SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND

NATION BUILDING
Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able

to:
■ Explain how early Filipinos applied scientific
principles in their daily living.
■ Present government policies on science and
technology and explain their importance to the
nation.
■ Discuss the role of science and technology in
nation-building.
Role of Science and Technology in Nation
Building
■ The development of science and technology in the
Philippines has already come a long way. Many
significant inventions and discoveries have been
accomplished by or attributed to Filipinos. The
following time periods show the development of
science and technology in the Philippines:
✓Pre-Colonial Period
✓Colonial Period
✓Post-Colonial Period
PRE-SPANISH ERA
PRE-SPANISH ERA
■ Even before the
colonization by the
Spaniards in the Philippine
islands, the natives of the
archipelago already had
practices linked to science
and technology.
■ Filipinos were already
aware of the medicinal and
therapeutic properties of
plants and the methods of
extracting medicine from
herbs.
PRE-SPANISH ERA
■ They already had an
alphabet, number
system, a weighing and
measuring system and
a calendar. Filipinos
were already engaged
in farming, shipbuilding,
mining and weaving.
■ The Banaue Rice
Terraces are among the
sophisticated products
of engineering by pre-
Spanish era Filipinos.
SPANISH COLONIAL ERA

■ The colonization of
the Philippines
contributed to
growth of science
and technology in
the archipelago.
■ The Spanish
introduced formal
education and founded
scientific institution.
SPANISH COLONIAL ERA
■ Agriculture and industrial
development on the other
hand were relatively
neglected.
■ The opening of the Suez
Canal saw the influx of
European visitors to the
Spanish colony and some
■ Filipinos were able to study
in Europe who were probably
influenced by the rapid
development of scientific
ideals brought by the Age of
Enlightenment.
SPANISH COLONIAL ERA

■ The Galleon Trade have

accounted in the
Philippine colonial
economy.
■ Trade was given more focus
by the Spaniard colonial
authorities due to the
prospects of big profits.
■ Agriculture and industrial
development on the
other hand were
relatively neglected.
SPANISH COLONIAL ERA

■ The opening of the Suez

Canal saw the influx of
European visitors to the
Spanish colony and some
Filipinos were able to
study in Europe who were
probably influenced by
the rapid development of
scientific ideals brought
by the Age of
Enlightenment.
AMERICAN PERIOD
AMERICAN PERIOD

■ The progress of science and technology in the

Philippines continued under American rule of the
islands.
■ On July 1, 1901 The Philippine Commission
established the Bureau of Government
Laboratories which was placed under the
Department of Interior.
■ The Bureau replaced the Laboratorio Municipal,
which was established under the Spanish colonial
era. The Bureau dealt with the study of tropical
diseases and laboratory projects.
AMERICAN PERIOD
■ On October 26, 1905, the Bureau of Government
Laboratories was replaced by the Bureau of
Science and on December 8, 1933, the National
Research Council of the Philippines was
established.
■ Science during the American period was inclined
towards agriculture, food processing, forestry,
medicine and pharmacy. Not much focus was
given on the development of industrial technology
due to free trade policy with the United States
which nurtured an economy geared towards
agriculture and trade.
AMERICAN PERIOD

■ In 1946 the Bureau of Science was replaced by the

Institute of Science. In a report by the US Economic
Survey to the Philippines in 1950, there is a lack of
basic information which were necessities to the
country's industries, lack of support of
experimental work and minimal budget for scientific
research and low salaries of scientists employed by
the government.
■ In 1958, during the regime of President Carlos P.
Garcia, the Philippine Congress passed the Science
Act of 1958 which established the National Science
Development
POST COMMONWEALTH ERA
POST COMMONWEALTH ERA

■ During the 1970s, which was under the time

of Ferdinand Marcos' presidency, the
importance given to science grew.
■ Under the 1973 Philippine Constitution, Article XV,
Section 1, the government's role in supporting
scientific research and invention was
acknowledged.
■ In 1974, a science development program was
included in the government's Four-Year
Development Plan which covers the years 1974-
1978.
POST COMMONWEALTH ERA
■ Funding for science was also increased. The
National Science Development Board was replaced
by the National Science and Technology Authority
under Executive Order No. 784. A Scientific Career
in the civil service was introduced in 1983.
■ In 1986, during Corazon Aquino's presidency, the
National Science and Technology Authority was
replaced by the Department of Science and
Technology, giving science and technology a
representation in the cabinet.
POST COMMONWEALTH ERA

■ Under the Medium Term Philippine Development

Plan for the years 1987-1992, science and
technology's role in economic recovery and
sustained economic growth was highlighted.
■ During Corazon Aquino's State of the Nation
Address in 1990, she said that science and
technology development shall be one of the top
three priorities of the government towards an
economic recovery.
POST COMMONWEALTH ERA
■ In August 8, 1988, Corazon Aquino created the
Presidential Task Force for Science and Technology
which came up with the first Science and
Technology Master Plan or STMP.
■ The goal of STMP was for the Philippines to achieve
newly industrialized country status by the year
2000.
■ The Congress did not put much priority in handling
bills related to science and technology. The Senate
Committee on Science and Technology was one of
the committees that handles the least amount of
bills for deliberation.
GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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.
■ The goal is to prepare the whole country and its
people to meet the demands of a technologically
driven world and capacitate the people to live in a
world driven by science.
Government Policies on Science and
Technology
The National Research Council of the
Philippines (NCRP) clustered these
policies into four, namely:
1. Social Sciences, Humanities,
Education, International Policies
and Governance
2. Physics, Engineering and Industrial
Research, Earth and Space
Sciences, and Mathematics
3. Medical, Chemical, and
Pharmaceutical Sciences
4. Biological Sciences, Agriculture,
and Forestry
Government Policies on Science and
Technology
There are also other existing programs
supported by the Philippine
government through the Department
of Science and Technology (DOST).
Some of these projects are the following:
• 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
Government Policies on Science and
Technology
There are also other existing
programs supported by the
Philippine government through the
Department of Science and
Technology (DOST).
• Balik Scientist Program to encourage
Filipino scientists abroad to come home
and work in the Philippines
• Developing science and technology parks
in academic campuses to encourage
academe and industry partnerships
• The 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

The Philippine-American Academy of Science and

Engineering (PAASE, 2008) identified several capacity-
building programs such as:
■ Establishment of national centers of excellence;
■ Manpower and institutional development programs, such as
the Engineering and Science Education Program (ESEP) to
produce more PhD graduates in science and engineering
■ Establishment of regional centers to support specific
industries;
■ Establishment of science and technology business centers to
assist, advise, and incubate technopreneurship ventures;
and
■ Strengthen science education at an early stage through the
Philippine Science High School system.
Government Policies on
Science and Technology

■ The current K to 12 education program includes Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
■ The Commission on Higher Education has launched its Philippine-
California Advanced Research Institutes (PICARI) Project to strengthen
the STEM competitiveness of the country.
■ The Philippine Congress has also created various laws related to
science and technology. These laws vary according to different
themes such as: conservation, health-related, technology-building,
and supporting basic research, among others.
■ Some laws and policies are in line with international treaties such as:
■ The United Nations (UN);
■ United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO); and
■ Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Science Education in the Philippines
The Concept of Science Education
■ Science education focuses on teaching,
learning, and understanding science. Teaching
science involves exploring pedagogical theories
and models in helping teachers teach scientific
concepts and processes effectively.
■ Learning science includes both pedagogy and
the most interesting aspect, which is helping
students understand and love science.
■ Understanding science implies developing and
applying science-process skills and using
science literacy in understanding the natural
world and activities in everyday life.
Science Education in the Philippines
The Concept of Science Education
■ Science Education in Basic and Tertiary Education
• In basic education, science education helps
students learn important concepts and facts
that are related to everyday life including
important skills such as process skills, critical
thinking skills, and life skills.
• In tertiary education, science education deals
with developing students’ understanding and
appreciation of science ideas and scientific
works. It also focuses on the preparation of
science teachers, scientists, engineers, and
other professionals in various science-related
fields.
Science Education in the Philippines
Science Schools in the Philippines
■ Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS)
• A government program for gifted students in the
Philippines
• A service institute of the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST)
• Offers free scholarship basis for secondary course
with special emphasis on subjects pertaining to the
sciences.
■ Special Science Elementary Schools (SSES) Project
• This project started in June 2007 with 57 (or 60
since its inception) identified elementary schools
that participated or were identified as science
elementary schools in the country.
Science Education in the Philippines
Science Schools in the Philippines
■ The SSES Project aims to develop Filipino children
equipped with scientific and technological
knowledge, skills, and values. Its mission is to:
1. provide a learning environment to science-
inclined children through a special curriculum
that recognizes the multiple intelligences of the
learners;
2. promote the development of lifelong learning
skills; and
3. foster the holistic development of the learners.
Science Education in the Philippines
Science Schools in the Philippines
■ Quezon City Regional Science High School
• The school envisions to serve as a venue in
providing maximum opportunities for science-
gifted students to develop spirit of inquiry and
creativity.
• The focus of its curriculum is on science and
technology.
• It is well-supported by the local government unit
and by the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA).
■ Manila Science High School
• It is the first science high school in the
Philippines.
Science Education in the Philippines

Science Schools in the Philippines

■ Central Visayan Institute Foundation
• It is the home and pioneer of the prominent
school-based innovation known as the
Dynamic Learning Program (DLP).
• DLP is a synthesis of classical and modern
pedagogical theories adapted to foster the
highest level of learning, creativity, and
productivity.
• The school takes pride in its Research
Center for Theoretical Physics (RCTP).
Science Education in the Philippines