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Science and Technology and Society in The Philippines
Science and Technology and Society in The Philippines
Argue for Three Specific Directions that the State Must Undertake.
July 4, 2018
Science and Technology or S&T determines a part of the state of the socio-
associated to the capability of a country to produce local industrial goods for domestic needs.
The industrialization is very much dependent on the capacity of a country to use S&T to process
locally-found raw materials into high-tech products and tools. The Science and Technology of a
country should be given the utmost attention, it is an indispensable tool to improve and
Science and Technology, an example of a progressive country in Asia is Japan. The S&T of
Japan is mostly focused and prominent in consumer electronics, robotics and in the automotive
industry. In the fields of scientific research, technology, machinery and medical research, Japan
is one of the leading nations with the world’s largest budget for research and development.
Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is one of the biggest priority of Japan, that is why for
a small country they are much more progressive and advanced as a nation. A developing country
like Africa has fallen behind in the S&T sector, despite their historical abilities in Science. The
more the Western World became more civilized through invention and innovation in the last
years, Africa in comparison remained more primitive and backward. It is hard to imagine life
especially now in the modern era without the modern everyday technology like electricity, cars,
telephones and other technology that makes life convenient, comfortable and economically
productive. But for millions of Africans, these inventions and innovations is still their daily
reality.
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The comparison of the two country’s just show that Science and Technology can
turn destinies as it should. It can dictate a country’s economic and social standing in the Global
scale. There is nowhere in this world that can move economy without Science and Technology
because prioritizing Science and Technology can liberate a country from the oppressive
dominance of Globalization. All developing countries should understand that no nation will
willingly transfer its technological know-how to others because that knowledge is the basis of
The history of Science and Technology in the Philippines started way back before
the country gained its independence from the American colonizers. Before Spain colonized the
country, some indigenous technology already existed especially with regards to agriculture.
Technology was evident in the handicrafts, pottery, weaving, metal ware and boats used by
ancient Filipinos which just show that various people and communities already practiced
Science. Filipinos already invented tools and built structures, studied the medicinal uses of
plants, observed heavenly bodies to predict seasons and weather, and used indigenous science in
agriculture.
The Spanish colonization forever changed the lives of the native Filipinos. When
the Spaniards colonized the Philippines they brought with them their own culture and practices.
They established schools and introduced the concept of subjects and disciplines that led to the
beginning of the formal education of science and technology. History shows that the primary
reason for such colonization was for Spain to obtain sources of raw materials in which it will
then be used for international trade. The Philippines, being one of the centers of global trade in
Southeast Asia during that time, was considered to be one of the most developed places in the
region. The entire colonial government of the Philippines was then setup for easy extraction of
raw materials and for faster production of goods that shall be traded by the mother country. The
division of land, resources and people was created and designed for the colonial masters to
readily extract from the country any valuable resources it finds. The three hundred years that the
Philippines was under Spain, the country evolved into a colony largely exporting its raw
materials and importing those that it cannot produce. Local Technological innovation was by far
Philippines compared to the Spaniards. They established the public school system that improved
the engineering works and the health conditions of the people. They establishment of the
University of the Philippines and created more public hospitals than the previous colonial master.
The mineral resources of the country were also explored and exploited during the American
colonization. However the systems of the Spanish colonization were still maintained during the
American colonial rule but a farce trading system between the colony and its colonial master was
established. The Philippine raw materials of low technological value input were traded for
foreign finished products of high technological input value. The export products of the country
was less than that of the foreign finished products therefore making the trade between the
Philippines and the more advanced countries unequal. In order for a colonial power to maintain
its dominance in the world, it is essential that their colonies do not develop its own system of
manufacturing goods and services that will compete with their goods. This means that the
Philippines did not have a stable genuine program for scientific and technological advancement.
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Institutions and public facilities were turned into ashes, houses were burned, and many lives
were destroyed. The country had a difficult time to rebuild itself from the ruins of the war. The
human spirit to survive and build and to rebuild was strong but the capacity of the country to
bring back what was destroyed was limited. After the World War II and fifty years under the
American rule, the Philippines slid down in terms of technological advancement in South East
Asia.
history was shaped by several factors and influences. The growth of Science and its development
as a field in the country is a hybrid of indigenous and foreign ideas. Spain and the United States,
being the former colonial masters of the country, played an important role in building the
foundation of the Science program in the Philippines. Like in the history of other countries, it is
always shaped by human and social activities, both external and internal.
Science and Technology has a significant impact in the lives of the people and in
the development of the Philippine society. Even after 120 years of independence, our country has
yet to rid itself of the systems first created by the colonial masters and later on adopted by the
succeeding Philippine governments. Until now the S&T technology agencies created by the
government still do not serve the needs of the Filipino masses. There has been little or no
contribution to agriculture, which is our country’s main production in which a considerable large
amount of our population is engaged in. It has done nothing to spur rural industrialization, which
is very much needed. To this day, we have yet to establish basic industries and have yet establish
technological innovation that can be made in the present situation is still in service of the old
system of exporting raw materials in exchange of importing high-input finished products. This
system is expected to continue if there will be no sincere effort to address the state of the
country’s S&T, and to seriously root out the problems of technological backwardness. Thus,
until the vicious cycle of poor science education, backward science and technology, trade
imbalance and economic subservience is stopped, the Philippines will become a technological
laggard in the modern era and will never compete with globalization.
The role or the direction for the Science and Technology in the
Unfortunately, one of the most strategic issues facing the Philippines has not yet been addressed.
country. There is no country that has progressed without Science and Technology. Like Japan all
progressive countries in the world have put STI as a centerpiece of their strategy. The Philippine
government has failed to address this failure and they should correct this issue to achieve global
The Philippines faces multiple global and local challenges which require Science
and Technology. The country should improve its S&T in the field of Agriculture and the
Environment, Health and Nutrition and lastly Brain Drain and Science Education. The three
specific categories mentioned should be one of the primary focuses of the government to achieve
The first direction is Agriculture and the Environment. The Philippines is known
for its vast beauty of natural resources and Agriculture is the number one production of our
country which a lot of Filipinos are engaged in. The development of Agriculture has the greatest
overpopulation in the cities and environmental degradation. By having a science and nature
based program a redirection in the agricultural production from single commodity to a farming
systems-oriented program. Rice sufficiency with food security will be the primary national goal.
Research and development can also help in the diversification and integration in the farms by
restricting the agricultural system. Another suggestion is by managing the land and water
resources to ensure food and security and the protection of the environment and by adopting a
whole industry approach to the coconut sector of the country, which includes agricultural
production, processing, health research and biofuels. What would the Philippines be without its
natural environment and resources that is why aside from the advancement in agriculture the
environment should also be kept in mind especially now that there is a world issue about climate
change. Investing in the Research in Development to continually develop reliable early warning
systems and appropriate measures to address the effects of climate change should also be ideal.
The second direction is Health and Nutrition. A sustain policy and operational
research to provide quality health care to all Filipinos should be the goal of the government. A
country aside from its wealth in the environment should have healthy citizens. By effectively
increasing the research and development in health research and development, upgrading the
testing facilities and strengthening and improving infrastructure and surveillance can greatly
improve the S&T of the country. By giving a more accessible and advanced healthcare facilities
in the country it can help not just grow the demand of work here in the Philippines but can also
help in the economic growth and control the brain drain problem of the country. By building and
improving more Philippine General Hospitals all over the country the government will not just
only create jobs but it will create a more approachable and more accessible healthcare in the
country.
The third direction is addressing the Brain Drain and Science Education in the
Philippines. The quote “Knowledge is Power” is greatly emphasized in this direction. The
government should take note to strengthen education in our country and to address the issue of
“Brain Drain” in the country. The government should provide additional incentives for scientists
and technologists. There are only few scientists and technologists in the country, the government
should treasure them and value them immensely and add more incentives to them because their
job is not that easy. Without these professionals we will remain lost in the Science and
Technology development. By increasing their incentives the government will not only attract
them to remain here in our country than leave for a much better or as they say greener pastures
overseas. In improving the education system in the Philippines particularly in Science many
students will be attracted to take or pursue a program and S&T. An adjustment in the
government hiring rules should also be formulated to make it easier for public and private
universities and research institutions to create new research positions, starting with designated
research universities. And also by developing regional and global academic linkages it can
strengthen the provision and support for mathematics and science education by adapting to local
schools the standards and best practices in more technologically advanced or progressive
These three directions suggestions though separate are mutually supportive and
reinforcing in the development of Science and Technology in the Philippines. Individually and
collectively they will promote inclusive growth and sustainable development. They are also
doable. A nation does not grow economically overnight. Proper education, information and
awareness should be the first step in order for economic growth and change to happen. We
should follow the order of love. Love of God, Country, Family and Self. The Philippines is our
mother land. It’s compared to a mother for a reason. She will give and take whatever you do to
her without complaint just like a mother. She will offer you all her resources even if it’s already
lacking to help you. We as a nation are all kids or children of the Philippines; we must never
Serafica, Janice Patria, Pawilen, Greg Tabios, Caslib, Bernardo and Alata, Eden. Science and
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for-poverty-reduction-and-sustainable-development.
Ang, Khessy Carina C. "Science and Technology in the Philippines." LinkedIn SlideShare.
https://www.slideshare.net/kechai28/science-and-technology-in-the-philippines.
Allard, Gayle. "How Can African Countries Boost Their Science and Tech Sectors?" World
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"Science, Technology and Poverty." IAEA. September 17, 2001. Accessed July 07, 2018.
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Moghalu, Kingsley Chiedu. "Why Has Africa Fallen behind the Rest of the World's Economies?
| Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu." The Guardian. August 04, 2014. Accessed July 07, 2018.
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https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/aug/04/africa-fallen-behind-economies-
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