Chapter 1

General Concepts and

Historical Events in
Science, Technology, and
Society
Prepared by: Ms. Andrea Faith T. Iso
 Lesson 2

Science, Technology,
and Nation-building
 Brief Historical Background of Science
and Technology in the Philippines

Indigenous Science of Folk Science

Science and Technology in the Philippines started before the country gained
its independence from the American colonizers. Before the Spanish colonizer
came, the early inhabitants of the archipelago had their own culture and
traditions. They had their own belief system and indigenous knowledge
system that keep them organized and sustained their lives and communities
for many years.
Pre-Spanish era
-is embedded in the way of life in the people:
in the way they plant their crops
in taking care of animals for food production
in the way they interpret the movements of the heavenly bodies
to predict seasons and climates and in organizing days into
months and years
in the way they prepare the soil for agricultural purposes
in the way they discover the medicinal uses of plants
Technology
building houses
irrigations
developing tools that they can use in everyday life - for planting, hunting, cooking and
fishing
for fighting their enemies
for transportation.
creating musical instruments.
designs of gold and silver jewelry, ceramics and metal tools
Trading with China, Japan, Indonesia and other nearby countries have influenced their
lives by providing different opportunities for cultural and technological exchange.
Now, these ancient practices in science and technology are considered indigenous science
or folk science.
Spanish colonization
Formal science and technology, known as school of science and technology.
The Spaniards brought their own culture and practices to the country.
Spaniards established schools for boys and girls and introduced the
concept of subjects of disciplines.
The focus of learning science in school is on understanding different
concepts related to the human body, plants, animals, and heavenly
bodies.
Technology focuses on using and developing house tools.
Medicine and advanced science were introduced in formal colleges
and universities established by Catholic orders.
 The Galleon Trade
The galleon trade has brought additional technology and
development in the Philippines. The trade allowed other ideas,
crops, tools, cultural practices, technology, and Western practices
to reach the country.
Being one of the centers of global trade in Southeast Asia, the
Philippines was considered to be one of the most developed places
in the region.
However, superstitious beliefs of the people and the Catholic
doctrines and practices during the Spanish era halted the growth
of science and technology in the country.
American Colonization
Compared to the Spaniards, the Americans have more
influence in the development of science and technology
in the Philippines.
American established the public education system and
improved the engineering works, health conditions of
the people, transportation and communication system.
They established a modern research university, the
University of the Philippines, and created more public
hospitals.
American Colonization
The Americans reorganized the learning of science and introduced it in public and
private schools.
In basic education, science education focuses on nature studies and science and
sanitation until it became a subject formally known as “Science”.
Researches done to control malaria, cholera, tuberculosis and other tropical diseases
have greatly improved the teaching of science in higher education. Gradually, the
efforts of Americans to develop the human resources of the country built a stronger
foundation for science and technology.
 World War II

World War II has destabilized the development of the country in many ways.
Institutions and public facilities were turned into ashes, houses were burned,
and many lives were destroyed. The capacity of the country to bring back what
was destroyed was limited. Reparation funds focused on building institutions
and public facilities - schools, hospitals, and transportation systems. Then
reparation money from Japan was concentrated on building highways and in
providing technological training and human resource development in the
country.

Axis Powers Allied Powers

 New Republic
The whole nation focus on using its limited resources in
improving its science and technological capability.
It explored on the use of Overseas Development Allocation
(ODA) from different countries to help the nation improve its
scientific productivity and techno capability.
Human resource development is at the heart of these efforts
geared to producing more engineers, scientists, technology
experts, doctors, and other professionals in the country.
Science and technology may have significant impact on the
lives of the people and in the development of the Philippine
society.
Figure 3. Influences in the Development of Science and Technology in the Philippines
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology

The Philippine government introduced and implemented several

programs, projects and policies to boost the area of science and technology.
In 2015, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has sought the
expertise of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NCRP) to
consult the various sectors in the society to study how the Philippines can
prepare itself in meeting the ASEAN 2015 Goals.
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology
The following policies have been clustered by NCRP:
1. Social Science, Humanities, Education, International Policies and
Governance
Integrating ASEAN awareness in basic education without adding to the
curriculum 
Emphasizing teaching in the mother tongue 
Developing school infrastructure providing for ICT broadband 
Local food security
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology
2. Physics, Engineering and Industrial Research, Earth and Space Sciences and
Mathematics 
Empathizing degrees, licenses, and employment opportunities 
Outright grants for peer monitoring 
Review of R.A. 9184  - An Act Providing for Modernization,
Standardization and Regulation of the Procurement Activities of the
Government and for other Purposes.
Harnessing science and technology as an independent mover of
development
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology
3. Medical, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences 
Ensuring compliance of drug-manufacturing firms with ASEAN-
harmonized standards by full implementation of the Food and Drug
Administration 
Creating an education council dedicated to standardization of
pharmaceutical services and care 
Empowering food and drug agencies to conduct evidence-based research
as pool of information 
Allocating two percent of the GDP to research 
Legislating a law supporting human genome projects
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology
4. Biological Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry 
Protecting and conserving biodiversity by full implementation of existing
laws
Use of biosafety and standard model by ASEAN countries 
Promoting indigenous knowledge systems and indigenous people’s
conservation 
Formulation of common food and safety standards
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology
Some programs and projects supported by the Philippine government through
DOST are as follows: 
Providing funds for basic research and patents related to science and
technology
Providing scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies of students
in the field of science and technology 
Establishing more branches of the Philippine Science High School System
Creating Science and Technology parks 
Establishment of the National Science Complex and National Engineering
Complex within the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman.
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology
Several capacity - building programs were identified by the Philippine-
American Academy of science and Engineering (PAASE,2008). These include:
Establishment of national centers of excellence 
Manpower and institutional development programs 
Establishment of regional enters to short specific industries that will lead
the country in different research and development areas 
Establishment of science and technology business centers
Strengthen science education at an early stage through the Philippine
Science High School system
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology

The K-12 program included Science, technology, Engineering

and Mathematics (STEM) as one of the major tracks in the
senior high school program to encourage more students to
enroll in science-related fields in college.
 Government Policies on Science and
Technology
Other areas and fields that the country is looking forward to embark various
researches and projects include:
1. Use of alternative and safe energy
2. Harnessing mineral resources
3. Finding cure for various diseases and illness
4. Climate change and global warming
5. Increasing food production
6. Preservation of natural resources
7. Coping with natural disasters and calamities
8. Infrastructure development
 Development of Science and
Technology Policies in the Philippines
 Famous Filipinos in the field of Science

School Science is filled with names of foreign scientists. We rarely hear of Filipino
scientists who have made significant contributions in Philippine science. Filipino
scientists are also famous abroad, especially in different science disciplines:
agriculture, mathematics, physics, medicine, marine science, chemistry, engineering
and biology.

Many of the Filipino scientists are products of good school science. They were taught
and inspired by great teachers. Filipino scientists always excel in their job. They are
always at par with other scientists in spite of the limited facilities we have in the
country.
 Famous Filipinos in the field of Science

1. Ramon Cabanos Barba - for his outstanding

research on tissue culture in Philippine mangoes.
2. Josefino Cacas Comison - for his works on
observing the characteristics of Antartica by using
satellite images.
3. Lourdes Jansuy Cruz - notable for her research
on sea snail venom.
4. Fabian Millar Dayrit - for his research on herbal
medicine.
5. Rafael Dineros Guerrero III - for his research on
tilapia culture.
6. Lilian Formalejo Patena - for doing research on
plant biotechnology.
Factors that Influence the Development of Filipino Scientists
Thanks for listening!
Activity (10 points) 1/2 crosswise paper

Which colonizer made a significant influence

to the Filipinos? Is it the Spaniards?
Americans? Or the Japanese? Explain their
contributions/influence and why?