Chapter 3: Science,

Technology, and Nation-

building
Learning Outcomes:

• At the end of this chapter, the students should be able

to:
• Explain how early Filipinos applied scientific principles in
their daily living;
• Present government policies on science and technology
and explain their importance to the nation; and
• Discuss the role of science and technology in nation-
building.
Pre-Colonial Period

• Beginning of scientific and technological developments in

the Philippines
• Even before the coming of the Spaniards, early Filipino
settlers were already using certain plants and herbs as
medicines.
• Systems of farming and animal raising were also
implemented.
• Moreover, early Filipinos had also developed different
modes of transportation, whether terrestrial or
maritime.
• A complicated engineering feat was achieved by the
natives of the Cordilleras when they built rice terraces by
hand.
• Through these terraces, the people were able to cultivate
crops on the mountainsides in cold temperatures.
• They incorporated an irrigation system that uses water
from the forests and mountain tops to achieve an
elaborate farming system.
• The Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras, which are still
functional, show the innovative and ingenious way of the
natives to survive in an otherwise unfriendly environment.
Colonial Period

• Colonization by the Spaniards provided the Philippines

with modern means of construction.
• Walls, roads, bridges, and other large infrastructures
were built using some of the engineering skills and tools
brought by the Spaniards.
• In addition, the Spanish government developed health
and education systems that were enjoyed by the
principalia class.
• The American occupation modernized almost all aspects
of life in the Philippines.
• They established a government agency, the Bureau of
Science, for the sole purpose of nurturing development
in the field of science and technology.
Post-Colonial Period

• After achieving independence from the colonizers, the

Philippines, under different administrations, continued
to pursue programs in science and technology.
• Each leadership had its own science and technology
agenda.
• However, it is important to note than some Philippine
presidents posted more developments in the field than
others.
• One of the presidents who ushered in advancements in
science and technology was former president and dictator
Ferdinand Marcos.
• Under his term, many agencies in science and technology
were established and strengthened, including the Philippine
Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA) in place of the abolished Weather
Bureau; the National Academy of Science and Technology
(NAST); and the reconstituted National Science and
Technology Authority (originally established in 1958 as the
National Science and Development Board and now the
Department of Science and Technology), among others.
• Marcos saw the key to nation-building is the continued
development of science and technology.
• The progress in science and technology continued even
after his dictatorial rule and the presidents after him left
their own legacies in the field.