Hola! This is Joyce Humawan, your professor for this chapter. Today, we will be learning about the importance of science and technology in nation-building, the current state of S&T in the country, some of the Philippines'regional and national policies, and the priority areas for science and technology.
Sounds heavy, right? But no! This is an integral part of the STS course to enable students to reflect on the current state of science and technology of our country, appreciate the progress, and identify on what gaps and weaknesses in the system needed to be addressed.
First off, we will start with a brief history of science and technology in the Philippines, particularly during the pre-Spanish, Spanish, and American era. During the pre-Spanish colonization, evidence of indigenous practices linked to science and technology were seen in native Filipinos. The pre-colonial Alfa-Sylabic script by Bayin was used as native writing system. The Banaue Rice Terraces carved in the mountains of Ifugao is a sophisticated irrigation system by indigenous Ifugaos. Our very own Balanghay boat is in fact the oldest watercraft found in the Philippines.
and is evidenced by the early Filipino craftsmanship and seamanship skills during pre-colonial times. The Spanish era is characterized by Spanish language and the Catholic faith. The Baybayin script was eventually replaced by the Latin script.
The Chinese-language version of Doctrina Cristiana was the first book printed in the country, while the book Manuel de Medicenas Caceras was first published in 1763. Among the schools built, During this era is the Universidad de San Ignacio which is now known as the University of Santo Tomas and the Colegio de San Ildefonso which is founded by Jesuits in 1595 in Cebu which is now known as University of San Carlos. A new social class that came to be known as the Ilustrados or the Enlightened was formed from the increasing number of educated, affluent young Filipinos who were able to study in Europe and become influenced by scientific ideals. Among the ilustrados, two fellows stood out with their background in science, Dr. Jose P. Rizal and the General Antonio Luna.
Of course, Dr. Josep Piresal is our national hero, but in fact, he is also an ophthalmologist. He studied ophthalmology under two prominent experts in Europe and Germany, and later practiced ophthalmology in Calamba and in the Philippines. Hong Kong.
He continued to practice his profession while in exile in Dapitan. General Antonio Luna, while known as one of the fiercest army generals who fought in the Philippine-American War, was in fact a researcher and a scientist. He was a licenciate in BS Chemistry and Pharmacy and in fact had a doctorate in Pharmacy. He was a researcher in the prestigious Pasteur Institute on Histology and Bacteriology and trained in Belgium for medical chemistry. Back home in the Philippines, he was accepted as the chemist expert of the Municipal Laboratory of Manila in 1894. Talk about achievement goals, guys!
The progress of science and technology in the Philippines continued under the American rule of the country and public school systems were created in the American period. The Philippine Commission on July 1, 1921, 1901, established the Bureau of Government Laboratories or BGL which focused on tropical diseases. The Bureau of Science became the primary research center of the Philippines until World War II and became the Institute of Science in 1946. The Bureau of Science was reorganized into the National Science and Technology Authority or INSTA in 1982 and in 1986. INSTA was again reorganized to the present Department of Science and Technology or DOST.
Science and technology in the Philippines has grown and improved with the leadership of our country's presidents across the years with important laws related to science. The Science and Technology Agenda for National Development or STAND, during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos, has enacted laws for S&T personnel, inventors, as well as Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. The term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo provided science scholarships to help increase the productivity from science, technology, and innovations, while the administration of President Binigno Aquino Jr. mobilized the Harmonized National research and development agenda which focused on building technological self-reliance, inclusive growth, and disaster risk reduction.
The current administration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has shown spotlight on the science and technology while keeping up with our neighbors in Asian in terms of R&D investments. However, it was also wrought with catastrophes disputed territories in the South China Sea, climate change, and of course, the terrible internet speed. But perhaps the biggest challenge of the current administration is the pandemic caused by coronavirus-19 or COVID-19, which has shown the stark reality on the shortage of scientists, researchers, and biotechnological equipment in glaring reality. In the peak of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, scientists from the Philippine Genome Center and the National Institutes of Health of the University of the Philippines, Manila, produced Gen Amplify Coronavirus RT-PCR Detection Kit, which was by far the fastest to deliver results at reduced cost among other test kits developed by other countries.
Now the question is, what is the state of the science and technology? In the Philippines, surveys have shown that the Philippines'Research and Development Expenditure for Research and Development, or GERD, was the lowest among Asian nations and was even smaller than the UNESCO's 1.0 benchmark in the past nine years. The country's number of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals per million population stands substantially low with that of other Asian member states.
like Singapore and Malaysia. The Philippines has a very low ratio on graduate degree to bachelor's enrollment compared to Singapore, where more than one-third of education spending goes to higher education. Nonetheless, With the efforts of the past and current administrations, the Philippines has improved ranking in the 2019 Global Innovation Index. This ranking was a big leap from the previous 73rd spot in 2018 and was attributed to the knowledge and technology outputs, with the Philippines being the top one among 129 economies.
The Philippines has continued to improve. improve with a ranking on global expenditure on R&D, the number of graduates in science and engineering, and the number of researchers per million population as of 2019. The country has also improved status with industry-university research collaborations, scientific and technical publications, citations, and high-tech net imports. Partnerships with various private and non-government organizations has promoted fellowships for researchers and innovators, resulting into innovations, inventions, and ultimately, patents.
One of these is the RX Box developed by the University of the Philippines, Manila. The Biotech Dengue Detection Kit developed by the University of the Philippines, Diliman. And VigorMin developed by Adamson University, among other inventions.
The Department of Science and Technology has pointed out that advancing science and technology agenda is the way for growth. Key to this is to help adapt technology for local circumstances, capacitate and empower researchers to update their skills. One way to do this is through scholarships and to involve scientists and their science to guide crucial government decisions. The Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda by DOST has provided programs focused on critical and strategic technologies and cutting-edge facilities in the country.
The current administration's Philippine Development Plan, anchored on Ambisyon Natin 2040, aims to empower Filipinos to attain a matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay, with science as an important part of the process. So there you have it! I hope you were able to relate.
to the history and growth of the science and technology of the Philippines. Please don't forget to read the lecture materials for this chapter and answer the activity sheets assigned. This has been Ma'am Joyce, signing out.