a A CHAPTER 3 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES Scientific and Technological developments in the Philippines began in the ancient times of the Philippines, famously called as pre-colonial period. This chapter will not present chronological events of the Philippine history but will present relevant structure and status of science and technology in the ancient and modem Philippine society. The science and technology in the Philippines continues to thrive towards development and innovation. Led by the cument Department of Science and Technology of the country, continues to support the advancements of its role towards nation building. This chapter will also consider the status of science and technology of the Philippines today. 5a LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify historical events in the Philippines that influenced science and technology. Explain the implications of colonization of the Philippines in the light of science and technology. Recognize that there was a sophisticated civilization in the Philippines prior to colonization. Critique the situation of the current science and technology in the pines. Illustrate the state of science and technology of the Philippines in the future. Craft a government policy for science, technology and society.a LESSON 13 ANCIENT PHILIPPINES The Heritage of the Ancient World The three figures of foundation during the “sinaunang lipunan” of the country.yd DATU or LAKAN + known as the political leaders and protectors of the territory, they are in charge to lead the community. PANDAY + Known as experts in techne, metallurgy, and agriculture. They are the Architectons or the engineers of the ancient Filipino civilization. They are the builders and the blacksmiths of the community. One of their major products are weapons for hunting and for battles, which are native swords called “Kampilan".Babaylans or Katalonans are shamans or spiritual leaders of the ancient Filipino civilization. Most of them were women, but the title is not exclusively gendered. This is a proof that the women in the ancient Philippine society are specially regarded in their roles.a BABAYLANS or KATALONANS ‘= According to Zeus Salazar, a Filipino historian and archaeologist, in the “sinaunang lipunan” , or the ancient Philippines, the “babaylans” are the core in terms of culture, religion and medicine, and maintains the flow of life. They have three major roles; They serve as spiritual leaders, it was said that they communicate with the ancient Filipino deities as liaisons for the people, just like pharaohs in the ancient Egypt.a BABAYLANS or KATALONANS ‘S| They are also teachers that memorizes the ancient culture and literature, and responsible for knowledge transfer to the next generations. They are the alchemists of the ancient Philippine civilization, they are physicians that practices healing techniques with the use of plants by understanding the natural world. They are also responsible in ancient astronomy and astrological practice of the society. Died during the Spanish conquistadors in the Philippines.a LESSON SPOTLIGHT The “babaylans” practiced natural philosophy (episteme) while the “panday” practiced the art of building, useful knowledge (techne). Both are part of the three major figures in the Philippine culture, that embodies characteristics of understanding on scientific knowledge, is an evidence that the regard to science and technology in the ancient Filipino civilization is considerably high. yPHILIPPINES IS NOT A POLITICAL EMPIRE BUT A SOCIAL UNIT There were numerous, scattered, thriving, relatively sufficient, and autonomous communities in the ancient Philippines, though not united by name, but united in culture and in practice. The relationship of Philippines with other countries along Asia also influenced the prevailing culture and scientific practices in the country.a a POTTERIES E The manufacture of potteries is one of the most known technological practice that came from Asia. The Ancient Filipinos have also practiced this techne, with the evidences of various uses of whether it be cooking or even for burying. The art of burying in some of the areas in the Philippines involved mummification, this practice was preserved until the arrival of the Spaniards, and the caves of the containing mummies remained untouched until the 19th century.@) © (a)Manunggul Burial Jar, (b)Maitum Burial Jar The “Manunggul burial jars" and “maitum burial jars" are some of the numerous jars discovered in caves which were believed to be burial sites of the ancient Philippine Civilization. Most of the “Manunggul burial jars" were found from the Tabon Cave Complex in Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan. These jars were excavated in March 1964; the jar has a unique and creative covering feature - a boat of the dead - which can be related to ethnological and cultural link, these jars contains mummified bodies. This is an evidence that the “art of useful science” plays a vital role in the culture of the ancient Philippine society. 5 hara The “Panday" were the masters of art and craftmanship, they practiced the techne of creating pots and jars, they are also responsible in iron melting and regarded as the blacksmiths of the community. The word “Panday", similar to the Indonesian word “Pande”, means, “skillful hands", this may also mean that they are “builders” in Javanese, usually the “Pandays” are men, but similar to “babaylans", the title is not exclusively gendered, though most women practices the craft of weaving. Panday are also responsible in the art and science of agriculture, and both men and women, share the tasks of in farming.ANCIENT PHILIPPINE ENGINEERING 7T One of the engineering features of the ‘ancient Philippine society can be observed in the Cordilleras, they built the rice terraces, not exclusively the Banaue rice terraces, but the sophistication in ‘engineering and agriculture can be seen in the entire region. The structure and art of farming of the Filipinos, allowed them to cultivate crops on the mountain side in spite being in a cold temperature. They have sufficient understanding of engineering and hydraulic engineering to control the rise and flow of water, through the irrigation system, the water from the forests and mountains were used to water all the crops. ” ~wy) a ANCIENT PHILIPPINE ENGINEERING Unlike other infrastructures in the ancient world, the function or the “useful knowledge” diminished alll throughout the history, but the rice terraces, still serves its purpose up to date. The art of farming and agricultural engineering is still evident today, the rice terraces continues to serve its purpose as one of the major sources of food production and a portal to the rich ancient Philippine society.yd ANCIENT PHILIPPINE ENGINEERING. These techne gave way to the ancient Philippine society to participate in trading; the inhabitants of Butuan has a trading history with the Kingdom of Champa (Vietnam), while the people of Ma-i (Mindoro), made trades with China. The “Pandays” are known builders, in the coastal regions of the country, they built boats for sailing and trading, called the “balangay". During the tenth century A.D., this art of craftmanship became highly developed technology.i ‘ There were evidences in the ancient Chinese archives that the Philippines were involved in their trading. The relationship of the two countries were established further during the tenth to the fifteenth century, the trading flourished further and crossed from Song dynasty (960-1278 AD) until the Ming dynasty (1360-1644 AD).a a The Philippines, in the ancient world does not have a one c empire, it was formed of autonomous villages called the (barangays), that scattered all over the archipelago. These were social units rather than a political unit, a self- sufficient community. Each communities exhibited uneven technological and scientific advancements depending on the exposure and need of the community. The communities settled along the coastal areas which exposed them to trading and cross-cultural contacts, such as Mindoro, Cebu, Southern Mindanao, Sulu and even Manila, showed evidences of sophistication as product of trading. 4 ana ANCIENT PHILIPPINE WRITING The Laguna Copper Plate dated 900 ‘AD on display at the National Museum Of the Philippines. Photo by Nordenx (2010) The Philippines also has its own system of writing, called the “baybayin". Which was richly used by the ancient Philippine society as mode of communication and writing documents. Many colonizers, like the Spaniards, claimed that they brought education in the country. But, prior to their arrival, the Philippines already has its own system of education. harThe language is a representation of culture and tradition, < which allowed the Philippine culture to flourish, not as an empire but as a social unit. According to Raul Navarro, a Filipino linguist and artist, the songs of epic and culture of the ancient Philippine Society were written in the “baybayin”, because the Spaniards cannot understand it during their colonization, they burned to the ground many accounts of literature and culture, some of these are oriental medicine books of the “babaylans”.yd The “babaylans” also served as teachers during the ancient times of the Philippines, they are responsible in knowledge transferring of the culture and tradition, as well as “theoretical knowledge”. Parents are also responsible in educating and training of their children of “useful knowledge”. Education is accessible to both men and women, providing an impression of mutual respect to both genders in the ancient history.7 There are only few written documents that depicts the culture, tradition, and status of science and technology in the ancient Philippines, but through artifacts, excavated in archaeological expeditions, there are proofs that Philippines had a certain level of sophistication.Golden Regalia ad The Ayala museum houses more than one thousand gold artifacts in their “Golden Ancestors” gallery, mostly ranging from 22-24 karat gold artifacts. There are figurines, belts, bowls, and other gold artifacts; one of the most sophisticated gold artifact in the museum is the “golden regali it was made of detailed gold beads, gold threads, and gold cords. AGold is one of the natural resources of the Philippines. Written in the Boxer Codex, a manuscript written in 1590, about the illustrations on the ethnic groups of southeast Asian countries, the Philippines is depicted as people wearing a piece or more of gold as a part of their daily wear. Showing that the Philippines has certain level of sophistication; men and women wear gold across the social strata.+ Filipinos in the ancient world are aware of the techne in processing gold. * They collect gold minerals in rivers or ores then shapes it. * Some gold designs are observed to be in patterns of coconut shell for bowls, “banig” patterns for belts, Golden Ancestors Gallery and seashell patterns for jewelry accessories. Ayala Gold Museum + The ancient Filipino civilization knows the techne of harnessing gold. * The designs of these artifacts depicts the culture and status of science and technology of “i Philippines. ” ~Golden Tara, Housed in Chicago Museum Some of the Filipino artifacts are housed in different museums all over the world. One of which is the Chicago museum that houses more than ten thousand Filipino artifacts. Along with many treasures of the world in the Granger hall of gems, one of the galleries of the museum, is the “Golden Tara” or the “Agusan Gold Image”, it a golden statue of a woman that depicts the sophistication of the Philippine society in the 13th century.Philippine Textile * The clothes that we wear also represents the culture that we have. * The art of weaving is one of the most evident sophistication of Filipinos ion terms of science and technology. + Textiles, being one of the necessities of the people, also serves as a historical evidence.Philippine Textile + The oldest existing textile sample in the Philippines is a linen cloth found in a wooden coffin in the island of Banton near southern Luzon, along with ceramic pieces dated in 14th century. * Their cloth also exhibits sophistication in the designs that includes geometrical patterns and color combinations. + Also recorded as the earliest existing specimen of a wrap tie-dye textile in the Southeast Asian Region.Philippine Textile The Philippines has a very colorful tradition and culture which is depicted in different clothing pattems. Nature is the best architect, observing the patterns of textiles across the country, it can be observed that the nature, culture, tradition, and livelihoods are crafted in these textiles. The colorful textiles can be seen in the ancient Philippine society because they already posses understanding of hamessing nature as a source of coloring, for clothes they used it for dying the textiles. harPhilippine Textile + The Philippines today has more than 100 plant based dye sources. Cordillera is one of the richest part of the country that maintained the culture of weaving textiles. * Across the region, it can be observed that there are different prevailing patterns and colors indicating their culture, some holds symbolisms that ‘are still considerably sacred in until today.Philippine Textile The ancient Philippine society gives importance to the connection of nature and tradition, by nurturing the tradition that serves as identity of each social units. The legacy of weaving textiles originated in from different ancestral tribes, that was passed down until today. The Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), under the Department of Science and Technology is dedicated to maintaining this industry and preserve culture. Weaving is an art and an important part of the Philippine culture influenced by techne and episteme. hara a < The “babaylans”, practiced scientific medical arts, they use hands on healing art that involves plants, intuitions, and massage with rituals. 7] They scan the body to diagnose the areas of energy imbalance, just like other oriental Indigenous Art medicine practices of Asia and principles of Of Healing Ayurveda, they believe that the diseases are caused of imbalance. The art and science of healing in the ancient Philippines existed for more than thousands of years. Each social units has different techniques of healing, they use the elements of & nature in the practice.a a + The ancient Philippine society has a very rich and colorful 4 culture and tradition. + The writing system, textile patterns, ancient engineering, metal works, artifacts and medical arts, are some of the traditional practices of the ancient Filipinos that gives us an impression on the sophisticated status of the country with the aid of science and technology. * Though their use of science and technology is majorly driven by religious beliefs, these practices also exhibits scientific explanations, like the process of mummification, fermentation of rice wines of the northern Philippines, and other practices that involves rituals were actually result of techne.The practice of science and technology of the ancient c Philippines died out because of the Spanish colonization, that did not only destroy the culture and tradition, but also deprived the Filipinos to harnessing and cultivating knowledge. Though the University of Santo Tomas was established in 1611, one of the oldest standing university across Asia, the education was not open to the Filipino public. Until in 1863, by virtue of Education Decree, provided the establishment of two free primary schools, one for boys and one for girls, for every town under the responsibility of the municipal government. yLESSON SPOTLIGHT It took hundreds of years before the Spaniards provided free education to the Filipinos, but it only took more than 20 years to spark a revolution. What does this mean?