Science and Technology: A Torch That Illuminates The Country

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A TORCH THAT ILLUMINATES THE COUNTRY
Ladies and gentlemen, may I request everybody to please close your eyes for a moment.
What do you see? Of course! Unanimously we agree that we can see nothing—nothing but
absolute darkness. Imagine today, where mankind is at the peak of modernization, with all
those innovations and highly generated gadgets will fade in a single snap. A total
disappearance of everything we used to have. What do you think the world would be? Is it
peaceful due to removal of cars and other noise-emitting objects? Or maybe worse, the
world will be in a disastrous state because every individual focuses on his mobile phones,
travelling alone with the most luxurious cars and even centralized their life alone and only in
the parameters of technology?
In the darkness of the night one came knocking at humanity’s door. Clad in black, it was
undistinguishable. Man opened the door and though with many doubts he lets it in and
when man took off the stranger’s clothes, lo! Lights shone off from him and filled the whole
house thus killing the night and giving birth to the day. The stranger is Science, since it
blossomed into the minds of men; it has continuously defied the impossible and gave light in
the darkness of ignorance and barbarism.
Who could’ve thought that we’d gone from slow, animal driven carriages to high speed
North American X-15 jets? Who could’ve imagined that from merely gazing at the heavenly
bodies at night man dared and succeeded to set foot on the moon in the fateful year of
1959? Who could’ve have believed that Louise Joy Brown the first test tube baby is now 41
years old? Who would’ve seen that we’d evolved from cave dwelling troglodytes to highly
capacitated intellectual beings?
The world has changed much; human prowess has filled it with wonders and painted it
with colors. When science gave birth to technology it became the dawn of a new age, a
future of many possibilities. Science ladies and gentleman is our long, persistent and
excruciating journey of uncovering God’s magic! But in our long quest of knowledge, power
and innovation there is always the inevitable price to pay. The powerful atomic bombs, the
indestructible plastic, the controversial Dengvaxia and many others, with the carelessness
and natural stupidity of men we’ve created horrors out of the wonders we have made.
Sadly, it is by the law of the universe that a beautiful thing will always have an ugly bearing.
But I am not here to bring science to court and you ladies and gentlemen are not here to
listen to the misfortunes of man. We are here today to celebrate; we are here to claim the
better half of man’s ingenuity. I and the others, are here to proclaim that Science is a gift, a
gift for the people and technology is a tool, a tool for sustainable development. Just as N.R.
Narayana Murthy said and I quote it, “Technology is all about using the power of science to
make life better for people, to reduce cost, to improve comfort and to improve
productivity.”
Necessity is the other of all inventions. Inventions that are essential to man’s work. And
these inventions either in the form of machine and equipment serves as their helping hand
to become efficient, develop easier and faster if not the fastest means of production,
transportation and distribution of good and services as well. With the advancement
everyone is chasing, it seems that we are compromising every land for industrial and
commercial use. Isn’t it that it is more practical and beneficial for everyone if the agriculture
industry will be highly prioritized?
According to Selected Statistics on Agriculture 2018 conducted by the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA), in 2017 our country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 6.68%. The
Gross Value Added (GVA) in the agriculture and fishing sector which accounted for 8.49% of
the GDP, registered as 4.01% growth during the year. Meanwhile, the agricultural exports
increased by 24.61% in the same year. See? As we enter another year, the usage of
technology uplifts the quality of work in a particular field.
My dear Filipinos, our motherland is in need, we Filipinos are in need. For years, the
shrieking cry never ceased, a cry for development, a cry for progress. And here, in our
innovative minds, we have the key to free ourselves from the bondages of being a third
world country. After all, the Filipino mind is never behind when it comes to innovation and
mind supremacy. Remember in 1966, Dr. Rodolfo Aquino isolated nine specific breeds of
rice for the International Rice Research Institute. His discoveries helped prevent famine in
much of Asia, and we’re nearly solely responsible for Thailand and Vietnam becoming the
world’s leading rice producers (A spot once solely occupied by the Philippines). Ramon
Barba invented practical flower induction treatments particularly promoting crop flowering
using potassium nitrate spray which led in the advancement of mango farming research and
tropical tree physiology. In 1968, Eduardo San Juan was the project leader for NASA in the
buggy development: an underfunded and underappreciated engineering success. The moon
buggy allowed greater exploration of the Moon. Dr. Abelardo Aguilar discovered
erythromycin, an antibiotic used in treating infections of the respiratory tract sexually
transmitted diseases such as syphilis. In the 1970’s our very own, a native of Cagayan Valley
developed the first single-chip 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator. He did not stop
there, he eventually came up with the first windows graphics for PC’S. Dr. Fe Del Mundo
widely credited for the Bamboo incubator.
And lately more developments emerged such as the potential cure for diabetes, aratiles
and a car engine that runs on water. Aisa Mijeno (2015), who made the well-known
Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALT) lamp; Amin Hataman (2015), who created a
biodegradable plastic bag made of cellulose properties of nata de coco; Jayme
Navarro(2012), who converted plastic trash into usable fuel substitute for gasoline, diesel
and kerosene; and Ann Makosinski (2013), a flashlight powered solely by body heat.
These breakthroughs in the field of science and technology are the Philippines’ stepping
stones towards fresh and boundless ways to eradicate the long standing problem that has
hindered our country’s growth. It has long been overdue; the Pearl of the Orient must now
live up its name and to become a true jewel, a competitive country and a progressive
nation. The world is moving fast and it’s not moving backwards, we must keep up to survive.
Wake up my fellow upgraded homosapiens! This era has a lot to offer! Especially in terms
of science and technology that can be particularly applied in different fields such as—
education, industry, engineering, agriculture, economics, communication,
entrepreneurship or in its simplest term in EVERYDAY LIFE.
People of the Modern Earth! Prepare yourselves. Be mindful on your environment.
Always lend a hand. Come with me. Join me in entering the vast dimension of Science. Let
us walk through the doors of development and pass through the doors of improvement. ALL
TOGETHER with holding hands, we’ll integrate sustainably and consistently the purposeful
usage of technology. Because indeed, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
With that, we must support the fusion of science and technology in all aspects of our
everyday life. We must embrace science to fully harness it, we must unlock the curiosity in
us in order to enable technology. We must and we will work together to make science and
technology a torch that will illuminate our country

Science and Technology: A Torch That Illuminates The Country

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Science and Technology: A Torch That Illuminates The Country

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Science and Technology: A Torch That Illuminates The Country

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A TORCH THAT ILLUMINATES THE COUNTRY

You might also like