Science and Technology in the Philippines: Prsent Condition and Future Options

Topics: Philippine Technological Dependence and Backwardness, History of Science and Technology in the Philippines, Development in science and Technology

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History of Science and Technology in the Philippines

Precolonial Science and Technology

There is a very little reliable written information about Philippine society, culture and technology before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1521. (8) As such, one has to reconstruct a picture of this past using contemporary archaeological findings, accounts by early traders and foreign travelers, and the narratives about conditions in the archipelago which were written by the first Spanish missionaries and colonial officials.

According to these sources, there were numerous, scattered, thriving, relatively self-sufficient and autonomous communities long before the Spaniards arrived. The early Filipinos had attained a generally simple level of technological development, compared with those of the Chinese and Japanese, but this was sufficient for their needs at that period of time.

With the advent of minicomputers in the early 80’s and LCD projector in
the 90’s, these two objects have permeated practically all aspects of human
activities and life has never been the same again. The best way for us to
anticipate the future is to understand the present. As we all know, quality
education is the only means for upward mobility of the underprivileged groups, an
excellent means for retraining the work force and a key for developing
scientifically and technologically literate citizenry. To cope with the rapid and
complex changes in technology, this paper undertook an in-depth description and
long-term exploration on how academic curriculum programs in science
education were modified and transformed as a result of these changes.

Technological Leapfrogging as a Strategic Option for the Philippines 

These weaknesses refer to our country’s scientific and technological backwardness, dependence on foreign technologies and capital, and its subordination to foreign dominance, exploitation and control. Locked in the international division of labor, the Philippines has played the role of the exporter of primary commodities and importer of production technologies. Accordingly, based on the nation’s economic history, it is the acceptance of the international division of labor that has perpetuated and worsened the underdevelopment of our economy. Assessing our cycle of backwardness and dependence, the nature of science and technology, technological innovations and technological potentials as nuanced in the Philippine context, the paper maps our country’s stages of technological capabilities. Despite achievements in agriculture, industry and health during the past few years, the problem remains that we do not yet have genuine endogenous industries in chemicals, metals, pharmaceuticals, automotives and electronics. The Philippines, once at par with other countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia in scientific and technological development, is now lagging behind most of its neighbors. The inadequate government support and the lack of an effective economic demand for local innovations are seen as reasons for the slow development. The national strategy the paper proposes is technological leapfrogging. As a strategy, it attempts to liberate the country from dependence and backwardness by importing selected high technologies in order to acquire adaptive, replicative, and innovative mastery of these advanced technologies. More importantly, the paper argues that it is this strategy, geared towards national technological mastery, which provides a long-range vision for designing, building and insuring of the nation’s future in the 21st century.

The Present state of STS in the Philippines:

• Shortage of research funds
• Lack of coordination of RND systems in this country
• Lack of science consciousness   
• Sources: 

Leapfrogging the Scientific and Technological Gap: An Alternative National Strategy for Mastering the Future

by:Roger Posadas

 

A HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES*

by

Olivia C. Caoili*