STS Lesson 3: Science, Technology & Nation Building

• Science and Technology and Nation Building is discussed in STS Lesson 3

Importance of Science and Technology

• Science and Technology are essential for nation building
• Scientific knowledge and technological advancements can address climate change, natural disasters, and epidemics
• Can increase industrial productivity leading to economic development
• Science and Technology can ensure quality healthcare
• Science and Technology can increase agricultural productivity
• Science and Technology can conserve and protect the environment
• Science and Technology can efficiently deliver social services
• Science and Technology can produce quality goods
• Science and Technology can develop good infrastructure
• Science and Technology can secure peace, order, and stability
• Science and Technology can increase economic productivity
• Science and Technology can manage natural disasters
• Science and Technology can generate jobs for workers

Science and Technology in the Philippines

• In the Philippines, the importance of science and technology is recognized
• The 1987 Philippine Constitution prioritizes science and technology to "foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development."
• Section 10, Article XIV, states that "Science and Technology are essential for national development and progress".

Philippine Government Science and Technology Agenda

• The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 mandates an "increased use of scientific and technological breakthroughs".
• The government intends to achieve this by "promoting and accelerating technology adoption" and "stimulating innovation".
• The main government agency for science and technology is the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
• DOST aims to "provide central direction, leadership and coordination of scientific and technological efforts and ensure that the results therefrom are geared and utilized in areas of maximum economic and social benefits for the people."
• DOST comprises of three sectoral planning councils, seven research and development institutes, two collegial bodies, six service institutes, and several regional and provincial offices
• Agencies under DOST include the Advance Science and Technology Institute, Science Education Institute and National Research Council of the Philippines
• DOST programs, projects and activities are targeted to achieve stimulation of Innovation
• DOST programs, projects and activities are targeted to achieve promotion and acceleration of Technology adoption
• DOST programs, projects and activities are targeted to achieve the development of a critical mass of globally competitive human resources on Science and Technology
• DOST programs, projects and activities are targeted to achieve increased productivity and efficiency of micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs)
• DOST programs, projects and activities are targeted to achieve ensured resiliency to disaster risks and climate change
• DOST programs, projects and activities are targeted to achieve reduced inequality in science and technology capacities and opportunities
• DOST programs, projects and activities are targeted to achieve effective science and technology governance
• The Philippines lags behind its ASEAN neighbors in terms of R&D expenditures and number of researchers

Major Development Programs and Personalities in S&T in the Philippines

• The Balik Scientist Program aims to encourage Filipino Scientists or Scientists of Filipino descent to return to the Philippines and conduct research or scientific undertakings
• As of December 2017, there were 497 scientists who served under the program
• Republic Act No 11035 or Balik Scientist Act was signed into law in 2018 and includes incentives and assistance to returning Filipino
• The program is important in maintaining a critical number of Filipino experts, scientists, inventors, and engineers that will serve the country.
• UNESCO recommends 380 scientists/researchers per million population, while the Philippines has only 189 researchers/scientists per million
• Josefino C. Comiso, a Senior Scientist in USA's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a Balik Scientist
• As a Balik Scientist, his goal is to: "improve ability of the country to utilize advance technology in addressing problems on natural resource management, especially as related to climate and environmental changes".
• Presidential Decree (PD) No 1003-A, s 1976, established the National Academy of Science and Technology and the Order of National Scientists
• The "Order of National Scientists" is the highest honor bestowed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines to a Filipino man or woman of science in the Philippines who has made significant contributions in one of the different fields of science and technology
• As of 2018, there are 41 National Scientists, including engineer agriculturist Ramon Barba and biologist Angel Alcala
• Small & Medium Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) a "nationwide strategy to encourage MSMEs to adopt technological innovations to improve existing products, services, and operations; increase productivity and competitiveness; and more importantly to enable MSMEs to develop new products and establish or sustain market niches."
• According to DOST, in 2018, the companies supported by SETUP produced: 42,853 jobs, P 8.344 billion cumulative gross sales, and 41% productivity increase
• 20,635 technology interventions and 773 projects were funded through SETUP which aims for job creation, increased productivity, higher income generation, economic development and poverty alleviation
• The Grants-In-Aid Program funds scientific and technological undertakings that encourage development
• The Grants-In-Aid Program promotes technology transfer, innovation, human resources development and productivity improvement

Research Institutes

• Forest Products Research and Development Institute conducts researches on wood products, rubber, paper, pulp and other forest products
• Philippine Nuclear Research Institute conducts safe use of nuclear energy for medical, agricultural, environmental and industrial purposes

Project NOAH

• Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) is a government-funded project administered by the University of the Philippines
• Project NOAH aims to cultivate a culture of preparedness to decrease risks of casualties during natural disasters
• Project NOAH conducts advanced researches and assessments on natural disasters to create useful tools of disaster prevention and mitigation
• Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) Project aims to develop Science and Technology manpower through scholarships, trainings and research collaborations with top universities and institutions in California, USA
• Priority areas of the PCARI Project are information infrastructure development and health innovation and translational medicine.
• National Space Development Program, aims to set the foundation for the establishment of a Philippine Space Agency.
• Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite Program established in 2014, in partnership with Japan's Hokkaido University and Tohoku University
• The Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite Program has since produced three fully functional microsatellites, the Diwata-1, Diwata-2 and Maya-1
• Development of the country's space program is important for national security, agricultural development, environmental management, and climate change mitigation
• The Philippine Space program seeks to develop technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles, microsatellites and communication satellites

Science Education in the Philippines

• Science education is important in order to develop students' scientific skills, attitudes, and values, empowering them to solve problems, become critical, and contribute to nation building
• Many Filipino scientists, inventors, innovators, engineers and professionals have benefitted from DOST's scholarship programs, mandated under Republic Act 7687, or the Science and Technology Act of 1994.
• The Philippine Science High School (PSHS) provides free secondary education who have high aptitude for science and technology
• Currently, there are 16 PSHS campuses, one per region, except for ARMM and PSHS many graduates eventually become scientists, inventors, professionals and educators
• Regional Science High School Union: managed by the Department of Education and curriculum focus on science and mathematics.
• Project HOTS (Hands-on Teaching and Learning of Science through Inquiry) used to develop the capacity of schools and teachers to teach science through mobile school laboratories, inquiry-based science curriculum, hands-on training and technology use trials
• VISSER: Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research project aims to modernize school laboratories through the development and integration of new instruments and technologies
• STARBOOKS: Starbooks is a digital library containing science materials which can be accessed by educational institutions off-line
• InnoBox Project: To search for outstanding and most innovative teaching methods and learning materials for science

Selected Indigenous Science and Technologies

• Indigenous science and technologies must be known, recognized and understood given the Philippines' rich cultural diversity, with more than 100 indigenous groups, each with a unique but interconnected culture
• Many herbal medicines have indigenous origins, with many indigenous practices in resources management have been documented like the muyong system in Ifugao and the lapat system in Apayao

Conclusion

• Science and Technology is important in Philippine nation building
• It helps the nation address problems such as those related to natural disasters, food security, climate change, peace, health, among others
• It also helps the country achieve its development goals
• It is important that the government continues to support Science and Technology through policies and programs that benefit the different sectors of the society