regulation, use, operation,
 maintenance and project implementation of agricultural and fisheries machinery and
equipment.
- Republic Act 10055 otherwise known as the Technology Transfer Act of 2009. It has
become a major achievement because of the law’s spirit of harmonizing all technology
transfer activities in the country and expediting the commercialization of government-
funded research.

▪ Benigno Aquino III Era

- Aquino conferred four new National Scientist for their contribution in the scientific field
namely:
 Gavino C. Trono - Trono’s contribution helped a lot of families in the coastal
populations through the extensive studies he made on seaweed species (on
seaweed biodiversity, biology, ecology, and culture).
 Angel C. Alcala - served as the pioneer scientist and advocate of coral reefs.
 Ramon C. Barba - contribution changes the seasonal supply of fresh fruits to an
all-year-round availability of mangoes through his studies on the induction of
flowering of mango using ethrel and potassium nitrate.
 Edgardo D. Gomez - steered the national-scale assessment of damage coral reefs
which led a national conservation.

▪ Policies on S&T under the Aquino administration Benigno Aquino III Era
- Emphasizing teaching in the mother tongue (RA 10533)
- Developing school infrastructure (RA 10931)
- Providing for ICT broadband (RA 10844)
- Integrate, coordinate and intensify scientific and technological research to foster
invention (RA 2067)
- Ensuring compliance of drug-manufacturing firms with ASEAN-harmonized standards by
full implementation of the FDA (RA 9711)
 - Creating an education council dedicated to standardization of pharmaceutical services/
care (RA 5921)
- Empowering food and drug agencies to conduct evidence-based research as pool of
information (RA 3720)
- Allocating 2% of the GDP to research (RA 8424)
- legislating a law supporting human genome projects (RA 10747)
- Protecting and conserving biodiversity by full implementation of existing laws (RA 9147)
- Use of biosafety and standard model by ASEAN countries
- Promoting indigenous knowledge systems and indigenous people’s conservation (RA
8371)

▪ Rodrigo Roa Duterte Era

- Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11035 or the Balik Scientist Act. This law provides
incentives and assistance to returning Filipino experts, scientists, inventors, and
engineers.

FILIPINO INVENTIONS and SCIENTISTS

▪ Salamander Amphibious Tricycle
- During rainy season, flooding is a common occurrence in the country. To remedy this
issue, Victor (Atoy) Llave and his team at H2O Technologies invented Salamander that
can cross not only flooded streets but rivers and lakes.

▪ E-jeepney
- Uses electricity instead of the more expensive diesel.
- Environmental-friendly
- Joining PhUV in this venture are seven well-known Philippine-based parts providers: MD
Juan Enterprises, Yazaki-Torres, Glasteck, VSO, Autofir, Nito Seiki and Manly Plastics

▪ Medical Incubator
- A Filipino pediatrician and the first Asian woman admitted into Harvard Medical school,
Dr. Fe del Mundo, invented a medical incubator made from indigenous and cheap
materials which is not powered by electricity.
 - The incubator is made of up of two native laundry baskets, with the smaller one placed
inside the bigger one. Hot water bottles were inserted between the baskets to provide
warmth and makeshift hood to allow oxygen circulation.

- Its main purpose is to maintain conditions suitable for a newborn, usually a pre-term
baby

▪ Single-chip 16-bit Microprocessor

- Diosdado Banatao developed the first single-chip graphical user interface accelerator
that made computers work a lot faster. This invention has allowed computer users to
use graphics for commands and not the usual types commands in older computers. It
has allowed data processing to be a little faster using very little space.

- Banatao also developed the world’s first system logic chip set for IBM’s, PC-XT and PC-
AT. He also developed the first Windows Graphics accelerator chip for personal
computers.

- He co-founded Mostron, S3 (most profitable company in the world in 1993) and Chips &
Technologies (sold to Intel in 1996).

▪ Electrifilter
- Christian G. Sta. Romana and John Paul G. Santos from Polytechnic University of the
Philippines won the award for their invention of electrifilter in 2015.

- The electrifilter generates electricity from waste water that can power lamp post in
sidewalks and roads. It has the capability to filter and cleanse water that can be used for
daily consumption. The excess energy produced will be stored to a battery or energy
grid. The waste output from the device can be used as natural fertilizers. The device is
designed to be portable so that it can be used to generate electricity, provide clean
water in times of floods, storms and other calamities in remote areas.

▪ SALt (Sustanable Alternative Lighting) Lamp

- A young Filipina, named Aisa Mijeno, invented a lighting system that utilizes saltwater.

- It is composed of two table spoons of salt, one glass of tap water, catalysts and metal
alloys that when submerged in electrolytes will generate electricity and can last for eight
hours. It utilizes the same principle as the Galvanic cell, but uses saline solution making
it harmless and non-toxic.

- Advantage of Salt lamp:

poses no risk of fire
 does not emit toxic gases
easy to make

▪ Vazbuilt: A Modular housing system

- The Vazbuilt building technology was invented by Edgardo G. Vazquez.

- Vazbuilt manufactures pre-fabricated reinforced concrete columns, wall panels, tie

beams ( at 2,500 to 3,500 psi) which are assembled into modular housing units.

▪ Mosquito Ovicidal/ Larvicidal trap

- The Department of Science and technology (DOST) through its Industrial Technology
Development Institute (ITDI) developed the mosquito ovicidal/larvicidal trap (OL trap).

- The OL trap kit consists of a black cup and a popsicle stick-like strip of lawanit (coconut
husk wall paneling) which measures 1” x 6.5” that is half-immersed in an organic
solution that can destroy mosquito eggs and larvae. When it is exposed to areas with
mosquitoes, the scent of the solution attracts female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to lay
their eggs on the lawanit stick. The trap does not kill the mosquito but it kills the
hundreds of eggs it lays.

▪ Multi-cooler fan
- Edgardo Vazquez, has built a misting system called Misty Kool Outdoor Air Conditioner
that allows outdoor temperature to be lowered by 3 to 5-degree Celsius.

- Misty Kool is a misting system that sprays ultra-fine microns of water to cool off any
area. The mist evaporates into the air giving a stronger cooling effect. It conserves
energy and repels flying insects, dust, smoke and pollen. The machine consists of a
misting fan, high – pressure pumps, fine nozzles, switches, oil indicator, programmable
timer, automatic shut-off mechanism, hose, water tank and heavy-duty wheels with
locking mechanism.

▪ Diwata-1: Philippine made Micro-satellite

- Diwata-1 is the first of the two micro-satellites in the Philippines. It aims to send into
space in three years via the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Micro-Satellite (PHL-
Microsat) Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in
collaboration with the University of the Philippines Diliman, and two Japanese academic
institutions, Tohoku University (TU) and Hokkaido University (HU).

- Diwata -1 was built and designed by Filipinos, measuring 55 x 35 x 55 cm and

weighing 50 kg. It was launched and deployed to orbit on April 27, 2016 to capture data
 and images from about 1,000 selected areas in the Philippines to assist in weather
observation, disaster risk management, environmental monitoring (for forest
protection, agriculture, fisheries and mining) and preservation of cultural and historical
sites and other services benefiting the public. Images captured by Diwata-1 can also be
used for crop inventory, disaster management and even monitoring of coastal waters
for the security of the country’s territory.

▪ Diwata – 2
- Diwata-2 is the Philippines’ second Earth-observing microsatellite developed and built
under the Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite (PHL-
Microsat) Program, which is funded by the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST), monitored by DOST-Philippine Council for Industry and Emerging Technology
Research and Development (PCIEERD), and done through the collaboration between the
University of the Philippines Diliman, the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology
Institute (ASTI), Hokkaido University, and Tohoku University.

- The Diwata-2 project was successfully launched to space on October 29, 2018 from the
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan via H-IIA F40 rocket. Diwata-1’s useful life ended
November 2018 due to decay and the gravitational pull of the Earth. To prolong its
useful life, Diwata-2 was launched to an orbit 213 kilometers higher than Diwata-1’s. To
improve communications, Diwata-2 was also equipped with a radio.

▪ Pinoy Hybrid Electric Train

- The first Filipino-made hybrid electric train (HET) was launched on April 24, 2019. This
was developed by the Department of Science and Technology’s Metal Industry and
Research Development Center in partnership with the Philippine National Railways
(PNR).

▪ Quink Ink
- Francisco Quisumbing, a Filipino Botanist, invented the Quink Ink (a fountain pen ink)
introduced in 1931.

Philosophical Aspects of Science and Technology

▪ The Concept of Good Life and Human Flourishing
▪ Human Flourishing
▪ Flourish – to grow or develop in a healthy way, especially as the result of a particularly
favorable environment.
- to achieve success; to prosper.
▪ Eudaimonia – a term coined by Aristotle to describe the peak of happiness that is attainable
by humans. It came from the Greek word “eu” meaning good and “daimon” meaning spirit.
This has been translated into human flourishing.

▪ Different components of human flourishing according to Aristotle:

1. Phronesis- is an Ancient Greek word for a type of wisdom or intelligence of making the
right decisions and taking the right actions in context, and relentless pursuit of
excellence for the common good.
2. Friendship
3. Wealth
4. Power

Science, Technology, and Human Flourishing

▪ Technology changes and the world around us. It eases our labor, cures diseases, provides
abundant food and clean water, enables communication and travel across the globe.

▪ Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) was a German philosopher whose work is associated with
phenomenology and existentialism.
“Technology is the means to an end.”
Because of technology all distances in time and space are shrinking, yet the hasty setting
aside of all distances brings no nearness; for nearness does not consist in small amount
of distance. -Martin Heidegger

Ethical and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology

▪ Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR) on December 10, 1948 as the global standard of human rights for
universal recognition and protection.
- As implied, everyone has absolute moral worth by virtue of being human.
- Human Dignity – is an ultimate core value of our existence.
- Article 1. Right to equality
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are
endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood.
- Article 2. Freedom for discrimination
Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,
without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, gender, language, religion, political
or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore,
no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international
status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent,
trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
- Article 3. Right to life, liberty, and personal security
Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
- Article 4. Freedom from slavery or servitude
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be
prohibited in all their forms.
- Article 5. Freedom from torture and degrading treatment
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment.

- Article 6. Right to recognition

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
- Article 7. Right for equal protection
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal
protection of law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in
violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Ethical Dimensions of Science and Technology
▪ The Nuremberg Code
- is a set of research ethics principles for human experimentation created as a result of
the Nuremberg trials at the end of the Second World War. It was introduced after the
Nuremberg trials. In these trials, Nazi doctors were convicted of the crimes committed
during human experiments on concentration camp prisoners. It attempted to give clear
rules about what was legal and what was not when conducting human experiments.

▪ Unethical medical experimentation (without patient consent or any safeguards)

1. Experiments dealing with the survival of military personnel
- Many experiments in the camps intended to facilitate the survival of military personnel
in the field. For example, at Dachau, physicians from the German air force and from the
German Experimental Institution for Aviation conducted high-altitude experiments on
prisoners to determine the maximum altitude from which crews of damaged aircraft
could parachute to safety. Scientists there also carried out so-called freezing
experiments on prisoners to find an effective treatment for hypothermia. Prisoners
were also used to test various methods of making seawater drinkable.

2. Experiments to test drugs and treatments

- Other experiments aimed to develop and test drugs and treatment methods for injuries
and illnesses which German military and occupation personnel encountered in the field.
At the German concentration camps of Sachsenhausen, Dachau, Natzweiler,
Buchenwald, and Neuengamme, scientists used camp inmates to test immunization
compounds and antibodies for the prevention and treatment of contagious diseases,
including malaria, typhus, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, yellow fever, and infectious
hepatitis.

- Physicians at Ravensbrück conducted experiments in bone-grafting and tested newly

developed sulfa (sulfanilamide) drugs. At Natzweiler and Sachsenhausen, prisoners were
exposed to phosgene and mustard gas in order to test possible antidotes.

- Phosgene gas - is a major industrial chemical used to make plastics and pesticides. At
room temperature, phosgene is a poisonous gas. Exposure to high concentrations of this
gas, a person may develop fluid in the lungs within 2 to 6 hours, which leads to death.

- Mustard gas, or sulfur mustard, is a chemical agent that causes severe burning of the
skin, eyes and respiratory tract. It can be absorbed into the body through inhalation,
 ingestion or by coming into contact with the skin or eyes. However, higher
concentrations of the gas can cause symptoms to develop within one to two hours.
Exposure to mustard gas is usually not lethal and most victims recover from their
symptoms within several weeks. Some, however, remain permanently disfigured as a
result of chemical burns or are rendered permanently blind.

3. Experiments to advance Nazi racial and ideological goals

- Nazi ideology:

- Führer - the idea that there should be a single leader with complete power rather than a
democracy.

- Autarky - the idea that Germany should be economically self-sufficient.

- A strong Germany - the Treaty of Versailles should be abolished and all German-
speaking people united in one country.

- Germany was in danger - from Communists and Jews, who had to be destroyed.

- Lebensraum - the need for 'living space' for the German nation to expand.

- Social Darwinism - the idea that the Aryan race was superior and Jews were 'subhuman'.

- He also directed experiments on Roma (Gypsies), as did Werner Fischer at

Sachsenhausen, to determine how different "races" withstood various contagious
diseases. The research of August Hirt at Strasbourg University also intended to establish
"Jewish racial inferiority." Additional gruesome experiments meant to further Nazi
racial goals included a series of sterilization experiments, undertaken primarily at
Auschwitz and Ravensbrück. Scientists tested a number of methods in an effort to
develop an efficient and inexpensive procedure for the mass sterilization of Jews, Roma,
and other groups Nazi leaders considered to be racially or genetically undesirable.

▪ The Nuremberg Code

1. The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.

2. The experiment should be such as to yield fruitful results for the good of society,
unprocurable by other methods or means of study, and not random and unnecessary in
nature.
 3. The experiment should be so designed and based on the results of animal
experimentation and a knowledge of the natural history of the disease or other problem
under study, that the anticipated results will justify the performance of the experiment.

4. The experiment should be so conducted as to avoid all unnecessary physical and mental
suffering and injury.

5. No experiment should be conducted, where there is an a priori reason to believe that

death or disabling injury will occur; except, perhaps, in those experiments where the
experimental physicians also serve as subjects.

6. The degree of risk to be taken should never exceed that determined by the humanitarian
importance of the problem to be solved by the experiment.

7. Proper preparations should be made and adequate facilities provided to protect the
experimental subject against even remote possibilities of injury, disability, or death.

8. The experiment should be conducted only by scientifically qualified persons. The highest
degree of skill and care should be required through all stages of the experiment of those
who conduct or engage in the experiment.

9. During the course of the experiment, the human subject should be at liberty to bring the
experiment to an end, if he has reached the physical or mental state, where continuation
of the experiment seemed to him to be impossible.

10. During the course of the experiment, the scientist in charge must be prepared to
terminate the experiment at any stage, if he has probable cause to believe, in the exercise
of the good faith, superior skill and careful judgement required of him, that a continuation
of the experiment is likely to result in injury, disability, or death to the experimental
subject.

Ethical Decision-making in Science

▪ Essential elements scientists follow in making decisions:
1. Identifying stakeholders
2. identifying possible options or course of actions
3. Review arguments for each option
 4. Making rational choice from the available options backed with the strongest set of moral
reasons and principles

▪ Code of Ethics of Scientists and Engineers

1. Establish standards of conduct.

2. Formulate rules to govern practice or discipline.

3. Provide a framework for resolving conflicts.

4. Manage the expectation of the public in a practice or discipline.

Robotics: A Contemporary Issue in Science and Technology

▪ Robotics refers to the use and development of robots.

▪ Artificial Intelligence - is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines,

especially computer systems.

▪ Bill Joy – chief scientist and corporate executive officer of Sun Microsystems.
- He wrote about the controversial essay “Why the future does not need us?”
In his work, he said that our most powerful 21st-century technologies – genetics,
nanotech, and robotics (GNR) – are threatening to make humans an endangered
species.

Roboethics and Ethical Issues in Advanced Robotics

▪ Roboethics
- Roboethics is not the ethics of robots, nor any artificial ethics, but it is the human ethics
of robotsʼ designers, manufacturers, and users.

▪ Three Laws of Robotics

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through interaction, allow a human being to
come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would
conflict the first law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with
the first law.

Zeroth Law of Robotics :

A robot should not bring harm to humanity, through action or inaction.

Theoretical physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson shared his thoughts and sentiments
as a scientist taking part in the development of nuclear weapon in the documentary “The Day
After Trinity”
“ I have felt it myself. The glitter of nuclear weapons. It is irresistible if you come to
them as a scientist. To feel it’s there in your hands, to release this energy that fuels the stars,
to let it do your bidding. To perform this miracle, to lift a million tons of rock in the sky. It is
something that gives people an illusion of illimitable power, and it is, in some ways,
responsible for all troubles- this you might call technical arrogance, that overcomes people
when they see what they can do with their minds.”