READING MATERIAL FOR

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Prepared by:
JONATHAN DAVED D. DELA CRUZ
Faculty, Basic Arts and Sciences Department

ARTICLE READING 01
PATH OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
THE ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

Objectives
- Detail the development of science and technology in the Philippines until today.
- Recognize agencies and policies developed to strengthen the science and technology of
the country.
- Relate the political and scientific advancements in the context of the Philippines.

The advancement of science and technology of the Philippines increased during the
American occupation as they rise of formal education arrived in the country. In 1901, the Act No. 74
was promulgated by the Philippine Commission, which acted as the executive and the legislative
body of the Philippines until 1907. The act paved the way to the creation of the Department of Public
Instructions in the Philippines, providing the establishment of public schools that would give free
primary education using English language as mode of instruction. This was also followed by the
development of the Philippine Normal School, which is now the Philippine Normal University, in
order to train Filipino teachers by the Thomasites. In the same year, the Manila Trade School was
established, which is now known as the Technological University of the Philippines, to provide
instructions for the Filipinos on useful trades. In 1904, the establishment of the Manila Business
School, which is now known as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, in order to address the
growing business in government and private services. In 1908, by Act No. 1870, the University of
the Philippines was established to give advance instructions on philosophy, arts, and sciences.
There were many public and private academic institutions established during the American
occupation, paving the way for further advancements. But there were difficulties in the beginning of
the paradigm shift.
The Philippine Commission introduced the study of science subjects and the industrial-
vocational education to the Philippine school systems, but because of the more than 300 years of
colonization, the practice of science and technology was a challenging paradigm shift.
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 In 1905, the Bureau of Science was established, which served as the principal government
research establishment. It had biological laboratories, chemical laboratories, serum laboratory for
the production of vaccine virus, serums and prophylactics. Most of the senior scientists of the bureau
were initially Americans but eventually, Filipino scientists rose up the ranks and took over the
position.
The Bureau of Science served as training ground for the Filipino Scientists, performing
biological and chemical examinations for the Philippine General Hospital and the Bureau of Health,
which became a spring board for the development of serums and prophylactics. The bureau
pioneered the research on diseases like leprosy, tuberculosis, cholera, dengue fever, malaria, and
beriberi; and the results were readily available for the purpose of research advancements and for
the Bureau of Health. In 1906, the Bureau of Science published the Philippine Journal of Science
which served as the official publication of the bureau for reports and results of scientific
developments.
The Bureau of Science and the Bureau of Health were not the only science and technology
related bureaus. In order to foster further the advancement of science and technology, the Philippine
Commission and the American colonial authorities developed different scientific related bureaus;
Bureau of Mines (1900), Bureau of Forestry (1900), Weather Bureau (1901), Bureau of Agriculture
(1901), Bureau of Geodetic Survey (1905), Bureau of Plant Industry (1927), and Bureau of Animal
Industry (1927). There were many professional societies abroad that urged for the development of
National Medical Research Council and the National Research Council, the process started in 1927.
In 1933, the act for the creation of the National Research Council of the Philippine Islands (NRCP)
was passed by the Philippine Commission – Legislative. In 1934, the NRCP actively participated on
the deliberations and discussions in drafting the “commonwealth constitution”, which had anything
that will affect science and the technical industry.
In 1935, the Philippine Commonwealth inaugurated towards full political independence. Since
the NRCP was part of the deliberations for the constitution, the science and technology development
was given importance as stipulated in its Article XIII, sec. 14, “The state shall promote scientific
research and invention, Arts and Letters shall be under its patronage…”. The following year, many
private academic institutions were established; Centro Escolar University, Far Eastern University,
National University, etc. Together with the previously established universities in the American
occupation and the reformed universities established in the Spanish regime, these academic
institutions helped in training scientists and engineers in the Philippines before the World War II.
After the second world war, in 1946, the Philippines obtained its full liberty. In the same year,
the number of academic institutions (colleges and universities) increased together with the rise of
government scientific agencies. In 1947, the Bureau of Science was renamed and reorganized as
the Institute of Science, in the same year the Institute of Nutrition was established. In 1952, under

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the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), was the establishment of the Commission
on Volcanology, for basic research on volcanology.
However, in 1957, a report submitted to the President pointed out that the advancement of
science and technology in the Philippines started to deteriorate, and based on the analysis of the
causes of the decline were; (a) Lack of government support; (b) Scarcity of scientists which were
highly trained and skilled; (c) Low morale of scientists; and (d) lack of public awareness of science.
This report became spring board for recommendations towards long range development of science
in the country.
The following year, in 1958, the Congress promulgated and enacted the Science Act, R.A.
2067 of 1958, this act created the National Science Development Board (NSDB). The board is
responsible in the development of policies pertaining to science and coordinate the work to science
allied agencies. The Act also created the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and the
National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) and placed along the NRCP, under the NSDB.
In 1960s, the role of National Science Development Board (NSDB) expanded into
organizations and different functions; paved the way for the establishment of the Philippine Inventors
Commission (1964), Philippine Coconut Research Institute (1964), Philippine Textile Research
Institute (1967), Forest Product Institute and Industries Development Commission (1969). While the
National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) also expanded and reorganized, forming the
Metal Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), as well as the development of the
Philippine Science High School (PSHS), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Resources
Research (PCARR).
In 1967, science was necessary for the development programs, making the Department of
Education responsible in revitalizing science subjects in public science high schools. The
Department of Education together with the National Science Development Board (NSDB) organized
a project to develop selected high schools with science teaching experiment over four years which
paved for Philippine Science High School (PSHS).
In 1968, technology was regarded as a leading factor in the economic development, hence
additional funds was channeled to new science and science education. Programs and trainings were
provided to science teachers in both public and private schools, whether high school and college
teachers, these trainings were taken place in order to support the advancement of the science and
technology, the program also awarded scholarship grants.
In 1972, by virtue of the Presidential Decree No. 49, s. 1972, this decree paved a way for the
development of another science agency, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical
Services (PAGASA) under the Department of National Defense, the function of the agency was to
provide environmental protections and to utilize scientific knowledge to assure the safety of the
country.

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 In 1976, the National Academy of Science and Technology was established, the academy is
composed of scientists with innovative achievements is both pure and applied sciences to serve as
scientific and technological experts of the country.
In 1982, the National Science Development Board (NSDB) further reorganized into a National
Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) composed of four research agencies and development
councils; (a) Philippine Council of Agriculture and Resources Research and Development; (b)
Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research Development; (c) Philippine Council for Health
Research and Development ; and (d) National Research Council of the Philippines. The NSTA has
eight research development institutes and supports the agencies under it, these were the former
organic and attached agencies of NSDB which were reorganized.
In 1993 to 1998, a five year development plan of the administration under the Department of
Science and Technology was initiated a Science and Technology Agenda for National Development
(STAND). A presidential task force was formed, it was tasked to formulate a science and technology
program that would support the national development goal of attaining the New Industrialized
Country (NIC) as the 21st century approaches. The task force was composed of Department of
Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department
of Transportation and Communication, and other academic institutions involved in science and
technology. The Science and Technology Agenda for National Development (STAND) prioritizes;
(1) exporting the winning products identified by the DTI; (2) Domestic needs identification by the
Presidential Council for Countryside Development; (3) Support Industries; (4) Coconut industry; etc.
During this period, several science and technology related laws were enacted, among the
following were;
(1) R.A. No. 8439 – Magna Carta for Science and Technology Personnel;
(2) R.A. No. 7687 – Science and Technology Scholarship Law of 1004;
(3) R.A. No. 7459 – Inventors and Inventions Incentive Act;
(4) R.A. No. 8293 – Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
In 1999 the, R.A. No. 8749, The Philippine Clean Air Act was enacted, designed to protect
and preserve the environment, as well as to ensure the sustainability and development of natural
resources. In 2004, R.A. No. 9275, The Philippine Clean Water Act was enacted, it aims to protect
the bodies of water of the country from any possible pollution from the land-based sources, such as
industries, commercial establishments, etc.
There were many laws and policies enacted across different political bodies, among the
following are;
(1) R.A. No. 9367 – Biofuels Act of 2006, this is an Act to direct the use of Biofuels, establishing for
the purpose of biofuel programs, and appropriate funding.

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(2) R.A. No. 9513 – Renewable Act of 2008, this act aims to accelerate the development of the
country’s renewable energy resources.
(3) R.A. No. 10612 – An Act expanding the coverage of Science and Technology Scholarship
Program and Strengthening the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in the Secondary Schools
and for further purpose.
(4) R.A. No. 10844 – An Act Creating the Department of Information and Communication
Technology (DICT), which was enacted as a law in 2016.
There were numerous acts enacted for the advancement of science and technology in the
country. There were also major science and technology development plans, among the following
were;
(1) Science and Technology Master Plan (STMP)
(2) Science and Technology Agenda for National Development (STAND) of 1993-998
(3) National Science and Technology Plan (NSTP) of 2002-2020

Today, the agency that is responsible for the advancement of science and technology is the
Department of Science and Technology, the agency has attached agencies which are;

Sectoral Planning;
(1) Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development
(PCIEERD)
(2) Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD)
Service Institutes
(3) Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI)
(4) Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI)
(5) Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI)
(6) Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI)
(7) Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC)
(8) Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI)
(9) Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI)
(10) Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI)
(11) Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
(12) Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
(13) Science Education Institute
(14) Science and Technology Information Institute
Advisory Bodies
(15) National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)

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(16) National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP)
These agencies work together towards the advancement of the Philippines in Science and
Technology. The development of science and technology of the Philippines was up and down for
more than a century of liberty from Spanish colonization.

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 ARTICLE READING 02
SCIENCE TODAY:
TRUST SCIENCE AGAIN
Objectives
- Explain the state of science and technology in the Philippines today.
- Recognize Filipino Scientists today.
- Reflect on the impact of science and technology to the current status of the country.

The advancement of science and technology in the Philippines continues towards new age.
It is evident in all initiatives of different agencies. Filipino scientists and inventors in the Philippines
and abroad also creates a name in the advancement of science. Whether it be in science education,
space agency, and many more.
In 2012, the K-12 curriculum was implemented by virtue of R.A. 10533, or the Enhanced
Basic Education Curriculum, this is a curriculum change. The program is an outcomes-based
curriculum, making the education more authentic. In the context of science education, the discipline
based subjects is now transformed into an interdisciplinary science curriculum, called the “Integrated
Science”. The new science curriculum tracking follows a spiral progression. The program,
“Integrated Science” is a new approach in science education, it is more holistic than
compartmentalized discipline based science education.

Lesson Spotlight
Science Teacher Discipline Based Science Student
“What is circulatory system?”
“It is an organ system of the body that mainly involves the heart, it is responsible
in pumping the blood from the heart to the other parts of the body, and vice versa
;and the topic falls under biology”

Science Teacher Integrated Science Student

“What is circulatory system?”
“Circulatory system involves different sciences; (a) biology, it is an organ system
of the body that mainly involves the heart, it is responsible in pumping the blood
from the heart to the other parts of the body, and vice versa; (b) chemistry, the
blood that flows involves oxygenated and deoxygenated blood; and (c) physics,
the pumping of the blood involves pressure, high pressure pushes, low pressure
pulls.”
Observe how two students of different curriculum answered the same question, “what is
circulatory system?”. The discipline based science student answered correctly but
compartmentalized in biology alone, but the integrated science student answered the question

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holistically, the student integrated different sciences to answer the question. Hence, it could be
implied that the advancement of science through the existing science education might be good for
the future. Science is already leaning towards an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary facet of
understanding the natural world. However, one must have sufficient understanding of independent
sciences before integrating it. The science education curriculum of the K-12 program still needs to
be innovated in order to address problems in education. In 2018, the higher education institutions
of the Philippines also had a curriculum change to adopt in the changes of the basic education, and
courses also innovated. The path towards this new curriculum is challenging, but the path of
education is to the brighter future of the country.

Figure 3.12 The Philippine Space Agency

In 2018, the Department of Science and Technology initiated an initiative to establish the
Philippine Space Agency, this aims to improve and innovate the space science of the Philippines.
And in 2019, it was enacted by the congress under the Republic Act of 11363 – An Act Establishing
the Philippine Space Development and Utilization Policy and Creating The Philippine Space Agency,
and for Other Purposes. The Philippine Space Agency will be an attached agency of the Office of
the President for the purpose of policy and program coordination, to endure the alignment in national
policies and priorities.
Sec. Fortunato dela Peña, the secretary of DOST, talked about the exciting space science
and technology applications that is being developed and housed in DOST, he also said that the
agency invested a total of Php. 7.48 billion on the space related research and development; 15
space-related programs and projects implemented by different universities and agencies across the
country; three Filipino made satellites that are currently operational, the Diwata 1 & 2, Maya-1; 25
space research and development facilities operating nationwide, and among others.
Under the law, the Philippine Space Agency shall become the main government agency to
take up activities and issues related to space science, space technology and its applications. This
will include the crafting and the development of space policies, space-related researches, and the
related development programs.

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 The agency shall also be the official representatives of the country in international
conventions, meetings, events, and agreements pertaining to space science and technology.

Lesson Spotlight
“This landmark bill will pave the way for the Philippines to join other nations which have their
own space agencies. We are no longer bystanders when it comes to [space] technology. We
can now do things. What we have done mostly were in the areas of space research and
development, and space industry capacity building,” Sec. Fortunato Dela Peña

The Philippines is starting to open doors of possibilities on researches that was never been
sought for before. The country is expanding its horizons in science and technology, different Filipino
scientists and engineers inside the country and abroad is making their own names. The Philippines
is entering a new era of science and technology, but there are more to work onto. The challenge is
not only in the hands of Filipino scientists and engineers, but in the hands of every Filipino, to trust
science again.

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