FEU Public Intellectual Lecture Series | Dr. Giovanni Tapang | Part 1
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the underdevelopment of science and technology in the Philippines, highlighting the country's low ranking in ASEAN surveys for science and math. It emphasizes the lack of hands-on science education, absence of basic industries, and the economy's heavy reliance on services rather than manufacturing. The speaker points out the need for industrial growth, agricultural modernization, and the integration of research and development in policy-making to create jobs and improve the nation's economic future.
Takeaways
- 🔬 The current state of science and technology in the Philippines is underdeveloped, with significant potential for growth and improvement.
- 📉 The country ranks poorly in international surveys for science and math education, with the Philippines at 45 out of 46 in science and 43 out of 45 in math.
- 🏫 The education system is ill-prepared to foster scientific and technological skills, with only 60-65% of high schools equipped for science experiments, leading to a lack of practical experience.
- 📊 The GDP graph illustrates a decline in agriculture and a stagnation in manufacturing since the 1950s, reflecting a lack of industrial capacity and production.
- 🌾 Agriculture, which employs 70% of the population, has seen a significant decrease in its contribution to the economy, from 41% in 1946 to less than 10% currently.
- 🏭 The lack of basic industries results in a reliance on imports for everyday items, with even high-tech exports having a large import component for production.
- 📈 The economy has shifted towards services, which do not produce material goods and thus do not contribute to the country's material wealth or self-sufficiency.
- 💼 High unemployment rates, especially among the youth, indicate an economy that cannot absorb the labor force, including those with higher education.
- 🌐 Many Filipino professionals, including scientists and engineers, seek employment abroad due to a lack of opportunities within the country.
- 🧑🔬 The Philippines has a very low density of researchers, with only around 9,870 research scientists and engineers, which is insufficient for a country of its size.
- 💡 The script emphasizes the need for better integration of research and development in policy-making and industry to address the country's economic and developmental challenges.
Q & A
What is the current state of science and technology in the Philippines according to the transcript?
-The transcript suggests that the Philippines' science and technology sector is not yet at its peak and has significant room for growth. The country ranks low in international surveys among ASEAN countries, placing 45th out of 46 in science and 43rd out of 45 in math.
What is the impact of inadequate science education on the Philippines' youth?
-Inadequate science education leaves the youth ill-prepared in science and math, with only 60-65% of high schools having proper science equipment, leading to a lack of hands-on experience and a potential future workforce not equipped for STEM careers.
How does the lack of industrial capacity in the Philippines reflect on its economy?
-The lack of industrial capacity is evident in the absence of basic industries, leading to a lack of jobs and a future that is not anchored in manufacturing or production. This results in a reliance on imports for everyday items and a low value-added economy.
What is the historical trend of agriculture's contribution to the Philippine economy?
-Historically, agriculture has been a significant part of the Philippine economy, but since 1946, its contribution has steadily decreased from 41% to less than 10%, indicating a shift away from agricultural dominance.
What is the current state of manufacturing in the Philippines as depicted in the transcript?
-The transcript indicates that the manufacturing sector in the Philippines has been relatively flat since the 1950s, contributing around 23% to the economy, suggesting a lack of growth and innovation in this sector.
How does the transcript describe the role of services in the Philippine economy?
-The transcript highlights that services, such as call centers and back-end offices, have taken up a significant part of the economy. However, it points out that services do not produce material objects and thus do not contribute to the material wealth of the country in the same way as manufacturing or agriculture.
What are the implications of the Philippines' reliance on exporting electronics without adding significant value?
-The reliance on exporting electronics without adding significant value implies that the country is involved primarily in assembly work rather than innovation or manufacturing. This results in a low value-added economy and a lack of development in science and technology.
What does the transcript suggest about the job market for young Filipinos?
-The transcript suggests a bleak job market for young Filipinos, with more than half of the 18 to 24 age group struggling to find employment, regardless of their educational background.
How does the transcript address the issue of brain drain in the Philippines?
-The transcript addresses brain drain by pointing out that highly trained scientists and engineers are leaving the country due to a lack of job opportunities and the absence of industries that require their expertise.
What is the significance of the low number of research scientists and engineers in the Philippines as mentioned in the transcript?
-The low number of research scientists and engineers signifies a lack of expertise and innovation capacity in the country, which in turn affects the development of industries and the ability to solve complex problems through research and technology.
What does the transcript suggest as a solution to the Philippines' economic and educational challenges?
-The transcript suggests that a focus on improving science and math education, developing industries, and creating an environment where research and development can thrive are necessary steps towards addressing the country's economic and educational challenges.
Outlines
🔬 Science and Technology in the Philippines: Current State and Challenges
The speaker discusses the current state of science and technology in the Philippines, highlighting the country's untapped potential despite being ranked low in ASEAN surveys for science and math. The education system is criticized for not preparing students adequately for STEM fields, with a lack of equipment in schools leading to theoretical rather than practical learning. The speaker emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience in scientific learning and the need for improvement in the country's industrial capacity to create jobs and a sustainable future.
📉 Decline in Agricultural and Manufacturing Industries in the Philippines
This paragraph focuses on the decline of agriculture and the stagnation of manufacturing industries in the Philippines since World War II. The speaker points out that the country's GDP has shifted from agriculture to services, with manufacturing remaining flat since the 1950s. The lack of production capacity is evident in the reliance on imports for everyday items, and the country's largest export, electronics, is assembled rather than manufactured domestically. The speaker argues that the economy's service-oriented nature does not contribute to tangible production or innovation.
🌾 Agricultural and Manufacturing Challenges in the Philippine Economy
The speaker delves into the challenges faced by the agricultural sector, where 70% of the population is engaged but only receives a small share of the economy. The manufacturing sector is criticized for its lack of growth and value addition, with the country exporting raw materials and importing finished goods. The reliance on low-value manufacturing and the export of assembled electronics are highlighted as issues that do not contribute to the development of science and technology or the creation of high-quality jobs.
🏭 The Absence of Value-Added Industries and its Impact on the Philippine Workforce
The speaker discusses the absence of value-added industries in the Philippines, which affects the demand for skilled professionals such as scientists and engineers. The lack of research and development in the country's industries is pointed out, along with the low number of research scientists and engineers. The speaker emphasizes the need for experts to stay in the country to contribute to its development, but acknowledges the challenges due to limited job opportunities and funding.
🧐 The Need for Research and Development in Philippine Policy and Industry
In this paragraph, the speaker stresses the importance of integrating research and development into policy-making and industry practices in the Philippines. The lack of R&D is seen as a missed opportunity to solve problems such as sewage and transportation. The speaker calls for a change in mindset to value and invest in science and technology, which could lead to better policies and economic growth.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Science and Technology
💡STEM
💡Education
💡Industrial Capacity
💡GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
💡Agriculture
💡Manufacturing
💡Services
💡Research and Development (R&D)
💡Labor Force
💡Value-Added
💡Experts
Highlights
The current state of science and technology in the Philippines is not at its peak, indicating potential for growth and improvement.
Philippines ranks low in ASEAN surveys for science and math, highlighting a significant gap in education and preparedness for STEM fields.
Most high school students in the Philippines are not adequately prepared in science and math, with only 60-65% of high schools having proper science equipment.
The lack of hands-on science education is a major issue, as students learn more effectively through practical experience rather than theoretical instruction.
Industrial growth in the Philippines is hindered by a lack of basic industries and job creation.
A historical analysis of GDP shows a steady decline in agriculture and a stagnation in manufacturing since the 1950s.
The majority of the Philippine economy is now based on services, which do not produce material goods and thus do not contribute to industrial capacity.
The country's reliance on imports for basic goods, including electronics, indicates a lack of domestic production capabilities.
The Philippines exports electronics but with a high import component, suggesting a lack of value-added in the production process.
Labor costs are low in the Philippines, leading to assembly-based work rather than innovation in science and technology.
The lack of manufacturing and production industries in the country results in a limited need for scientists and engineers.
Highly trained professionals, including scientists and engineers, are leaving the country due to a lack of job opportunities.
The Philippines has a very low density of researchers, with only around 9,870 research scientists and engineers in the country.
The country's lack of funding and research infrastructure is not the only issue; there is also a shortage of students and experts to absorb it.
The potential for agricultural modernization and industrial development is not being fully realized due to a lack of integrated research and policy.
The reliance on imports to solve immediate needs, such as the sugar shortage, indicates a lack of long-term development strategies.
The transcript emphasizes the need for better policy and integration of research and development to address the country's economic and industrial challenges.
Transcripts
[Music]
and then let's discuss
what is the role the current role of
science and technology in the country
right now
and then let's ask ourselves what do we
need to do
it's easier to understand rather than
saying it's stunted and underneath it it
stunted
and so because it did not have the
opportunity to grow it did not grow as
[Music]
means that we can still do a lot this is
not yet
the peak of philippine um
capabilities we can do a lot with what
we have we can do a lot
by improving what we have and therefore
there's a lot of things that we can do
with scientific values
the problem is we're not there yet we're
very far
from that position in fact we asked
uh the surveys uh among
asean countries and our neighbors we're
actually going to be very high
numerically number 45 out of 46
for science 43 out of 45
in math and therefore if you look at it
numerically high but you're
really at the end of the line they're
not really prepared to do science and
technology
and if they after k-12
most of them would not get into the stem
trap most of them will not be scientists
or engineers
so this is obviously an education this
is obviously
as i've said earlier your filipino 13
year old is
ill-prepared in science and math um
only 60 65 of our
high schools would have science
equipment
and therefore 35 percent will just draw
their experiments in the board
and tell the students this is what will
happen
if we had experiment and that's not the
way to do science
to do science effectively you have to
have hands-on
experience in other words you cannot
imagine
electricity unless you see a light uh
light bulb light you cannot imagine the
cell phone until you actually fold the
cell phone
and use it you cannot just describe that
and this is that is what really happens
not only in the basic science but even
in the life science
in many areas not only in the high
school
but also in the tertiary
now in industrial growth it's much
more edited the evidence that i will
point to is
the lack of jobs
the lack of industries is one big
reflection of the lack of industrial
capacity
in the country we don't have basic
industries
we don't have any ways to make things
that we would be using
now and of course without industries you
don't have
jobs and without jobs you don't have a
future
now this is one of my favorite slides
it's a graph
it's a graph of the gdp the gross
domestic production of the
country in terms of production services
and public utilities 100
that's the whole economy and that's from
1946 to 2008
there's a second part of the slide the
data is actually at the
trending track now the first thing that
you would notice is that
since after the war okay 1946
agriculture has been steadily going down
that's green
now agriculture is very important in the
country uh because
it's it's the way that we will feed our
nation
now the fact is 70 of our people is
engaged in agriculture
7 out of ten is engaged in agriculture
and if you look at it in 1946 41
of our economy is agriculture right now
41
uh that 41 has gone down
to less than 10 and the problem
there is of course is that it's not that
we cannot just
feed ourselves that's the one of the
most evident problem
for students like you the problem would
be
that the 70 percent that is engaged in
agriculture is now
just sharing a very very small part
that's not even the problem
the bigger problem the bigger problem is
in
production in the manufacturing part the
manufacturing part
that's the gray dashed line so
manufacturing first agriculture is equal
to the blue line
which is production so the manufacturing
part
that the dashed gray line is actually
the ones that make
the things that we use your computer
your chair
your clothes your food etc the things
that you use
and if you will see after the war we
don't really have production that's
obvious because
all industrial production has been
destroyed during the war
but it has steadily increased but just
plateaued
or stayed there at around 23
on the average since 1950s
so a productive capacity of the
philippines has stayed relatively flat
since the 1950s in terms of percentage
we were just producing
whatever we can we have produced in the
1950s as a percentage of our economy
you know in terms of number but in terms
of part of our economy
we haven't really been producing that
much we're just producing
roughly one fourth of our economy is in
production
indeed
thank you
the problem of the lack of things that
you would be needing
in everyday life will be the problem so
you'll go to a mall all the things that
are important
not because by choice of course there
are very
posh malls there but because there's
nothing being produced here
everything will be important you go to
asari sari store
not necessarily your trendiest place to
buy things
but you will not find anything that is
produced here
except for a very few items so even
our condiments even are i mean this is
the usual joke
even our toothpick is made outside
that's true
not just the toothpick most of the
things that you would use
now if there is ever any production here
is
mostly very small okay
not a very large scale production or
if it's being produced here then it has
a very large import component
what do you think is the biggest export
of the country
it's something that you cannot eat it's
something that you actually use every
day it's
hardest it's electronics you
you would wonder electronics so that
means if i go
in recto okay
then i can buy electronics at a very
very
um reduced price because it's your top
export and therefore there must be we
must be awash with electronics but we're
not
okay that largest export has a very
large
import component in other words to
produce the electronics that we export
we import everything else what do we do
what do we add
all the things that we add is just label
now the problem of course is
the labor costs here in the philippines
are very low above
et cetera and therefore you don't really
do
any science and technology anymore you
just assemble things you export them
that's it and that has gone
even after the government has tried to
recalculate changing baselines
the trend of going production going down
manufacturing going flat agriculture
falling
is actually the same
so where what has taken up our economy
i mean
that means something is actually
giving jobs however small to our
economy no that's the services services
like call centers back-end offices
the service crews that you actually
encounter in fast food
the rentals that you have etc these are
services
now what is the very distinct
nature services the problem with
services is that you don't really get
to hold anything from services you call
a call center
you don't bring home anything you get a
service
your red house okay the rental itself is
a service
okay so the services services do not
really produce
material objects the problem of course
as i
said earlier if you need something it
will not come from services
right so that's the whole problem of our
economy right now
um we don't produce a lot we're not an
industrial economy
we're pre-industrial we're still
agrarian but
backward at that backward in the sense
that
even up until now 2018 we still have
people in
doing agriculture by literally pushing
their
their their animals and literally doing
artisanal work
by hand
they do it themselves and that's a very
low productivity way
of doing agriculture now even if you
give them
tractors they don't really own the land
so nothing comes to them
so what do we do what do filipinos if
there's no jobs here
what do most of your um
like do they go out they go abroad
most of our well 10 now around 11
10 to 11 of our filipino labor force is
actually outside of the country
and that's one way of finding jobs
but do you know how much the jobs in
saudi right now is
is actually the same as the entry-level
construction worker here in the country
that just means that people filipinos
would take any job opportunity even if
it's outside of the country
even if they don't have to come home
okay
and this headline is not surprising
anymore
right um that was that was last year
you can actually find um that this trend
has been
going up the joblessness uh in fact
it was surprising that even our
philippine statistics authority does not
report joblessness anymore
they report um the percentage of those
who have jobs it's a negative vietnam
but joblessness but this is actually
increasing
uh since the last few years
now most of you would be 18 to 24
right or wish to be 80 20
where do i divide so half of you
it can be my left or my right will not
have jobs if you try to find
jobs right now in fact more than half
52 of your age range cannot find
jobs it doesn't matter if you're from
fau
from usd from ub or any of those top
universities because on the average
that uh you your age group will have
difficulties in finding jobs and that's
the
promise of um
the job market you can find jobs if you
have a good
education but in this economy a good
education is not a very big
assurance that you will find why it's
not because
you don't have credentials it's because
the economy
cannot absorb the labor force that we're
producing right now
it's even the researchers in the
in in the government and
she's now a uh undersecretary
professional
in the dti and
she has been she has been saying that we
need to have manufacturing
that they did try to have a
manufacturing resurgence but
this still is the main characterization
of our economy we don't produce
things if ever we have production
we have extraction on one hand so we do
have mining
we do have sales at the other end right
but we don't have production in the
middle
so what do we do if you need metal if
you need
higher what do you
we do have iron ore we need iron in
buildings
but we don't actually produce iron bars
so what we do is to export the iron ore
and then buy it back is
okay because the value that that cost
there is because it
it tries to reflect the value added the
value added is
transforming that for to to steal
we don't have those value-added
industries here
now value-adding is part of science and
technology and engineering
if you have new processes to make better
steel
then you can sell your steel at a higher
price
but do you really need metallurgical
engineers
do you really need any chemistry
because you don't really have that
production you don't have that need
maybe you would need structural
engineers because you're building things
but at the cost maybe you just need one
you don't need
thousands right you might need mining
engineers
but probably not those experience
because all you need to find is the rock
and that's the problem so you cannot
really develop your science and
technology
because we don't have those industries
so what do we do we have low value added
manufacturing and low value added
manufacturing yesterday i was in an
electronics company
the import as i said earlier a lot of
their electronics
resistors capacitors all the parts here
all they do is to really put it together
you put them together and then make a
radio for your car make a
make a device for your um
for your computer etc we do manufacture
hard disks in the philippines
so even the hardest computer is
sometimes made in the philippines
but all they do is to actually assemble
and most of our
production is in that state
so do you really need phds in chemistry
et cetera how many of those
that you would do and therefore it's not
surprising to find
scientists to go out right it's not just
ordinary professionals it's even our
highly trained scientists and engineers
going out of the country
nurses as well okay medical
professionals
etc who actually go and seek employment
elsewhere reason we don't really have
places for them in our economy
they can participate in the economy but
sometimes not a scientists or engineers
and if you actually look around and find
where are our experts there are you will
find
in general were around again very high
96
out of 139 well numerically i'm sorry
at least
numerically high but we're at the tail
end as well
and what this means is that if you're
looking for an expert
more often than not we cannot find the
experts okay there's a roughly around
100 people
100 phds in physics in the country
okay and this is roughly 100 million
people
that makes me a one in a million guy
right
the weight will actually press on my
shoulders because there's
one million people in the philippine
center is actually
depending on me to
decide or to give anything information
model anything in physics
that's not a nice thing to think about
and it's even worse for a lot of other
scientific professions
if we're actually going to to add
together all the scientists and
engineers
do you know how many are there that
includes all the experts here
in feu would you guess that anybody
guess
there's only ten thousand in fact nine
thousand eight hundred
seventy research scientists and
engineers in other words
those who are really engaged in research
you only have 10
000 in the whole
country about 10 million
i know some of the people here in your
university research fellows
you don't really have a lot of people
and therefore it's very important that
scientists or science
students okay would actually try to
develop
and become more experts and stay here in
the country
so psy that includes everything science
chemistry
physics basic sciences economics etc
because if you stay here then you add
more number
to whenever the people would need the
experts
right
the reason here is partly because you
don't really have a lot
of funding
but even if you double the funding
even if you triple the funding which the
government plans to do
okay you don't really have people to
absorb it
i mean you get more um libo
nah researchers if you don't have
students
to work with you you cannot do it
everything okay the way to do
it is that you should actually generate
and let them
let the experts stay here the problem is
they don't
have places to go and
we only have like around one per 12 000
uh researcher density in the country
that's very far from singapore it's one
out of 164
okay but you know singapore is smaller
than manila
uh but thailand is a nice number to
look at has one-fourth of what we
have indonesia is a very large
population
has one half of it and vietnam as well
the situation right now where we're in
is that we don't have the industries
we don't have any program for developing
our
the rural area to industrialize the area
agricultural modernization is not even
a big idea
that is working in the agricultural
department earlier
they were talking about the sugar
shortage
okay and the solution was to import
not to develop our sugar production but
to input
okay all ways to import now the reason
was given
um is that the they have to fill the
need
immediately but that was the same thing
that they were saying a few years ago
so lagging along this is a three-season
company and that's the same thing for a
lot of areas
the research and development is not
really integrated in the thinking
of our policy makers and even of
industry
if you look at if you ask industry do
you have any
thing to make do you have any research
and development
in your country in your company they
would say no we have very little
okay in fact the federation of filipino
industries
says that they actually have little or
none
research and development in the country
but those problems of
sewage transportation etc
can be actually solved okay by
research and technology but not just
researching
technology but by better policy
[Music]
you
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