FEU Public Intellectual Lecture Series | Dr. Giovanni Tapang | Part 1

Summary

The 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

00:00

🔬 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.

05:01

📉 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.

10:04

🌾 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.

15:04

🏭 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.

20:05

🧐 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.

Keywords

💡Science and Technology

Science and Technology refer to the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the natural and physical world through empirical observation and experimentation, and the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. In the video's theme, it is discussed as a critical component for the country's growth and development, with the current state being underdeveloped due to lack of opportunity and resources. The script mentions the country's low ranking in science and math among ASEAN countries, indicating a need for improvement in these areas to foster technological advancement.

💡STEM

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which are disciplines that often overlap and are collectively critical for innovation and economic growth. The video script points out that most students after K-12 education do not enter STEM fields, which is a concern because it suggests a lack of a skilled workforce for the future in these areas.

💡Education

Education is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, and habits. The script emphasizes the poor state of education in science and math, with only 60-65% of high schools having proper science equipment, leading to a lack of practical, hands-on experience. This lack of effective education is seen as a barrier to the development of the country's scientific and technological capabilities.

💡Industrial Capacity

Industrial Capacity refers to the ability of a country to produce goods on a large scale. The script discusses the lack of basic industries and the resulting lack of jobs, indicating a weak industrial capacity. This is a significant issue as it impacts the country's ability to sustain economic growth and provide employment opportunities.

💡GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

GDP is the monetary value of all finished goods and services made within a country during a specific period. The video script presents a graph showing the GDP composition of the country, highlighting the decline of agriculture and the stagnation of manufacturing, which are indicative of the country's economic challenges.

💡Agriculture

Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. The script notes the significant decline in the agricultural sector's contribution to the economy, from 41% post-war to less than 10% in recent years. This decline is problematic as a large portion of the population relies on agriculture for their livelihood.

💡Manufacturing

Manufacturing involves the industrial production of goods or parts. The script indicates that the manufacturing sector has remained relatively flat since the 1950s, suggesting a lack of innovation and growth in this area. This stagnation is a concern as it limits the country's ability to produce and export goods.

💡Services

Services refer to intangible products offered for sale, such as customer service, consulting, or entertainment. The script points out the growth of the service sector, which includes call centers and fast food service crews. However, it also notes the limitations of services as they do not produce material objects and thus do not contribute to the physical economy in the same way as manufacturing or agriculture.

💡Research and Development (R&D)

R&D encompasses innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new products, services, or processes. The script criticizes the lack of R&D in the country, which hinders technological progress and the ability to solve complex problems such as sewage and transportation.

💡Labor Force

The Labor Force is the total number of people available for work. The video script discusses the high rate of unemployment, particularly among the youth, and the significant number of Filipinos working abroad due to a lack of job opportunities at home. This migration of the labor force affects the country's economic and social development.

💡Value-Added

Value-Added refers to the increase in the value of a product at each stage of production. The script mentions the lack of value-added industries in the country, which means that products are not being processed or improved locally, but rather assembled and then exported, leading to lower economic benefits.

💡Experts

Experts are individuals with advanced knowledge or proficiency in a particular area. The script highlights the scarcity of experts in various scientific fields within the country, which limits the capacity for innovation and the ability to address complex challenges. The low number of research scientists and engineers is a concern for the country's technological development.

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