Science, Technology, and Nation Building

0:01 Good day everyone. This is a topic on science, technology and nation building. Here are our lessons intended learning outcomes. We are going to trace the historical development of science and technology in the Philippines across colonial and postc colonial periods. We describe indigenous Philippine scientific and technological practices such as weather prediction, food preservation, and farming. We're going to analyze the role of government science policy in nation development. We are also going to evaluate how science and technology have contributed to the Philippine political, economic, and cultural identity. And we are going to enumerate and you are

0:50 going to add also proposed ways science and technology can further support nation building today. So first our opening question. Can a nation's science and technology policy exist above its politics? Or is science policy always in some way an expression of who holds power and what they want the nation to become? So you think about that and we will uh come up with an answer later after this discussion. Let's go with the precolonial Philippines

1:36 and year 900 to 1521. Long before Spanish contact, early Filipino communities organized into barangis already possess substantial indigenous science and technology. Filipino seafarers built ocean worthy boats called the Balangai from which the Baranga unit of social organization takes its name. that supported trade across the archipelago and with neighboring Southeast Asian and Chinese traders. Communities used a syabic writing system the bayin for recordeping and communication

2:23 and developed early agricultural engineering including also the beginnings of the mountainside rice derising later refined by culdean communities. So we are also going to see this later. Um so part six of this discussion we going to talk more about the rice terraces. Also there are archaeological evidences uh including m gold ornaments and implements such as those recovered from Surigiao and Chinese ceramics found at various pre-colonial sites. It indicates that skilled indigenous mythology and textile work alongside established

3:09 maritime trade routes connecting the islands to a wider regional exchange of goods, culture and technical knowledge. This period conventionally closes in 1521 with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan. So the Ferdinand Mellan's expedition, it marks the beginning of sustained contact with Europe. Formal Spanish colonization beginning in 1565 would introduce a very different model of science and technology, one channel through colonial institutions rather than the indigenous community practice. So let's see during the Spanish colonial period 1565

3:55 to 1898 Spanish colonial rule formally uh established under Miguel Lopez degaspi the person here um during 1565 introduced on European science and techn technology largely through the Catholic Church and colonial administration and of course also the invention of the printing press. The printing press arrived through uh Manila and al a capulko trade. Yeah. And

4:40 of course because of the pinching press it produced religious texts and formal western style education also developed through the parish schools and eventually M universities including this here the picture here. This is University of Stotomas founded in 1611 and counted among the oldest universities in Asia. Again the Manila Akapulko Gallion trade 1565 to 1815. It connected the colony into a genuinely global trade network spanning s Asia and also including the Americas. It introduced new crops, goods and technologies in the process.

5:27 However, colonial science policy prioritized resource is extraction and of course main mission here is religious conversion over broadbased scientific development for the general Filipino population. formal science education it remained largely restricted s Spanish colonizers and some small local elite or the what we call the principalia while many pre-colonial indigenous knowledge systems were displaced and it was discouraged as pagan or simply left undocumented by colonial authorities

6:14 toward the end of this period reformedminded Filipinos, the Illustr uh practices specializing in opthalmology in Europe, gin represent distinctly Filipino engagement with western science using scientific and medical training as part broader push for national reform. And of course the end of the Spanish rule in 1898. It is followed by the Philippine American War ushered in a new colonial power with a different approach n man to

7:02 building scientific and educational institutions in the islands. During the American period and the postcommonwealth era, American colonial administration introduced a public education system on a scale not seen under the Spanish rule. The Pensionado Act of 1903, take note of that, it sent Filipino scholars to study in the United States as a state sponsored higher education program. While the University of the Philippines founded in 1908 as the country's first uh state university naging central institution for Filipino

7:47 higher learning and research kit so heavy on research government scientific institutions such as bureau of science conduct research s tropical medicine s agriculture al also and natural resources and organized public health initiatives that applied western medical science directly ano local health condition of the Philippines during that time. So following s independence in 1946, the Philippines entered the post Commonwealth era as a sovereign republic and build on the American era educational and science institutions while also developing its own national science

8:34 policy infrastructure. This process uh can accelerate significantly develop scientific institutions in the following decades. So much more found agencies pertaining to science, scientific research, technological um innovations and also inventions. Going further into the Marcus era and the martial law, the Philippines first dedicated national science body and NSDB

9:22 or the National Science Development Board. It was actually created s 50 s 1958 under s president Carlos P. Garcia before Pasang Marcus era through Republic Act 2067. R8 2067 is the science act of 1958 following a national survey of Philippine Science and Technology conducted by Dr. Frank Tui and under some regime present Ferdinand Marcos. However, science and technology took a new institutional and constitutional prominence. Some 1973 constitution adopted under Marcos

10:08 uh Marcos Senior. It explicitly declared the advancement of science and technology as state priority for national development. It it can be found s 1973 constitution article uh 15 section 9 concrete institutional milestones followed on national Philippine national oil company was created some 1973 to pursue energy self-sufficiency also NSDB research portfolio uh it expanded to include bodies such as Philippine Coconut Research Institute. So as you can see here under Shessa Department of Agriculture

10:54 and it is interesting to see the logo that actually um gin showcase coconut shape. So that's that's a fun little uh detail. Also Philippine Textile Research Institute which is under the DOSD now. So on Philippine Textile Research Institute, what else? um Philippine Science Community Site Sabiutant Tagig in 1968 and through presidential decree number 103A signed on October 6, 1976, the National Academy of Science and

11:40 Technology or the NAS was created to formally honor the country's leading scientist and recommend and individuals para national scientists award. So next start s president presidential decree number 1003A. So let's remember though that um it is an important point of critical evaluation not just recall that these institutional achievements occurred during martial law 1972 to 1981. So this is a period of significant human rights violations and suppression of ci

12:26 civil liberties under the same administration. Although uh let's say wins in the science and tech aspect and genuine science policy institution building and authoritarian governance existed side by side under Marcos. Evaluating this era's science policy requires holding both realities at once rather than treating institutional progress as evidence that the political context was therefore acceptable law regarding science and tech. So it does not mean that

13:12 and um we should hold we should evaluate both aspects holding both reality that this happened at the same time and of course uh dismissing the institutional developments because of the political context. We cannot really say now acceptable political context because we've have lots of successes with regards to science and technology development but we can't also dismiss man institutional developments because of the political context. So this tension is directly relevant

13:57 learning objective number three. So we analyze the role of government science policy in national development. Yeah. So the restoration s democratic government s 1986 would bring another significant reorganization of Philippine science policy. One that remains the basic institutional framework in place today. So let's go with the fifth republic. It's actually from 1986 up to the present. Following the 1986 EDSA people power revolution and the restoration of democratic government under President Koroson Aino

14:45 science policy was formally elevated and executive order number 128 signed January 30 1987 reorganized National Science and Technology Authority which is successor S NSD DB Kagina during the martial law into a full cabinet level department and DOS department of science and technology. It was tasked with providing central direction, leadership and coordination for the country's scientific and technological development. subsequent legislation after that strengthened also on framework of the

15:32 science and polic uh science and technology policy that was uh initiated. So for example s RA number 8439 so 1997 the magna carta for scientists engineers researchers and other science and technology personnel in government. They are now formally recognized. Now science and technology human resources are also essential to national development established scholarships incentives benefits to build the country's scientific workforce. uh much more recently s 2018 uh

16:17 balik scientist act. So RA 11305 has been uh passed and this is institutionalized program originally established some 1975 reinstate in 1993 and finally encourage scientists working abroad to return back home to the Philippines and contribute ute their expertise to national research instead of working abroad. So of course ifertise um they are going to broaden or much

17:04 more improve on national research and development k in the fields of uh dod uh prioritize such as biotechnology information and communications technology m disaster mitigation. So those are the things that we need uh we need to understand we need to research more on in order for us to also build a much more stronger national identity in terms of science and technology. So taken together parts four and five it show a clear institutional pattern. Philippine science policy evolved from a singer advisory board some 1958 right

17:51 toward an increasingly formalized now legally reinforced cabinet level national science and technology infrastructure. It is a pattern that we will see further down sa discussion in parts seven. So let's see selected indigenous science and technology of northern Philippines. So we are going to talk about farming practices, weather prediction and food preservation. So farming practices the cold cordier region is home to one of the most sophisticated indigenous agricultural engineering achievements in the country. rice terraces built and maintained

18:40 primarily by the Ifao and other cordillaran groups including Bonttok, Kolinga, uh, Cananan and Ibaloy. It carved into a steep mountain side over centuries and maintain work together um m ethnic groups to maintain this rice terraces. So yeah, carved into steep mountain sides over centuries and sustained through complex communal irrigation systems that channel water from mountain forest down through the terraces. This reflects not just agricultural technique

19:27 but social organization. Yeah. Maintaining these rice terraces requires coordinated communal labor and water sharing arrangements across the generations that followed up until today. So the rice terraces of the Philippine cordelieras were inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995 in recognition of both their engineering sophistication and their role as a living cultural landscape still maintained by indigenous communities today.

20:12 Right? That's it. Let's go with weather prediction. Indigenous and rural communities in northern Lauson including Sak Cordeliera and adjacent Ilocos provinces develop detailed traditional weather forecasting systems based on what? Close long-term observation of the natural environment. unusually activity among ants behavior. So unusual activity s ants, earthworms, uh what else? Dragon flies, frogs, and particular beard species. They read it as a sign of coming rain or

20:59 storms. What else? The fruiting and shedding patterns of specific plants m cloud formations and rings around the moon serve as further indicators. So yeah, ethnographic documentation of practices work Roy Franklin Barton Harard Coplin. They are both anthropologists that have studied the fuga. So they published books about their research and more recent agricultural studies conducted in Ilos Norte have uh specifically recorded that these indicators are longstanding up until

21:45 now. They are still practicing this it uh a term balang intergenerational intergenerational. So they transmit knowledge using uh word of mouth probably records also. So they use it to guide planting schedules and disaster preparedness as well. developed independently of modern meteorological science and in many communities still consulted alongside today. Last is the food preservation. Indigenous and traditional Filipino food

22:30 preservation techniques center on methods suited to a humid tropical climate without refrigeration. So sun drying So smoking smoking of meat and fish uh as we can evidently see in tapa and tinapa. Yeah. Sultting also and fermentation as in what we see in bagong and fermented preparation such as buro gino bongista bongo fruits. Yan. These methods reflect practical and empirically refined solutions

23:17 to the challenge of food security across seasons developed through generations of localized experimentation rather than formal laboratory science. These three practice areas meet the same functional definition. Science and technology. If you can notice introduced s first lesson ano functional definition of science and technology systematic tested intergenerational verified knowledge applied to solve real environmental and survival problems. So even though they developed entirely outside some formal western scientific

24:03 institution and this directly supports our intended learning outcome number two. So yeah, with both the formal institutional history of how science and technology developed here in the Philippines and indigenous knowledge traditions establish, we can now examine science policy itself as a distinct object of analysis. what it is, what role it actually plays in national development. Let's go to science policy and national development. Science policy refers to a

24:53 government's structured commitment expressed through m law funding kag institution building. So why is it so? It is to direct scientific and technological development toward national goal and institutional arcina from NSDB, NSDA, DOSD also reinforced by RA8439 RA 11035. It is a textbook example of science policy and action. Each stage represents a government

25:38 decision about how much authority funding legal weightag science and technology as a driver of national development. So analyzing this role critically as in in our intended learning outcome number three means asking not just what institutions were created but also ano purpose that they serve and para. So you should note that science policy can serve genuine national development while simultaneously serving the political legitimacy needs isaka government that created it

26:32 and these are not mutually exclusive and in a comp competent analysis. It holds both possibilities open rather than assuming a science policy is automatically neutral or automatically suspect. So as you can see here, science and technology policies, programs and projects is based on available or national goal international treaty legal framework, legal frameworks, social needs, issues and problems. That's how you know that the science and technology policies, programs and projects are effective.

27:22 Let's go with science, technology, and Philippine identity. So we have three political identity, economic identity, and cultural identity. For the political identity, science policy has functioned as an explicit tool of governance and legitimacy across administrations. from Marcos Marcos Senior's constitutional and institutional emphasis s science and technology as part of his broader quote unquote new society development narrative no as 1986 governments using science policy as part of the democratic nation building agenda that's science and tech Philippine

28:09 identity identity on the political aspect How about on the economic aspect? The economic identity. Science and technology has been directly tied to key national economic goals notably ano natural modernization s agriculture. Correct. And for example, International Rice Research Institute headquarters is S. Los Banos Lagona since 1960 pa and it has been central to developing high yield rice varieties important to both Philippine and global food security as well as of course

28:54 efforts like balik scientist program to draw on overseas scientific talents silipinas. for our own domestic development. Lastly, for our cultural identity, it is the recognition and preservation of indigenous knowledge such as we were talking about the rice terraces kadina and now it has UNESCO World Heritage status. Na. So alongside formal honors like National Scientist Award, it also reflects how science and technology in both indigenous institutional forms

29:41 have become part of how the Philippines define and takes pride sang own national identity when it comes to science and technology, when it comes to Philippine culture. as well. And yes, this directly supports our intended learning outcomes. Number four, let's try to propose how science and technology can further support nation building today. This final section addresses at last intended learning outcomes directly. The proposals here are

30:29 illustrative starting points meant to prompt your own thinking possible proposs to science and technology and how they can support nation building. It is not a fixed or exhaustive answer key lang. No. So you draw directly on what this lesson has covered already and then uh in these four examples or four proposals and then you try to also um develop your own proposal. So first is integrating indigenous knowledge into formal disaster policy. Of course you

31:17 incorporate documented traditional weather indicators work it still makes sense modern understanding of science and technology or weather forecasting yan and also part six but it also as a complimentary early warning layer mana alongside pagasa's formal materological forecasting particularly in remote communities. So you weather forecasting. What else? Strengthening return migration science programs. So we could expand on the balik scientist type incentives during our

32:04 part five discussion to further reduce longstanding brain drain of Filipino scientific talents to other countries. scientist or science potential here in the Philippines because they uh opt to work abroad because better salary yan. Well, in fact, if we provide them with reasonable salary, they will stay here man actually. They do feel like they are being uh term brain drain. So it's not enough.

32:50 So they need to go abroad and look for more brighter opportunities. So why not strengthen the return migration balik scientist type incentives. Next, expanding science-based support for small holder agriculture. So, you pedaka build on the irri rice research or the green revolution legacy to extend modern agricultural and uh agricultural science and resources. s smallcale farmers of course Filipino farmers including those sind indigenous

33:38 farming communities yan and lastly protecting and funding indigenous knowledge documentation why is documentation important it's because uh records and that lost indigenous knowledge so yeah You protect you fund documentation process. So treating traditional ecological and agricultural knowledge as a national scientific resource worth formal research investment and legal protection as well. not only cultural heritage item

34:26 but actually actively being heritage items of Philippine culture, we should also protect and fund the documentation of each lost in time. So yeah, as you look at all of these, you consider which of these primarily serve economic development serves, cultural identity, serve, political goals. [snorts] And of course, whether a single science and technology policy proposal can or should try to serve all three at once. that it would make sense if one proposal

35:13 could uh let's say Philippine identity. Yeah. So y if you go back to our opening questionina can a nation's science and technology policy exist above its politics or is it always in some way an expression of who holds power and what they want the nation to become. So if we have understand the discussion having gone through this lesson you have seen that the Philippine science policy has never existed in a political vacuum

36:02 from Spanish era resources extraction during that time as the San Marcos era institution building under martial lawmat ratic reforms. Science and technology policy is never merely a neutral and purely technical l undertaking. It is always also political in the sense that it reflects the priorities, the values and power structures of the government that shaped it. So recognizing this doesn't make science policy illegitimate. It makes it something worth evaluating critically

36:50 as this lesson has asked you to do. [snorts] Right? So, let's try to further organize our thoughts in a reflection. You're going to choose one era of Philippine science and technology history discussed in this lesson. So whether it's pre-colonial, Spanish, uh, American, Marcus era or the fifth republic or also one uh, indigenous practice from part six. Yeah. In just 150 or two uh 150 minimum to 250 maximum words, you explain one scientific development or practice from your chosen era or practice and the political,

37:36 economic or cultural condition that most direct directly shaped it and lastly one way it still influences Philippine science Philippine science the policy or identity today. So you submit your reflection yellow pad one half crosswise to your president and then the president will submit it here a faculty office. So that is it for this topic on science technology and nation building. Thank you very much for listening. Have a great day.