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.
This chapter tackles how the development of
science and technology affect the development
of the Philippines as a nation.
Scientific and technological
development 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, 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.
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 systems that
were enjoyed by the principalia class.
The American occupation modernized almost
all aspects of life in the Philippines. They
established a government agency, the Bureau
of Science, for the sole purpose of nurturing
development in the field of science and
technology.
After achieving independence from the
colonization, 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 that 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 Ferdinand
Marcos.
One of the presidents who
ushered in advancements in
science and technology was
former president Ferdinand
Marcos.
Under his term, many agencies in science and
technology were established and strengthened,
including the Philippine Astmospheric 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 Development Board and now
Department of Science and Technology).
Marcos saw that the key to nation-
building is the continued development
of science and technology.
The progress in science and
technology continued even his
dictatorial rule and the presidents after
him left their own legacies in the field.
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
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
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.
The Philippine-American Academy of
Science and Engineering (PAASE, 2008)
identified several capacity-building
programs such as:
Establishment of national centers of
excellence;
Establishment of regional centers to
support specific industries;
Manpower and institutional development
programs, such as the Engineering and
Science Education Program (ESEP) to produce
more Ph.D. graduates in science and
engineering
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.
Philippine-California Advanced Research
Institutes (PCARI)
The Philippine-California Advanced Research
Institutes (PCARI) Project is a new approach to
enhance the skills and expertise of faculty and staff
of Philippine universities and colleges, through
scholarships, training, and research partnerships
with top-notch research universities in California,
USA, in the priority areas of information
infrastructure development (IID) and health
innovation and translational medicine (HITM).
Information infrastructure development refers to
the technological and human components, networks,
systems, and processes that contribute to the
creation, flow or exchange, processing and
management of electronic information (adapted from
Braa et al., 2007).
Health innovation and translational medicine
refers to the bench-to-bedside translation of basic
scientific research to practicable diagnostic
procedures and therapies with meaningful
improvements to physical, mental or social health
outcomes (adapted from Zerhouni, 2005).
The project is going to be implemented by two virtual
institutes:
1. The Institute for Information Infrastructure Development
that will direct projects in information technology, energy, e-
government and e-education; and
2. The Institute for Health Innovation and Translational
Medicine that will direct projects in health care through
strategic technology, delivery and training, to improve
diagnosis, treatment and health services delivery in the ten
major causes of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines,
such as asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, dengue and
diarrhea.
OUTSTANDING FEATURES OF THE PCARI
PROJECT
The PCARI Project:
Involves scholarship, training and research;
Focuses on two fields: information infrastructure
development (IID) and health innovation and
translational medicine (HITM);
Provides opportunities for direct collaboration
between Philippine faculty-researchers and UC-
based experts in order to build research capabilities
and infrastructure in Philippine universities and
colleges;
Attracts the best and the brightest with full support
for research, which includes modern equipment,
attendance in conferences and state-of-the-art
laboratories; and
Addresses important problems of society using the
best technologies, including the development of
technologies close to commercialization.
BENEFITS OF THE PCARI PROJECT
Jobs in new competitive high-value-added
industries and related support services in
information infrastructure in support of disaster risk
management and response, energy generation
monitoring, e-governance, water resources
management, monitoring of civil infrastructures,
among others
Increase in the number of faculty-scientists and
faculty-researchers with the capacity to generate
effective technologies to benefit society
Affordable and efficient diagnostic kits, medical
devices and inexpensive drugs and the creation of
jobs to produce such to improve the diagnosis and
treatment of the ten highest causes of mortality and
morbidity in the Philippines, such as dengue, asthma,
diabetes, tuberculosis
Improved research management skills especially
in research grants administration and international
linkages
World-class research institutes with state-of-the-art
facilities for Information Infrastructure Development
and Health Innovation and Translational Medicine
Science Schools in the Philippines
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Central Visayan Institute Foundation
-The school takes pride in its Research Center for
Theoretical Physics (RCTP).