LESSON 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND NATION BUILDING

The Philippine Government S & T Agenda

It is a given fact that the driving force behind the progress of a nation is the state of its science
and technology.
 Countries are classified according to their economic standing:
o Developed economies
o Economies in transition
Developing Economies
 In our lesson, we will study two bases for this:
o 1987 Philippine constitution Article X1V sections 10-13 pertaining to science and
technology. This serves as the constitutional Article XIV sections 10-13 pertaining to
science and technology.
o Philippine Development Plan. This is the blueprint of the government’s programs
and plans for progress
 Executive Order No. 5
o October 11, 2016: President R. Duterte signed this EO No. 5 approving and adopting
the 25 year long term vision entitled “AMBISYON NATIN 2040” as guide for
development planning.
o Vision: matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay (strongly rooted, comfortable, and
secure life)
 The Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 is the first medium-term plan
anchored on this national long-term vision.
o It seeks to lay a stronger foundation for more inclusive growth, a high-trust and
resilient society, and a globally competitive knowledge economy. This is
anchored on:
1. “Malasakit” - it aims to enhance the social fabric
2. “Pagbabago,” - reduce inequality
3. “Patuloy na Pagunlad” - increase potential growth
Related Issues on the State of Science and Technology in the Philippines
 The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) suggests
a ratio of 380 scientists per every million population.
 In 2017, During a hearing on Senate Bill No. 175 or “Balik Scientist Bill”, it was
discovered that the country only has 189 scientists per million, far from the ideal figure.
With are about 110 million Filipinos this time, the Philippines need 19,000 more
scientists.
 Balik Scientist law by President Rodrigo Roa A. Duterte on 15 June 2018. Republic Act
No. 11035, also known as an “Act Institutionalizing the Balik Scientist Program,” would
give more incentives to returning Filipino experts, scientists, inventors, and engineers
who would share their expertise in the country.
 2018, in terms of human resources, the survey found that there were 708 R&D
Personnel (RDP) per million population.
  In 2020, South Korea had the largest number of scientists and researchers per 1,000
employed (full time equivalent), with 16.61 people working in research or science field
per 1,000 employees. Finland was second in the ranking, with 15.93 scientists and
researchers per 1,000 employees
 According to the “The Global Innovation Index (GII)” - a ranking of countries (132 ) as
per their success and capacity in innovation, the Philippines ranking is as follows:
o 51st in 2021 and slid to 59th in 2022
o The Philippines’ Innovation Inputs dipped from 72 in 2021 to 76 in 2022 and
Innovation Outputs from 40 in 2021 to 51 in 2022.
o According to the DOST, the lower rank in 2022 was largely due to decreased
performance scores in Knowledge and Technology Outputs which are mainly a
function of knowledge creation, knowledge impact, and knowledge diffusion.
 According to the Milken Institute's Global Opportunity Index which measures a
country’s attractiveness to international investors using a combination of economic,
financial, institutional, and regulatory factors.
o Philippines: in 2021, ranked 82nd out of 145 countries and in 2022, ranked 83rd
out of 126 countries
o Coursera’s Global Skills Report (the reports benchmark skill proficiencies in
business, technology, and data science across 100+ million learners, 320+
government and non-profit organizations, 4,000+ campuses, and 3,400+
companies using the Coursera platform.
o Philippines: Philippines placed last among its East and Southeast Asia peers after
placing 70th out of 102 countries in the 2022 edition of online learning platform
which ranked skills and proficiency of learners in the areas of business,
technology, and data science

Science Education in the Philippines and its Role in the Advancement of Science and
Technology as a Vehicle for Nation Building
 It is a given fact that a strong Science Education is the backbone of an advance Science
and Technology state of a nation.
 A country’s level of science and technology in turn is the driving force for economic
progress and modernization
Some Notable Filipino Scientists and Inventors and their Contributions:
 Dr. Fe Del Mundo: Invented the Bamboo incubator. She was the first woman to be
recognized as a National Scientist here in the Philippines.
 Dr. Abelardo Aguilar (1949): discovered the 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝑝𝘵𝘰𝘮𝑦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝑦𝘵h𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘶𝘴 (now
𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘤h𝘢𝘳𝘰𝑝𝘰𝘭𝑦𝘴𝑝𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘦𝘳𝑦𝘵h𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘢), the bacteria that would lead to the discovery of
erythromycin. Erythromycin is an antibiotic used in treating infections of the respiratory
tract, Legionnaire’s disease, and diphtheria, as well as urinary tract infections and
sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis.
 Ramon Barba: invented the use of a chemical spray called Etherel (2-
chloroethylphosphonic acid) for mango flowering. National Scientist of the Philippines in
2014.
 Roberto del Rosario: inventor of the Karaoke Sing Along System in 1975.
 Diosdado Banatao: The Filipino who can be paralleled with Microsoft’s Bill Gates.His
invention of the PC chipset and the Windows Graphics accelerator chip was the first-
ever single graphic user interface accelerator that makes computers to run faster.
 Francisco Quisumbing. He was chemist who invented Quink ink, which is used in Parker
Pens. Quink ink is named after the inventor.
 Maria Ylagan Orosa: recognized as war hero, food scientist, and humanitarian. Invented
banana ketchup, now an iconic and well-loved condiment among Filipinos, Orosa
invented Soyalac (a nutritious soya beans drink) and Darak (rice cookies rich in vitamin
B1) — both provisions for Philippine forces during World War II.
 Victor Llave and his team at H2O Technologies (an innovation and technology company):
Inventor of the Salamander referred to as the world’s first amphibious tricycle which
can travel in flooded streets, lakes and rivers.
 Gregorio Zara: A mechanical and aeronautical engineer who developed the first
videophone or two-way television-telephone.

LESSON 4: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION

The View of Nature and the Environment within the Context of Enframing as Modern
Technology’s Way of Revealing.
 The concern of all levels of society from the individual level to the global level is survival.
 Heidegger, a German 20th century philosopher explains a philosophical view on how
man perceives the environment and how he deals with it through the essence of
technology as a way of revealing.
 Technology as a way of revealing is through the process of “enframing”
• Enframing according to him is looking at the world through two ways:
1. Calculative thinking: wherein humans desire to put nature within a “frame”-like a box in
order to be able to understand, control and manipulate it to meet human needs and in
order to protect humankind from it.
2. Meditative Thinking: Humans allow nature to take its course.
  Ideally these two should balance each other, but at present, calculative enframing
dominates meditative thinking.
 This results to modern Technology to challenge man to enframe nature, and this
actually makes man its instrument in ordering nature. This as pointed out by
Heidegger leads to environmental problems.
The Common Concept of Good Life Which is Hinged on the Concept of Human Flourishing
Within the Context of Science and Technology
 The goal of society in all levels is to attain good life.
 Good life can be defined differently by different people.
 At present the pursuit or good life is heavily hinged on science and technology.
 The products of science and technology defines happiness to many due to the comfort,
convenience and pleasure that these products bring.
Some philosophical views on good life:
A. Eudomonia is the Greek word for the concept of living well and doing well which
ultimately defines “good life”
o This living well though in this context is grounded on virtues on the universal good
so that pursuit of happiness for selfish reasons is no longer Eudomonia.
B. Good life as defined by “ The Ten Golden Rules” according to Micheal Supious and
Panos Mourdoukoutas.
1. Examine life.
2. Worry only about the things you can control.
3. Treasure friendship.
4. Experience true pleasure.
5. Master yourself.
6. Avoid excess.
7. Be a responsible human-being.
8. Don’t be a prosperous fool.
9. Don’t do evil to other people.
10. Kindness toward others tends to be rewarded.

LESSON 5: WHEN TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY CROSS

Definitions and concepts of ethics, morality, and legality within the context of science and
technology
 Ethics: the principles that guide a person or society, created to decide what is good or
bad, right, or wrong, in each situation. It regulates a person’s behavior or conduct and
helps an individual in living a good life, by applying the moral rules and guidelines.
 Morality: This refers to the standard of right and wrong qualifying the rightness or and
wrongness in human acts.
 Law: refers to a system of norms or rules set up by a country or community needed in
the regulation of actions of the citizens or members with corresponding imposition of
penalties.
“Morality governs private, personal interactions. Ethics governs professional interactions. Law
governs society.”

The roles of ethics, morality and laws in science and technology

 In our technology driven world today, all these three are needed as our compass to live
well and right.
o Before doing an action or making a decision. The following questions should be
considered:
 Is it moral?
 Is it ethical?
 Is it legal?
Cases with Moral, Ethical, and legal Implications:
1. Wearing of face masks and face shields
2. Refusal to get vaccinated
3. Misuse of Personal Information
o One of the primary ethical dilemmas in our technologically empowered age
revolves around how businesses use personal information. As we browse
internet sites, make online purchases, enter our information on websites engage
with different businesses online and participate in social media, we are
constantly providing personal details which are recorded and used by interested
sectors. So, to what extent is that information impeding our right to privacy?
4. Misinformation and Deep Fakes: during elections misinformation is widely used to gain
a wider support base.
5. Deep fake technology now allows such a sophisticated manipulation of digital imagery
that people appear to be saying and doing things that never happened. The potential for
privacy invasion and misuse of identity is very high with the use of this technology.
o Ethical technology: This is ensuring there is a moral relationship that exists
between technology and users.
6. Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI), also known as machine intelligence, is a
branch of computer science that focuses on building and managing technology that can
learn to autonomously make decisions and carry out actions on behalf of a human
being.
 The fast development of science and technology and its interplay with politics and
economics has brought a lot of moral, ethical and legal issues.
 So that while life now might be more convenient compared to a few decades ago,
actually it is more complicated and stressful.
 Question: How then can we live a “good life”-that is living well and right?
 Good Life = LIVING AND DOING WELL + LIVING RIGHT