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STS Instructional Modules - Week 4
STS Instructional Modules - Week 4
STS Instructional Modules - Week 4
SCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY
& SOCIETY
Department of Environmental Science
College of Science
Tarlac State University
Instructional Modules
(Midterm Coverage)
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS)
26
Should you wish to contact the department, please call during work hours:
606-8178 loc. 178 Tuesday to Friday 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Purpose and This instructional material has been developed for the purpose of higher learning of
Disclaimer Science, Technology, and Society (Agham, Teknolohiya, at Lipunan), one of the eight (8)
core courses in the General Education of the Higher Education Curriculum stipulated in the
Commission of Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order No. 20, s. 2013.
All the contents of this material are for educational purposes only. Authors/owners of
articles, notes, and/or images included in this material with or without their permission are
properly cited in honor of intellectual property and copy rights. Parts which are originally
written or made by the department faculty should be properly cited in case they will appear
in other materials.
Duration 3 hours
Overview You have learned in the previous topic that science and technology (S&T) play an
important role in nation-building. This time, you will focus your attention on the S&T of our
dear country, the Republic of the Philippines. In this topic, you will find that our 1987
Philippine Constitution has a provision for S&T, that we have a government agency and
related agencies in-charge of and supporting the S&T, that we have a national research
and development agenda in S&T to achieve our national development plan, and that we
have our own local human resources in S&T.
1. Cite provisions of the Constitution to the science and technology in the country.
2. Describe the roles of the Department of Science and Technology and its different
attached institutes and related agencies.
3. Explain how science and technology enables the attainment of the Philippine
Development Plan through a harmonized research and development agenda.
4. Name some Filipino national scientists and inventors.
Activity READINGS
SEKSYON 11. Maaaring magtadhana ang SECTION 11. The Congress may
Kongreso para sa mga insentibo, kasama provide for incentives, including tax
ang mga kabawasan sa buwis, upang deductions, to encourage private
maganyak ang paglahok na pribado sa mga participation in programs of basic and
programa ng batayan at gamiting applied scientific research.
pananaliksik na siyentipiko. Dapat Scholarships, grants-in-aid, or other
magkaloob ng mga scholarship, kaloob-na- forms of incentives shall be provided to
tulong, o iba pang mga anyo ng mga deserving science students,
insentibo sa mga karapatdapat na researchers, scientists, inventors,
estudyante sa agham, mga mananaliksik, technologists, and specially gifted
mga scientist, mga imbentor, mga citizens.
technologist, at mga mamamayang may
natatanging likas na talino.
SEKSYON 12. Dapat regulahin ng Estado SECTION 12. The State shall regulate
ang paglilipat at itaguyod ang pag-aangkop the transfer and promote the adaptation
ng teknolohiya mula sa lahat ng batis para of technology from all sources for the
sa pambansang pakapkinabangan. Dapat national benefit. It shall encourage the
pasiglahin nito ang pinakamalawak na widest participation of private groups,
paglahok ng mga pribadong pangkat, mga local governments, and community-
pamahalaang lokal, at mga organisasyong based organizations in the generation
salig-pamayanan sapglikha, at and utilization of science and
pagsasagamit ng agham at teknolohiya. technology.
SEKSYON 13. Dapat pangalagaan at SECTION 13. The State shall protect
seguruhin ng Estado ang mga eksklusibong and secure the exclusive rights of
karapatan ng mga scientist, mga imbentor scientists, inventors, artists, and other
mga artist at iba pang mga mamamayang gifted citizens to their intellectual
may likas na talino sa kanilang ari at mga property and creations, particularly
likhang intelektwal, lalo na kung kapaki- when beneficial to the people, for such
pakinabang sa sambayanan para sa period as may be provided by law.
panahong maaaring itakda ng batas.
The Department of Science and Technology is the primary science and technology agency
of the Philippines. DOST is responsible for providing central direction, leadership, and
coordination of all scientific and technological activities, formulating activities, programs,
and projects to support national development.
Originally, it was named National Science Development Board (NSDB) created on June
13, 1958 under the presidency of Carlos P. Garcia. Later, it was reorganized as the
National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) on March 17, 1982 under the
presidency of Ferdinand E. Marcos. Eventually, it was elevated to cabinet level upon
Executive Order No. 128 by then President Corazon C. Aquino on January 30, 1987 and
was renamed the Department of Science and Technology.
DOST is composed of councils and agencies with specific scope and responsibilities2:
• sectoral planning council
• research and development institutes
• S&T service institutes
• collegial bodies
• regional offices
• provincial S&T centers
On October 11, 2016, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Executive Order No. 5, s. 2016
approving and adopting the 25- year long-term vision entitled AmBisyon Natin 2040 as a
guide for development planning. According to EO 5, the Philippine Development Plan
2017-2022 (PDP 2017- 2022) and the succeeding PDPs until 2040 shall be anchored
on AmBisyon Natin 2040. In its preamble, EO 5 recognizes the need for a “bold vision and
effective development planning” based on a “forward-looking approach that goes beyond
a single administration”. It also emphasized the centrality of people in development
planning and their aspirations as requisite for the design of government interventions to
achieve development outcomes.
AmBisyon Natin 2040 is the result of a long-term visioning process that began under the
previous administration in 2015. More than 300 citizens participated in focus group
discussions (FGDs) and close to 10,000 responded to the national survey designed to
gather information about the kind of life Filipinos want for themselves and their children
and what they hope the country would be like in 2040. Technical studies were
commissioned to identify strategic options for realizing the vision articulated by citizens.
The exercise benefitted from the guidance of an advisory committee composed of select
representatives from government, academe, civil society, and the private sector.
Middle-class aspirations
The Filipinos’ vision for the Philippines in 2040 is a prosperous, predominantly middle-
class society where there is equality of opportunities and poverty has been eradicated. It
will be a society where people live long and healthy lives with a higher life expectancy at
birth of 80 years. Longevity will be enhanced by the ability of individuals and communities
to withstand natural as well as man-made shocks and disasters. With smarter and more
innovative people, the country in 2040 is also envisioned to be a major player in the global
knowledge economy, producing innovative products and processes that are used to make
high-quality goods and services at competitive prices. The Philippines will be a high trust,
more caring, and peaceful society where human security is assured, and government
enjoys the people’s trust because it is clean, efficient, and service-oriented. High trust will
also prevail between the private sector and the government, as well as between and
among peoples. Overall, a high trust society will facilitate official and business
transactions, and smooth interpersonal relations.
On the kind of life that they want for themselves, Filipinos want a life that is strongly
rooted, comfortable, and secure: matatag, maginhawa, at panatag. The terms “strongly-
rooted, comfortable, and secure” used to describe the life envisioned by Filipinos by 2040
reveal middle-class aspirations. They include home ownership, a steady source of income
to support family and self, college education for the children, a motor vehicle, stable
finances to cover daily needs and contingencies, savings for retirement, and time for
vacation and travel. There is also a strong family orientation that underlies the
preferences as reflected in the choice of living and working in the same locality, the desire
for adequate spaces that allow for activities with family and friends, and the desire for
access to convenient and affordable transportation for occasional visits to family and
friends, among other reasons. The same value is reflected in the importance attached to
education. Nearly every Filipino family considers college education a requisite to a decent
job and so aspires to have the children complete a college degree.
The Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 is the first medium-term plan
anchored on the AmBisyon Natin 2040, consistent with Executive Order No. 5, s.
2016. The priorities are guided by the Duterte Administration’s 0 to 10-point Socio-
economic Agenda, the regional consultations conducted by the various planning
committees, and the social development summits that culminated in the 2022
Agenda: Malasakit at Pagbabago. The goal of the PDP 2017-2022 is to enable Filipinos
to attain a matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay. It acknowledges the
accomplishments of the previous administrations, adopts the good practices, and
carefully considers the lessons gleaned from these experiences.
Targets
3. The Philippines will have a high level of human development by 2022. This will be
supported by improvements in education and health outcomes and the significant
increase in incomes.
4. The unemployment rate will decline from the current 5.5 percent to 3-5 percent
in 2022. Assuming a slight increase in labor force participation rate to 64.1
percent, this implies that 950,000 to 1.1 million new jobs will be generated per
year. Youth unemployment rate will decline to about 8 percent from the current
11 percent. In areas outside NCR (AONCR), emphasis will be on improving the
quality of employment. The underemployment rate in AONCR will be reduced to
16-18 percent by 2022.
5. There will be greater trust in government and in society. The indicators for this
will need to be developed and then measured by the Philippine Statistics Authority
for 2017 and 2022.
6. Individuals and communities will be more resilient. It should be noted that the
Philippines ranks fourth in terms of number of natural calamities faced in 1995-
2015. This is on top of risks from human-induced hazards like ideologically
motivated conflict, criminality, house fires, etc. Building up resilience involves
reducing exposure to hazards, mitigating the impact of the risks, and accelerating
recovery if and when the risk materializes. An index will be developed, considering
the interplay of these three components; data will be collected to estimate the
baseline (2018) value and the value in 2022.
7. Filipinos will have greater drive for innovation. As measured by the Global
Innovation Index, the Philippines will rank among the top one-third by 2022 from
being in the top 60 percentile (74 out of 128 economies) in 2016. More
individuals will be encouraged to obtain knowledge or acquire skills and expertise.
There will be more of the youth and adults (aged 15 and up) who will be engaged
in employment, education, or training.
Discussion Our 1987 Philippine Constitution necessitates the assurance of implementing efforts in
utilizing S&T as a tool for advancing the welfare of our nation and improving our condition,
the Filipinos. The Philippine government agencies, specifically the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST), together with its attached institutes and related agencies, play
significant roles in sustaining and promoting S&T for the progress of our nation.
AmBisyon Natin 2040 represents our collective vision as Filipinos over the next 25 years,
articulating that by 2040, we will be a progressive middle-class nation. We will live long,
healthy lives, and will be smart and innovative. Our country will be a high-trust society
where families thrive in vibrant, culturally diverse, yet resilient communities in terms of
calamities and disasters.
Malasakit. Regain people’s trust in public institutions and cultivate trust among
fellow Flipinos.
To align S&T to the national vision (AmBisyon Natin 2040) and government plans (PDP),
the DOST formulated a Harmonized National R&D Agenda (HNRDA).5
The HNRDA is divided into five (5) sectors, each having identified priority areas and
programs.
2. Health
In-charge: Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD)
Synthesis The importance of S&T in nation-building is enshrined in our Philippine Constitution. The
DOST has served, and is still serving, to catalyze the country’s S&T capabilities. Its
Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda (HNRDA) have identified
priority areas to set direction in the country’s S&T towards achieving the forward-looking
AmBisyon Natin 2040, a vision of every Filipino in the next 25 years. We are honoring our
scientists who have achieved distinction in their fields in order to encourage fellow
Filipinos to also achieve in S&T.
Yet even though the S&T programs in our country are well-established, we still lag behind
from most countries in the world. For instance, we ranked 55th out of 82 (or at the bottom
33%) countries surveyed in 2018 in terms of technological readiness, which includes
internet access, digital infrastructure, and innovations, such as international patents,
R&D spending, and research infrastructure. But this is already a big leap compared to our
rank 60th in 2013.7 This means that we still have a big room for improvement, as there
Enrichment Watch and reflect on “Prometheus Bound” by Agham Nasyunal in YouTube. It is a 30-min
documentary video that tackles the science and technology issues in the Philippines.
3. Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 Chapters. Part I: Introduction, Chapter 1: The Long
View. http://pdp.neda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/01-06-06-2017.pdf
7. The Economist Intelligence Unit. Preparing for disruption: Technological Readiness Ranking.
http://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/Technological_readiness_report.pdf
8. Reysio-Cruz, M. (2019, December 5). Worst PH ranking in math, science, reading prompts
DepEd review. Inquirer.net. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1198208/ worst-
ph-ranking-in-math-science-reading-prompts-deped-review#ixzz6TxYii0Sz
9. National Economic and Development Authority (2016). About AmBisyon Natin 2040.
Retrieved from: http://2040.neda.gov.ph/about-ambisyon-natin-2040/