SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND NATION- Science and Technology), among others.

Marcos saw
that the key to nation-building is the continued
BUILDING development of science and technology. The progress
in science and technology continued even after his
dictatorial rule and the presidents after him left their
own legacies in the field.
The development of science and technology in
the Philippines has already come along way. Many
significant inventions and discoveries have been
accomplished by or attributed to Filipinos. This chapter
tackles how the development of science and technology
affect the development of the Philippines as a nation.

PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

Scientific and technological developments in

the Philippines began in the pre-colonial period. Even
before the Spaniards came to the Philippine islands,
early Filipino settlers were already using certain plants
and herbs as medicines. Systems of farming and
animal-raising were also implemented. Moreover, early
Filipino had also developed different modes of
transportation, whether terrestrial or maritime.

A complicated engineering feat was achieved

by the natives of the Cordilleras when they built rice
terraces by hand. Through these terraces, the people
were able to cultivate crops on the mountainsides in
cold temperatures. They incorporated an irrigation
system that uses water from the forests and mountain
tops to achieve an elaborate farming system. The rice
terraces of the Cordilleras, which are still functional,
show the innovative and ingenious way of the natives to
survive in an otherwise unfriendly environment.

COLONIAL PERIOD

Colonization by the Spaniards provided the

Philippines with modern means of construction. Walls,
roads, bridges, and other large infrastructures were built
using some of the engineering skills and tools brought
by the Spaniards. In addition, the Spanish government
developed health and education system that were
enjoyed by the principalia class.

The American occupation modernized almost

all aspects of life in the Philippines. They establishes a
government agency, the Bureau of Science, for the sole
purpose of nurturing development in the field of science
and technology.

POST-COLONIAL PERIOD

After achieving independence from the

colonizers, the Philippines, under different
administrations, continued to pursue programs in
science and technology. Each leadership had its own
science and technology agenda. However, it is
important to note than some Philippine presidents
posted more developments in the field than others.

One of the presidents who ushered in

advancements in science and technology was former
president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Under his
term, many agencies in science and technology were
established and strengthened, including the Philippines
Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA) in place of the abolished
Weather Bureau; the National Academy of Science and
Technology (NAST); and the reconstituted National
Science and Technology Authority (originally
established in 1958 as the National Science and
Development Board and now the Department of

GEC 108- SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 1