Section 3: Science and Technology and
Nation Building
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) in the Philippines is a government agency tasked
with overseeing and managing national technology development and acquisition, undertaking
technological and scientific research and promoting public consciousness of science and technology.
Developments in science and technology are fundamentally altering the way tasked with overseeing and
managing national technology development and acquisition, undertaking technological and scientific
research and promoting public consciousness of science and technology.
Developments in science and technology are fundamentally altering the way people live, connect,
communicate and transact, with profound effects on economic development. ... Through breakthroughs in
health services and education, these technologies have the power to better the lives of poor people in
developing countries
Philippine economy to grow faster with technology. A research fellow from the Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (PIDS) posits that the Philippine economy could grow faster by an estimated 10% if
emerging technologies, knowledge and the 4th Industrial Revolution can be utilised to accelerate
productivity.
Pre-Colonial Period
([Link]
([Link]
The Banaue Rice Terraces
Even before the colonization by the Spaniards
([Link] in the Philippine islands
([Link] , 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. 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.
Spanish Colonial Period
The colonization of the Philippines contributed to growth of science and technology in the archipelago. The
Spanish introduced formal education and founded scientific institution. During the early years of Spanish
rule in the Philippines. Parish schools were established where religion, reading, writing, arithmetic and
music was taught. Sanitation and more advanced methods of agriculture was taught to the natives. Later
the Spanish established colleges and universities in the archipelago including the University of Santo
Tomas ([Link] .
American Period and Post-Commonwealth era
Science during the American period was inclined towards agriculture, food processing, 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.
Marcos Era and Martial Law
During Ferdinand Marcos ([Link] ' presidency, the importance
given to science grew. In the amended 1973 Philippine Constitution, Article XV, Section 9 (1), he declared
that the "advancement of science and technology shall have priority in the national development."
([Link]
In his two terms of presidency and during
Martial Law, he enacted many laws promoting science and technology.
Fifth Republic
([Link]
([Link]
([Link]
Filipina food technologist Maria Y. Orosa ([Link] (1893–1945) is
credited with inventing banana ketchup ([Link] .
In 1986, during Corazon Aquino ([Link] 's presidency, the
National Science and Technology Authority was replaced by the Department of Science and
Technology ([Link] , giving
science and technology a representation in the cabinet
([Link] . Under the Medium Term Philippine Development
Plan for the years 1987-1992, science and technology's role in economic recovery
([Link] and sustained economic growth
([Link] was highlighted. During Corazon
Aquino's State of the Nation Address
([Link] in 1990, she said that science and
technology development shall be one of the top three priorities of the government towards an economic
recovery.
Here are some Filipino inventions and 'tatak Pinoy' discoveries that may surprise and even inspire the
innovator in you.
The bamboo incubator, widely credited as the brainchild of Dr. Fe del Mundo
([Link] . This makeshift
device is relatively inexpensive and easy to reproduce, making it ideal for use in rural communities and
areas with no electricity. Developing this ingenious take on a life-saving machine, though, is far from
her only accomplishment. In 1936, Dr. del Mundo became a Research Fellow in Pediatrics at Harvard
Medical School.
Dr. Abelardo Aguilar. In 1949, via soil samples he obtained from his backyard, Dr. Aguilar stumbled
upon 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘶𝘴 (now 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘢), the bacteria that would lead to the
discovery of erythromycin. Erythromycin is an antibiotic used in treating infections of the respiratory
tract, Legionnaire’s disease, and diphtheria, as well as urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted
diseases such as syphilis.
Chances are you may have heard of — or perhaps even tried — Challenge 21, a relatively new board
game invented by, you guessed it, a Filipino. The mind behind this remarkable Filipino invention is Mr.
Leonardo Meija Yu, a 68-year-old retired economics professor and Philippine Ports Authority officer.
Ramon Barba, however, believed that smudging was tedious and expensive. Furthermore, the process
also emits pollutants into the atmosphere ([Link]
philippines/) . He proposed an alternative: the use of a chemical spray called Etherel (2-
chloroethylphosphonic acid). His idea was met with derision and rejected for experiments, until
one day, his friends Mr. and Mrs. Jose Quimson allowed him to conduct a trial using 400 mango trees.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Diosdado Banatao, a native from Cagayan Valley, developed the first single-chip 16-bit
microprocessor-based calculator in the 1970s. He went on to create the world’s first system logic chip
sets in 1981, which allowed the integration of all of a computer’s essential data processing features into
a small package. He did not stop there, though. Banatao eventually came up with the first Windows
Graphics accelerator chip for personal computers. Thanks to these breakthroughs, he earned himself a
permanent place in the history of PC development.
References:
Resources:
Mylonas, Harris (2012). The Politics of Nation-Building: Making Co-Nationals, Refugees, and
Minorities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. xx. ISBN 9781107020450.
Deutsch, Karl W. (2010). William J. Foltz (ed.). Nation building in comparative contexts (New
paperback print. ed.). New Brunswick [N.J.]: AldineTransaction. ISBN 9780202363561.
Keith Darden and Harris Mylonas. 2016. “Threats to Territorial Integrity, National Mass Schooling, and
Linguistic Commonality,” Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 49, No. 11: 1446-1479.
Deutsch, Karl W. (2010). William J. Foltz (ed.). Nation building in comparative contexts (New
paperback print. ed.). New Brunswick [N.J.]: AldineTransaction. ISBN 9780202363561.
Mylonas, Harris (2017),“Nation-building,” Oxford Bibliographies in International Relations. Ed. Patrick
James. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mylonas, Harris (2012). The Politics of Nation-Building: Making Co-Nationals, Refugees, and
Minorities. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-1107661998.
External Links:
Fritz V, Menocal AR, Understanding State-building from a Political Economy Perspective, ODI, London:
2007.
CIC/IPA, Concepts and Dilemmas of State-building in Fragile Situations, OECD-DAC, Paris: 2008.
Whaites, Alan, State in Development: Understanding State-building, DFID, London: 2008.