REVIEW:

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
AND NATION-BUILDING
 Brief Historical Background of Science and Technology in
the Philippines
• Pre-Spanish Philippines:
- The early inhabitants of the archipelago had their own belief system and
indigenous knowledge system.

- Science was observed in the way they interpreted the movements of heavenly
bodies to predict seasons and climates, and in organizing days into months and
years.

- Scientific knowledge was observed in the way they planted their crops, in taking
care of animals, and for food production.

- They used science in preparing the soil for agricultural purposes and like any other
ancient cultures. They also discovered the medicinal uses of plants.
- They developed tools for planting, hunting, cooking, and fishing; for
fighting their enemies during war or tribal conflicts.

- They also developed technologies in creating musical instruments.

- The Metal Age had a significant influence on the lives of early Filipinos.

- Sophisticated designs of gold and silver jewelry, ceramics, and metal tools
proved that their technological ideas helped in the development of
different tools.
Some Indigenous Tools of Early Filipinos
• Spanish Era:
- The Spaniards brought with them their own culture and practices.

- They established schools for boys and girls and introduced the concept
of subjects and disciplines.

- It was the beginning of formal science and technology in the country,

known now as school of science and technology.

- The Filipinos developed ways to replicate the technology brought by the

Spaniards using indigenous materials.
• American Era:

- The Americans established the public education system, and improved the
engineering works and the health conditions of the people.

- They reorganized the learning of science and introduced it in public and private
schools.

- They established a modern research university, the University of the Philippines.

- They created more public hospitals than the former colonial master.

- The mineral resources of the country were also explored and exploited during the
American time.
- Transportation and communication systems were improved, though not
accessible throughout the country.

- The Protestant church missions in different places in the country also

brought hospitals and schools to far-flung areas.

- However, World War II had destabilized the development of the country in

many ways. Institutions and public facilities were turned into ashes, houses
were burned, and many lives were destroyed.

- Since the establishment of the new republic, the whole nation had been
focusing on using its limited resources in improving its science and
technological capability.
- Transportation and communication systems were improved, though not
accessible throughout the country.

- The Protestant church missions in different places in the country also

brought hospitals and schools to far-flung areas.

- However, World War II had destabilized the development of the country in

many ways. Institutions and public facilities were turned into ashes, houses
were burned, and many lives were destroyed.

- Since the establishment of the new republic, the whole nation had been
focusing on using its limited resources in improving its science and
technological capability.
 Government Policies on Science and Technology
The Philippine government introduced and
implemented several programs, projects, and policies to
boost the area of science and technology.

The goal is to prepare the whole country and its people

to meet the demands of a technologically driven world
and capacitate the people to live in a world driven by
science.
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;
• Manpower and institutional development programs, such as the
Engineering and Science Education Program (ESEP) to produce
more PhD graduates in science and engineering
• Establishment of regional centers to support specific industries;
• 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.
The current K to 12 education program includes Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

The Commission on Higher Education has launched its Philippine-

California Advanced Research Institutes (PICARI) Project to
strengthen the STEM competitiveness of the country.

The Philippine Congress has also created various laws related to

science and technology. These laws vary according to different
themes such as: conservation, health-related, technology-building,
and supporting basic research, among others.
Some laws and policies are in line with
international treaties such as:
•The United Nations (UN);
•United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and
•Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).
SCIENCE EDUCATION IN
THE PHILIPPINES
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, the students should
be able to:
• Discuss the concept of science education;
and
• Identify science schools established to
promote science education in the
Philippines.
 The Concept of Science Education
• Science education focuses on teaching, learning, and
understanding science.
- Teaching science involves exploring pedagogical theories and
models in helping teachers teach scientific concepts and
processes effectively.
- Learning science includes both pedagogy and the most
interesting aspect, which is helping students understand and
love science.
- Understanding science implies developing and applying science-
process skills and using science literacy in understanding the
natural world and activities in everyday life.
 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:
oprovide a learning environment to science-inclined children through a
special curriculum that recognizes the multiple intelligences of the
learners;
opromote the development of lifelong learning skills; and
ofoster 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.
- It aims to produce scientists with souls.
- The organization and curriculum of the school puts more
emphasis on science and mathematics.
- The school administers an entrance exam, the Manila Science
High School Admission Test (MSAT), for students who wish to
enroll.
- MSAT has five parts: aptitude in science, aptitude test in
mathematics, problem-solving test in science, problem solving
test in mathematics, and proficiency in English.
•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.
- The school takes pride in its Research Center for
Theoretical Physics (RCTP).
INDIGENOUS SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY IN
THE PHILIPPINES
 LESSON OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be

able to:
•Discuss the concept of indigenous science;
and
•Discuss the contribution of indigenous science
in the development of science and technology
in the Philippines.
 Indigenous Knowledge System
Some examples of indigenous knowledge that are
taught and practiced by the indigenous people are:
• predicting weather conditions and seasons using knowledge
in observing animals’ behavior and celestial bodies;
• using herbal medicine;
• preserving foods;
• classifying plants and animals into families and groups
based on cultural properties;
• preserving and selecting good seeds for planting;
•using indigenous technology in daily lives;
•building local irrigation systems;
•classifying different types of soil for planting
based on cultural properties;
•producing wines and juices from tropical fruits;
and
•keeping the custom of growing plants and
vegetables in the yard.
 Indigenous Science
Indigenous science is part of the indigenous knowledge system
practiced by different groups of people and early civilizations.
It includes complex arrays of knowledge, expertise, practices,
and representations that guide human societies in their
enumerable interactions with the natural milieu: agriculture,
medicine, naming and explaining natural phenomena, and
strategies for coping with changing environments.

Indigenous science helps the people in understanding the

natural environment and in coping with everyday life.
1. Indigenous science uses science process skills such
as observing, comparing, classifying, measuring,
problem solving, inferring, communicating, and
predicting.
2. Indigenous science is guided by culture and
community values such as the following:
•The land is a source of life. It is a precious gift from
the creator;
•The Earth is revered as “Mother Earth.” It is the
origin of their identity as people;
 • All living and nonliving things are interconnected and
interdependent with each other;
• Human beings are stewards or trustee of the land and other
natural resources. They have a responsibility to preserve it;
and
• Nature is a friend to human beings—it needs respect and
proper care.
3. Indigenous science is composed of traditional knowledge
practiced and valued by people and communities such as
ethno-biology, ethno-medicine, indigenous farming methods,
and folk astronomy.
Filipino woman of Iugao mountain tribes in Banaue village, north Luzon, Lumad tribe member in Davao City | © Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ / Flickr
Philippines
Handicrafts made by the Iraya people at the Iraya
Mangyan Community Village in Talipanan, Puerto
Galera, Oriental Mindoro. They are skilled basket weavers
and produce crafts of high quality.
A ritual of the Iraya Mangyan to prepare land
for kaingin (swidden farming)
 LESSON SUMMARY
• The communities in the Philippines have maintained vast
amounts of indigenous knowledge, cultural practices,
traditions, and beliefs.
• The indigenous knowledge system of the people served as
the foundation for the development of indigenous science.
• In the Philippines, various people and communities already
practiced science. They 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.
MID-TERM EXAM IN STS: MARCH 23, 2024