CHAPTER 2
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE
PHILIPPINES
SPANISH REGIME
The Spanish Regime is considered to be the period
of birth of modern science and technology in the
Philippines. During this time, religious orders had
great influence on its development as well. The
interaction between these forces resulted to
political and socio-economic changes which had a
huge contribution to the history of the country.
Remarkable events and advancements in the
Philippine Science and technology during the
Spanish colonization are presented in the following
table:
Reduccion system used in Latin America
was adopted in response to initial shortage
of Spanish missionaries in the country.
• This strategy grouped far-flung,
scattered barangays into fewer but
larger and more compact towns within
the hearing area of church bells.
POLITICS Datus and their hereditary successors
served as heads of cabezas de barangay,
the lowest level of local government.
Centralized political control was
established all over the country.
• Tribute tax was imposed and collected
• Compulsory labor services were
enforced among the native Filipinos.
Compulsory sale of local products to the
government was implemented.
Philippine colonial education system was
established with the help of religious orders.
• Technological development and
scientific researches were promoted
Primary education was mainly religious in
nature
Different religious orders established
schools offering higher education, majority
of which in Manila, but mostly accessible to
EDUCATION the elite of the society.
• Jesuits
- Colegio de San Ildefonso, Cebu City
(1595)
- Colegio de San Ignacio, Manila (1595)
- Ateneo de Manila (1859)
• Dominicans
- University of Santo Tomas, Manila
(1611)
- Colegio de San Juan de Letran,
Manila (1640)
Higher education was
initially offered for priesthood
and for clerical positions in
the government. It was only
EDUCATION during the 19th century that
B.A degrees (i.e Bachiller en
Artes) in science subjects
and that
technical/vocational
schools were offered and
established, respectively, by
the Spaniards
Filipino Students were able to go to Europe
for professional advanced studies as
prosperity resulted from increased
commerce between the Philippines and
other countries. Some of them were the
following:
EDUCATION • JOSE RIZAL – Medicine and
Specialization in Ophthalmology in
Spain and Germany
• GALICANO APACIBLE – Medicine in
Madrid
• ANTONIO LUNA - Pharmacy in Madrid
• JOSE ALEJANDRINO – Engineering in
Belgium
Jose Rizal
Galicano
Apacible Antonio Luna Jose Alejandrino
Several Spanish missionaries observed,
catalogued and wrote about Philippine
MEDICINE Plants, especially those with medicinal
values.
One of the most notable writings was the
Manual de Medicinas Caseras by Father
Fernando de Sta. Maria in 1763.
Schools of medicine and
pharmacy were opened in 1871 in
University of Santo Tomas.
Among its first BS Pharmacy
graduates was Leon Ma. Guerrero
MEDICINE who is referred to as the “Father of
Philippine Pharmacy” after his
extensive work on Philippine
Medicinal Plants.
In 1887, the Laboratorio Municipal
de Ciudad de Manila was
established to perform
biochemical analyses for public
health purposes and specimen
examinations for clinical and
University of Sto. Tomas medico-legal cases. Studies on
(1871) infectious diseases such as
cholera, tuberculosis, leprosy and
beriberi were also conducted
Philippine exportation of
agricultural products started
to increase when Manila
was opened in 1789 to Asian
shipping. This was
subsequently followed by
AGRICULTURE the opening of other
Philippine ports
In 1829, agricultural
production accelerated
and modernized when
foreign capital was allowed
to operate in the country.
The Manila School of
Agriculture was established
in 1887 and opened in 1889
to provide theoretical and
practical education to
farmers and to promote
AGRICULTURE agricultural development in
the country
In general, there was a very
little development in the
country’s agricultural sector
during the first two centuries
of Spanish regime.
Spanish colonizers largely
depended on profits from the
Galleon (or Manila-Acapulco)
trade (1565-1813). Manila
emerged as the enterpot of
the Orient.
• Chinese goods (e.g. silk,
cloth, porcelain, etc.) were
ECONOMY brought to Latin America
from Manila in replacement
of Mexican silver.
• Goods were brought to
Manila by ships from Japan
• Portuguese ships from Siam,
India, Malacca, Borneo and
Cambodia were carried to
mexico by galleons
Direct involvement in the
Galleon trade was limited to
Spanish occupants of Manila.
Chinese traders profited most
from this system by acting as
packers, middlemen and
retailers which were much
needed by the Spanish
ECONOMY community in Intramuros.
Domestic economy was
deleteriously affected by the
Galleon trade which caused a
negligence of local agriculture,
mining and handicraft
industries.
At the beginning of the 18th
century, the ascendance of
the Bourbon dynasty to the
Spanish Throne paved the way
for enterprising Spaniards to
exploit the country’s mineral
wealth, to develop its
agriculture and to establish
ECONOMY industries, and thus promoted
economic recovery.
Operation of foreign capital in
the country paved the way for
local industries to flourish in
Manila. These included the
industries for weaving,
embroidery, hat making,
carriage manufacture, rope
making, cigar and cigarette
making.
Modern Facilities were
introduced in Manila by the
second half of the 19th century.
Some of these were
waterworks system, stream
tramways, electric lights,
newspapers and banking
system.
ECONOMY
Economic Development was
unevenly distributed in the
Philippines. Most of the Areas
outside Manila remained poor
and underdeveloped.
The Spanish regime ended with the country
being recognized for its primary agricultural
exporting capacity. But because of the lack of
support for the development of other Philippine
native industries, they did not survive the
competition with foreign imported products.
However, it must be noted that education,
medicine and pharmacy remained the most
developed professions in the science field
during this period.
AMERICAN REGIME
The American period marked the rapid advancement of science and
technology in the Philippines. The contributing factors for this development
were the following:
1. Encouragement and support of the government for an extensive public
education system
2. Scholarship grants in science and engineering
3. Organization and establishment of science research agencies; and,
4. Establishment of science-based public services
AMERICAN REGIME
Specifically, the following activities paved the way for the
development of science and technology in different sectors of the
country
1. Secularized public education was introduced by the Americans in
the country (separate from religious concern)
2. The Department of Public Instruction was established in the country
to produce schools offering free primary education with English as
the medium of instruction.
AMERICAN REGIME
3. A Philippine Normal School was put up to serve as
training ground for Filipino Teachers.
4. Secondary Schools were opened in 1902, followed by
the establishment of other professional and technical
institutions which later became part of the
multidisciplinary University of the Philippines.
5. Advanced training abroad was availed by qualified
Filipinos leading to the gradual replacement of foreign
faculty in the country.
AMERICAN REGIME
6. An Act to financially support high school students to take
teaching, engineering, medical and law courses in the United
States was passed by the Philippine Commission in exchange
of their public service to be rendered in the country upon
their return.
7. The demand for professional education increased.
However, the only publicly-supported higher education
institution, the University of the Philippines, was not able to
handle this increasing demand. This made private education
an alternative to professional education for a number of
Filipinos.
AMERICAN REGIME
8. The Private School Act (Act No. 2076) was enacted in 1917
to recognize the increasing number of private schools as
educational and not commercial institutions. These institutions
were supervised by four staff of the Department of Public
Instruction composed of a superintendent, as assistant
superintendent and two supervisors.
9. The Office of Private Education was established to look into
such matters that would lead to the improvement of its
educational machinery such as physical plant, facilities,
equipment and administrative regulations.
AMERICAN REGIME
10. The Bureau of Government Laboratories created in
1901 by the Philippine Commission was reorganized and
renamed as the Bureau of Science. This served as the
primary research institution of the government until the
end of World War II. Studies in the field of Biology and
Chemistry, especially on vaccine and prophylactics
productions, serum examination, mineral and road
building materials testing, food nutrition analyses and
the like, were performed in these laboratories.
AMERICAN REGIME
11. The following other offices were organized in the
country and had contributed to the development of its
scientific researches.
A. Bureau of Health
B. Bureau of Mines
C. Bureau of Forestry
D. Bureau of Agriculture
E. Weather Bureau
F. Bureau of Coast Geodetic Survey
G. Bureau of Plant Industry
H. Bureau of Animal Industry
AMERICAN REGIME
12. The National Research Council of the
Philippine Islands (NRCP) was established in
1933. This was responsible for the promotion of
scientific research in the country and in the
deliberation and drafting in the 1934
Constitutional Convention of provisions relating
to the local science and industry.
AMERICAN REGIME
The American regime in the Philippines ended with its
economy having remained agriculturally defined. This
was despite the higher education opportunities given to
Filipino people on the filed of science and engineering.
However, it must be realized that the Philippines-United
States trade relations continued even after the country
attained its independence in 1946. The country
remained as exporter to U.S of various agricultural crops
and raw materials, and an importer of U.S manufactured
products.
COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
The inauguration of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935 marked
the beginning of the country’s transformation to a politically
independent nation. The importance in the economy of promoting
scientific development were acknowledge as reflected in Article
XIII, Section 4 of the Constitution stating that:
“The State shall promote scientific research and invention, Arts
and Letters shall be under its patronage”…
During this period, the increase in numbers of school children was
addressed by the continuous expansion of the public school system,
with Grade VII which served as the terminal grade in the grade
school curriculum being abolished by the Government-recognized
private schools in the country for elementary secondary and tertiary
education.
COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
The inauguration of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935 marked
the beginning of the country’s transformation to a politically
independent nation. The importance in the economy of promoting
scientific development were acknowledge as reflected in Article
XIII, Section 4 of the Constitution stating that:
“The State shall promote scientific research and invention, Arts
and Letters shall be under its patronage”…
During this period, the increase in numbers of school children was
addressed by the continuous expansion of the public school system,
with Grade VII which served as the terminal grade in the grade
school curriculum being abolished by the Government-recognized
private schools in the country for elementary secondary and tertiary
education.
COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
To work towards sustaining the Philippine political
independence, the government established the
National Economic Council to address the country’s
economic and financial questions. Numerous
government corporations were formed to perform
various functions in the country. Some of these were the
National Power Corporation, National Development
Company, National Abaca and other Fibers
Corporation, and the like. The Bureau of Mines was also
created as part of the government’s goal of
encouraging and assisting Filipino businessmen delving
into mining exploration and development. More
industrial scientific researches were also performed after
the Bureaus of Science, Plant and Animal Industry
received increased appropriations.
COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
However, despite these efforts, the goal of the
Commonwealth government of economic self-reliance
was not attained. This was due to the foreign trade
policies still controlled by the American Government
and the occupation of Japanese troops in the country
which began in 1941.
The Japanese occupation led to the destruction of
various institutions built for the country’s science and
technological development. This included the reduction
to scientific endeavours.
PERIOD SINCE INDEPENDENCE
After the country regained its independence in 1946,
the support for scientific research and development
through education was continued. Several state and
even private universities and colleges were
established and/or reorganized since then. These
institutions were supervised by the then Department of
Education and Culture. This development in the
educational sector of the country led to the
tremendous increase in the number of college
graduates. However, only a small proportion of them
were into agriculture, science and engineering. This
was due to the perceived low employment
opportunities in these fields, longer periods of study
and their non-affordability for the public.
PERIOD SINCE INDEPENDENCE
The increase in number of learning institutions in the
country entailed the birth of various science agencies
of the government. Some of these were the following:
1. Institute of Science (1947), from the reorganization of the
Bureau of Science; for resource survey, testing and
standardization
2. Institute of Nutrition (1947), with research, advisory and
extension duties
3. Science foundation of the Philippines (1952), for
encouragement of science and engineering researches
and for promotion of science awareness among Filipinos
4. Commission on Volcanology (1952) for basic researches
on volcanology
END OF CHAPTER
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