CHAPTER 2

Lesson 2: Science, Technology, and Nation-

Building

Continuation Topic….

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.
Padilla-Concepcion (2015) reported that in 2015, in response to the ASEAN
2015 Agenda, the government, particularly the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST), has sought the expertise of the National Research Council of the Philippines
(NCRP) to consult various sectors in the society to study how the Philippines can
prepare itself in meeting the ASEAN 2015 Goals. As a result of the consultation, the
NCRP is expected to recommend policies and programs that will improve the
competitiveness of the Philippines in the ASEAN Region.
The NCRP clustered these policies into four, namely:
1. Social Sciences, 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 and providing for ICT broadband
 Local food security
2. Physics, Engineering and Industrial Research, Earth and Space Sciences, and
Mathematics
 Emphasizing degrees, licenses, and employment opportunities
 Outright grants for peer monitoring
 Review of R.A. 9184
 Harnessing science and technology as an independent mover of
development
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
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

There are also other existing programs supported by the Philippine government
through the DOST. Some of these projects are the following:
 Providing funds for basic research and patents related to science and
technology. The government funds basic and applied researches, Funding of
these research and projects are also from the Overseas Development Aid
(ODA) from different countries.

 Providing scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies of students in

the field of science and technology. Saloma (2015) pointed out that the country
needs to produce more doctoral graduates in the field of science and
technology, and produce more research in these fields, including engineering.

 Establishing more branches of the Philippine Science High School System for
training young Filipinos in the field of science and technology.

 Creating science and technology parks to encourage academe and industry

partnerships.

 Balik Scientist Program to encourage Filipino scientists abroad to come home

and work in the Philippines or conduct research and projects in collaboration
with Philippine-based scientists.

 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. These
aimed to develop more science and technology and engineering manpower
resources needed by the country. They also aimed to produce more researches
in these fields.

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 that will lead
the country in different research and development areas

 Establishment of science and technology business centers to assist, advise,

and incubate technopreneurship ventures

 Strengthen science education at an early stage through the Philippine Science

High School system

In the field of education, several science-related programs and projects were

created to develop the scientific literacy of the country. Special science classes were
organized and special science elementary schools were established in different
regions. Aside from these, science and mathematics in basic education were
continuously improved. The current K to 12 education program included Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as one of its major tracks in the
senior high school program to encourage more students to enroll in science-related
fields in college.

Lately, the Commission on Higher Education launched its Philippine-California

Advanced Research Institutes (PICARI) Project to allow several higher education
institutions in the Philippines and some USbased laboratories, research institutes, and
universities to work on research and projects related to science, agriculture,
engineering, health, and technology. This project is hoped to strengthen the STEM
competitiveness of the country.

There are many other areas and fields that the country is looking forward to
embark various research and projects. The following are some of them:

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

The Philippine Congress has also created various laws related to science and
technology. These laws serve as a legal framework for science and technology in the
country. 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),
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other international agencies.
National Goals
Science and Technology
International Treaty
 Policies
 Programs
Legal Framework
 Projects

Social Needs, Issues, and

Problems
 As shown in the diagram, the development of policies in science and
technology is shaped or influenced by several variables: policies need to be aligned to
national goals, consider international commitments based on legal frameworks, and
respond to various social needs, issues, and problems. Science and technology
policies ensure that the whole country and all people will experience the progress that
science can bring. Policies are guides to direct all efforts to a goal of developing a
scientifically advanced country.

Famous Filipinos in the Field of Science

School science is filled with names of foreign scientists: Einstein, Galileo
Galilei, Newton, Faraday, Darwin, and many other Western scientists. We rarely hear
of Filipino scientists being discussed in science classes. Lee-Chua (2000) identified 10
outstanding Filipino scientists who have made significant contributions in Philippine
science. These scientists are also famous abroad especially in different science
disciplines: agriculture, mathematics, physics, medicine, marine science, chemistry,
engineering, and biology.
These Filipino scientists are:
1. Ramon Cabanos Barba — for his outstanding research on tissue culture in
Philippine mangoes

2. Josefino Cacas Comiso — for his works on observing the characteristics of

Antarctica by using satellite images

3. Jose Bejar Cruz Jr. — known internationally in the field of electrical

engineering; was elected as officer of the famous Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering

4. Lourdes Jansuy Cruz — notable for her research on sea snail venom

5. Fabian Millar Dayrit — for his research on herbal medicine

6. Rafael Dineros Guerrero III — for his research on tilapia culture

7. Enrique Mapua Ostrea Jr. — for inventing the meconium drugs testing

8. Lilian Formalejo Patena — for doing research on plant biotechnology

9. Mari-Jo Panganiban Ruiz — for being an outstanding educator and graph

theorist

10. Gregory Ligot Tangonan — for his research in the field of communications
technology

There are other outstanding Filipino scientists who are recognized here and abroad for
their outstanding contributions in science:
1. Caesar A. Saloma — an internationally renowned physicist

2. Edgardo Gomez — famous scientist in marine science

 3. William Padolina — chemistry and president of National Academy of Science
and Technology (NAST)—Philippines

4. Angel Alcala — marine science

There are other scientists in the Philippines who were not identified in the list. Yet,
thé Philippines still need more scientists and engineers, and there is a need to support
scientific research in the country. The University of the Philippines—Los Baños is a
science paradise for agriculture, forestry, plant and animal science, and veterinary
science. It has produced numerous scientists and various research in the fields
mentioned. The University of the Philippines-Visayas is also a national center for
marine science, fisheries, and other related sciences. The University of the Philippines-
Manila is a center of excellence and has produced many researchers, doctors, health
professionals, and scientists in the area of medical and public health. The University
of the Philippines-Diliman also has established a national science and engineering
complex to develop more research and produce more scientists and engineers in the
country. The government must find ways to establish more research laboratories and
research institutes. There is also a need to find ways on how their researches are
disseminated to the public.
Many of these Filipino scientists are products of good school science. It means
they were taught and inspired by great teachers. Their interests in science started to
manifest during their childhood years. Their natural environment ignited their curiosity
to learn more about the natural and physical environment. Schools and the laboratories
where they studied and worked nurtured this.

Individual Interest School Science

SCIENCE
LABORATORY
Family
(TEACHERS AND (REAL-LIFE
LEARNING CONTEXT)
Natural ENVIRONMENT
Environment

FILIPINO SCIENTIST

Many Filipino scientists, whether they are in the country or abroad, always
excel in their job. The Filipino spirit in their souls has never faded. They continue to
bring honor to the country. They make ordinary things in an extraordinary way. They
are always at par with other scientists in spite of the limited facilities we have here in
the country.