STS 10 Lesson 2.1 History of Science and Technology in the Philippines | Vanessa E. Asaias

Summary

This lecture explores the historical development of science and technology in the Philippines, emphasizing the interplay of geography, colonial trade, economic policies, and social factors. It covers the pre-colonial era's technological advancements, Spanish colonization's impact on education and research, and the rise of modern professions. The talk also discusses the Spanish regime's contributions to agriculture, industry, and the establishment of institutions like the Manila Observatory, highlighting the uneven progress and the roots of Philippine nationalism.

Takeaways

• 🏛 The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Philippines is the executive department responsible for coordinating science and technology projects and formulating policies to support national development.
• 🌐 Science and technology are integral to a country's political sovereignty and economic self-reliance, and their development is a global concern for governments.
• 📚 The history of science and technology in the Philippines is shaped by various factors including geography, colonial trade, economic and educational policies, and social-cultural elements.
• 🗺️ Before the Spanish colonization in 1521, there was limited written information about Philippine society and technology, so historians rely on archaeological findings and early accounts.
• 🛠️ Early Filipinos developed techniques for tool-making, pottery, and metalworking, but faced competition from imported goods, leading to the decline of some industries.
• 🌾 By the 1st century AD, Filipinos were engaged in agriculture, with techniques like terraced fields in mountainous regions and coastal trade with advanced boat-building technology.
• 🔄 Trade with neighboring countries like Vietnam, Borneo, and China was well-established by the 10th century, with Chinese records and archaeological findings supporting this.
• 🏰 Upon colonization, the Spanish found autonomous village communities with their own systems of writing, weights, and measures, and some with advanced fortifications and artillery.
• 🏫 The Spanish introduced modern education and scientific research, with religious orders playing a significant role in establishing schools and promoting technological innovation.
• 📈 The 19th century saw the establishment of technical and vocational schools, and the growth of scientific research, particularly in medicine and pharmacy, with the participation of native Filipinos.
• 🌟 The Spanish regime's exploitation of mineral wealth and promotion of agriculture and industry led to economic development, though benefits were unevenly distributed, contributing to the rise of Philippine nationalism.

Q & A

What is the role of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Philippines?

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Philippines is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for coordinating science and technology-related projects and formulating policies and projects in the fields of science and technology to support national development.

Why is the development of science and technology crucial for a country's progress?

The development of science and technology is crucial for a country's progress because it is closely associated with political sovereignty and economic self-reliance, and it is recognized as one of the imperatives of social and economic progress in the contemporary world.

What sources do historians use to understand the pre-colonial period of the Philippines?

Historians use archaeological findings, accounts of early traders and foreign travelers, and narratives written by the first Spanish missionaries and colonial officials to understand the pre-colonial period of the Philippines.

What technological advancements were made by the early Filipinos before the arrival of the Spaniards?

Early Filipinos made advancements in tool-making with stone flakes, pottery of various designs, metalworking using copper, gold, bronze, and iron, and agriculture, including the construction of terraced fields and the cultivation of rice.

How did the Spanish colonization impact the development of science and technology in the Philippines?

Spanish colonization led to the establishment of schools, hospitals, and scientific research, which had important consequences for the rise of the country's professions. However, the direction and pace of development were greatly shaped by the religious orders, who played a major role in the establishment of the colonial educational system.

What were the limitations of higher education during the Spanish regime in the Philippines?

Higher education during the Spanish regime was limited to the elite of colonial society, and it was pursued mainly for the priesthood or clerical positions in the colonial administration. Access to schools was limited, and the study of sciences and medicine was discouraged.

How did the Spanish missionaries contribute to technological innovation and scientific research in the Philippines?

Spanish missionaries introduced technology for town planning and building with stones, bricks, and tiles, established charity hospitals, and conducted research in pharmacy and medicine. They also observed, cataloged, and wrote about Philippine plants with medicinal properties.

What was the significance of the Manila Observatory in the development of meteorological studies in the Philippines?

The Manila Observatory, founded in 1865, collected and made available typhoon and climatological observations. It issued the first public typhoon warning and later became a central station of the Philippine Weather Bureau, providing meteorological, seismological, and astronomical studies.

What was the role of the Real Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais de Filipinas in promoting scientific and technological development?

The Real Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais de Filipinas, founded in 1780, promoted the cultivation of various crops and the development of industries. It provided funds for successful experiments, inventions, scientific literature, and scholarships for Filipinos, encouraging research and development in agriculture and industry.

What were the economic and social conditions in the Philippines at the end of the Spanish regime?

At the end of the Spanish regime, the Philippines had evolved into a primary agricultural exporting economy with some progress in agriculture. However, there was an uneven distribution of economic benefits, increasing concentration of wealth among large landowners, and poverty and landlessness among the masses.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Introduction to Philippine Science and Technology History

The first paragraph introduces the topic of Philippine science and technology, highlighting the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as a key player in national development. It emphasizes the importance of science and technology for a country's progress and sovereignty. The lecture aims to explore the history of science and technology in the Philippines, focusing on the interplay of various factors such as geography, colonial trade, economic policies, and social-cultural elements. The discussion begins with the pre-colonial period, noting the limited written records and reliance on archaeological findings and early accounts. It describes the early inhabitants' technological advancements, such as tool-making, pottery, and metallurgy, and their decline due to competition with imported goods. The paragraph also touches on agriculture, boat-building, and the early Filipinos' trading activities.

05:03

🛠️ Pre-Colonial Technological Developments and Trade

Paragraph two delves deeper into the pre-colonial period, discussing the technological advancements and trade practices of early Filipinos. It mentions the establishment of trade relations with neighboring regions like Vietnam, Borneo, and China, supported by archaeological evidence of Chinese porcelains. The Spanish colonizers found autonomous village communities with their own agricultural, mining, and manufacturing practices. The paragraph contrasts the technological development of coastal settlements with that of interior and mountain areas, noting the presence of modern artillery in Manila. It also discusses the lack of a written literary tradition for systematic knowledge dissemination, the abundance of natural resources leading to less pressure for innovation, and the beginnings of modern science and technology under Spanish rule, including the establishment of schools, hospitals, and scientific research.

10:05

🏫 Spanish Influence on Education and Scientific Research

The third paragraph focuses on the Spanish colonial period's impact on education and scientific research in the Philippines. It describes the establishment of schools by religious orders and the limited access to higher education, primarily for the elite. The paragraph discusses the suspicion of higher education by colonial authorities due to its potential to encourage rebellion. It also covers the introduction of town planning, building technologies, and the establishment of charity hospitals, which became centers for early scientific work. The paragraph highlights the role of religious orders in technological innovation and scientific research, including the founding of the Manila Observatory and the Royal Economic Society, which promoted agricultural and industrial development. It concludes with a mention of the uneven economic development and the rise of Philippine nationalism leading to the revolution of 1896.

15:06

🌱 Agricultural Advancements and Economic Inequality

Paragraph four discusses the agricultural and economic developments during the Spanish regime, emphasizing the modernization of sectors like sugar and hemp production due to foreign capital and technology. It notes the lack of support for native industries, leading to their decline. The paragraph also addresses the social prestige attached to university education and the development of science-based professions like medicine and pharmacy. It concludes with a mention of the uneven distribution of economic benefits, leading to wealth concentration and poverty among the masses, which contributed to the rise of Philippine nationalism and the revolution of 1896. The paragraph ends with a prompt for further reading and an anticipation for the next lesson on scientific and technological development in the Philippines.

Keywords

💡Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for coordinating science and technology-related projects and formulating policies to support national development. In the script, DOST is introduced as a key player in the advancement of science and technology in the Philippines, highlighting its role in the country's progress and economic self-reliance.

💡Pre-colonial period

The pre-colonial period refers to the time before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines in 1521. The script discusses the limited written information available about this era and how historians reconstruct this period using archaeological findings, early traders' accounts, and narratives from Spanish missionaries. This period is significant as it sets the stage for understanding the development of science and technology in the Philippines.

💡Archaeological findings

Archaeological findings are the physical evidence of past human activity, such as tools, pottery, and structures, uncovered through excavations. The script uses archaeological findings to describe the technological advancements of early Filipinos, such as the production of pottery, metalworking, and the construction of boats, which are crucial for understanding the evolution of technology in the region.

💡Colonial trade

Colonial trade refers to the economic exchanges that took place during the period of colonization. In the context of the script, colonial trade is mentioned to illustrate how early Filipinos engaged in trading with neighboring regions, which influenced the development of technology and cultural exchanges, as evidenced by the archaeological findings of Chinese porcelains.

💡Spanish regime

The Spanish regime denotes the period of Spanish colonization in the Philippines. The script discusses how the Spanish introduced modern science and technology, established schools and hospitals, and initiated scientific research. This period was pivotal for the introduction of Western scientific knowledge and the beginning of modern scientific development in the country.

💡Religious orders

Religious orders are Catholic organizations that played a significant role in the establishment of the colonial educational system in the Philippines. The script mentions how these orders influenced the development of technology and scientific research, often limiting access to higher education and shaping the direction of scientific studies, particularly in the fields of pharmacy and medicine.

💡Meteorological studies

Meteorological studies involve the scientific study of the atmosphere and its phenomena. The script highlights the establishment of the Manila Observatory by Jess Switz in 1865, which conducted meteorological observations and issued the first public typhoon warning. This development is an example of how scientific research was applied to improve public safety and understanding of the environment.

💡Economic development

Economic development refers to the process of improving a nation's economic well-being and standard of living. The script discusses the uneven distribution of economic development benefits during the 19th century, which contributed to social inequality and eventually led to the Philippine Revolution of 1896. It also notes the modernization of sectors like sugar and hemp production due to foreign capital and technology.

💡Scientific research

Scientific research is the systematic investigation and study of materials and sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions. The script describes how scientific research was limited during the Spanish regime, with few opportunities for training in this area. However, it also mentions the growth of research in fields like medicine, pharmacy, and meteorology, which were crucial for the advancement of knowledge and technology.

💡Nationalism

Nationalism is the sentiment of loyalty and devotion to one's nation. In the script, Philippine nationalism is mentioned as a response to social inequality and abuses by Spanish friars and officials, which eventually led to the revolution of 1896. This concept is important for understanding the political and social context that influenced the development of science and technology in the country.

💡Agricultural exporting economy

An agricultural exporting economy is one that primarily focuses on producing agricultural goods for export. The script notes that by the end of the Spanish regime, the Philippines had evolved into such an economy, with progress in agriculture supported by government research and education, as well as the entry of foreign capital and technology. This economic model had significant implications for the development and application of science and technology in the country.

Highlights

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for coordinating science and technology-related projects and formulating policies to support national development.

The development of science and technology in the Philippines is closely associated with the country's political sovereignty and economic self-reliance.

Pre-colonial Filipinos had developed techniques for making tools, pottery, and were engaged in agriculture, weaving, and trading.

The Spanish colonization introduced modern science and technology, including town planning, building techniques, and medical research.

Religious orders played a significant role in establishing the colonial educational system and influencing the development of technology and scientific research.

Higher education during the Spanish regime was limited to the elite and focused on religious education and clerical positions.

The establishment of the Manila Observatory in 1865 marked the beginning of meteorological studies and the first public typhoon warning system.

The Real Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais de Filipinas promoted agricultural and industrial development and supported scientific research.

Inequality and abuses during the Spanish regime led to the rise of Philippine nationalism and the revolution of 1896.

By the end of the Spanish regime, the Philippines had become a primary agricultural exporting economy with some modernization in sectors like sugar and hemp production.

The lack of support for native industries during the Spanish regime led to their failure to compete with foreign imports.

Medicine and pharmacy remained the most developed science-based professions due to the prestige attached to university education.

The lecture emphasizes the interdependent effects of geography, colonial trade, economic and educational policies, and social-cultural factors on the evolution of Philippine science and technology.

The lecture is based on an article by Olivia C. Cowley, providing a historical perspective on the development of science and technology in the Philippines.

Archaeological findings and early accounts help reconstruct the pre-colonial period's technological advancements in the Philippines.

The Spanish introduced the technology for building with stones, bricks, and tiles, which was used in the construction of Manila's walls and public buildings.

The establishment of charity hospitals by religious orders provided settings for early scientific work, particularly in pharmacy and medicine.

The Philippine Weather Bureau was set up by American colonial authorities in 1901, continuing the work of the Manila Observatory.

Transcripts

hello everyone welcome to the second

lesson on our subject sts-10

now i want you to look at this photo

this photo shows the national

headquarters of the philippines

department of science and technology

or dost which is located at taguig metro

manila the department of science and

technology is the executive department

of the philippine government which is

responsible for the coordination of

science and technology related projects

in the philippines and to formulate

policies and projects in the fields of

science and technology in support of

national development

the need to develop a country science

and technology has generally been

recognized as one of the imperatives of

social economic progress in the

contemporary world

this has become a widespread concern of

governments

science and technology is closely

associated with the country's political

sovereignty and economic self-reliance

in this lecture which is largely based

on the article authored by olivia c

cowley

we will examine the history of science

and technology in the philippines

but rather than focusing on the

chronology of events we shall interpret

and analyze the interdependent effects

of geography colonial trade economic and

educational policies and social cultural

factors in shaping the evolution of

present philippine science and

technology

let us begin with the development of

science and technology during the

pre-colonial period

there is a very little reliable written

information about philippine society

culture and technology before the

arrival of the spaniards in 1521.

so historians reconstruct a picture of

this past using contemporary

archaeological findings

accounts of by early traders and foreign

travelers and the narratives about

conditions in the archipelago which were

written by the first spanish

missionaries and colonial officials

this map shows the narrow land bridges

connecting the philippines to mainland

asia

according to archaeological sources

homo sapiens from the asian mainland

first came over land and across narrow

channels to live in palawan and vitangas

around 50 000 years ago

these stone age inhabitants subsequently

formed settlements in the major

philippine islands such as in mindanao

negros summer and luzon

they made simple tools or weapons of

stone flakes but eventually developed

techniques for solving drilling and

polishing hard stones

by about 3000 bc they were producing

access ornaments of seashells and

pottery of various designs

the manufacturer of pottery subsequently

became well developed and flourished for

about 2 000 years

until it came into competition with

chinese porcelain

thus over time pottery making declined

what has survived of this ancient

technology is the lowest level that is

the present manufacture of the ordinary

cooking pot among several local

communities

gradually the early filipinos learn to

make metal tools and implements using

copper

gold bronze and later iron

excavations of philippine graves and

worksites have yielded iron's legs

these suggest that filipinos during this

period engaged in the actual extraction

of iron from org smelting and refining

but it appears that the iron industry

like the manufacturer of pottery did not

survive the competition with imported

cast iron from malaysia and much later

from china

by the first century a.d filipinos were

weaving cotton smelting iron making

pottery and glass ornaments and they

were also engaged in agriculture

flowland rice was cultivated in diked

fields and in the interior mountain

regions such as in the cordaliera they

made terraced fields which utilized

spring water

filipinos had also learned to build

boats for the coastal trade with the

10th century a.d this had become a

highly developed technology

in fact the early spanish chroniclers

took note of the refined warship called

karakoa

by the 10th century a.d early filipinos

also engaged in trading for example

inhabitants of bhutan were trading with

champa which is now known as vietnam

the filipinos in mindanao and sulu

traded with borneo malacca and parts of

the malay peninsula while inhabitants of

mai or mindoro traded with china

chinese records which now have been

translated contain a lot of references

to the philippines

these indicate that regular trade

relations between the two countries had

been well established during the 10th to

the 15th centuries

archaeological findings of chinese

porcelains made during this period that

were excavated from various parts of the

philippines also support this contention

by the time the spaniards came to

colonize the philippines they found many

scattered autonomous village communities

all over the archipelago

these workingship groups are social

units rather than political units

the spanish colonizers noted that all

over the islands filipino communities

were growing rice vegetables and cotton

raising swine goats and fowls they were

making wine vinegar and salt

weaving cloth and producing beeswax and

honey

the filipinos were also mining gold in

such places as panai mindoro and bikol

they wore colorful clothes made their

own gold jewelry and even filled their

teeth with gold

their houses were made of wood or bamboo

and nipa

they also had their own system of

writing and weights and measures

some communities had become renowned for

their plant

boats

they had no calendar but they counted

the years by moons and from one harvest

to another

however these communities exhibited an

even technological development

settlements along the coastal areas

which had been exposed to foreign trade

and cultural contacts such as manila

mindoro cebu

southern mindanao and sulu seemed to

have attained a more sophisticated

technology

in 1570 for example

the spaniards found the town of mindoro

fortified by a stone wall

which is

over 14

feet thick

and defended by armed morrows

they also found manila similarly

defended by a wall along its front with

pieces of artillery at its gate

these reports indicate that the

filipinos in manila had learned to make

and use modern artillery

on the other hand in the interior and

mountain settlements many filipinos were

still living as hunters they gathered

forest products in order to trade with

the lowland and coastal settlements

the pre-colonial filipinos were also

still highly superstitious

the spaniards also did not find temples

or places of worship

although the filipinos knew how to read

and write in their own system

this was mainly used for

messages and letters they did not

develop a written literary tradition at

that time which

would have led to a more systematic

accumulation and dissemination of

knowledge

a condition that is necessary for the

development of science and technology

furthermore because of the abundance of

natural resources and generally sparse

population

there seemed to have been little

pressure for invention and innovation

among the early filipinos

the beginnings of modern science and

technology in the philippines can be

traced to the spanish regime the

spaniards established schools hospitals

and started scientific research which

had important consequences for the rise

of the country's professions

but the direction and pace of

development of science and technology

were greatly shaped by the religious

orders who played a major role in the

establishment of the colonial

educational system in the philippines

consequently they also influenced the

development of technology and promotion

of scientific research

due to the shortage of qualified

teachers textbooks and other

instructional materials

primary instruction was mainly religious

education which was generally taken care

of by the missionaries and parish

priests in the villages and towns

higher education was provided by schools

which were set up by the different

religious orders in the urban centers

most of them in manila

for example the jesuits founded the

colegio de san ignacio in 1595.

the colegio de san jose in 1601 in the

ateneo de manila in 1859

while the dominicans

established the colegio de san joan de

letran

however access to these schools was

limited to the elite of the colonial

society such as the european born and

local spaniards the mestizos and a few

native filipinos

on the whole higher education was also

pursued for the priesthood or for

clerical positions in the colonial

administration

it was only during the latter part of

the 19th century that technical and

vocational schools were established by

the spaniards

higher education during the spanish

regime was also viewed with suspicion

and feared by the colonial authorities

as encouraging conspiracy and rebellion

among the native filipinos

for this reason only the more daring and

persevering students were able to

undertake advanced studies

the attitude of the spanish friars

towards the study of the sciences and

medicine was even more discouraging

it was not surprising therefore that few

filipinos ventured to study these

disciplines

those who did were poorly trained when

compared with those who had gone to

european universities

science courses were taught by the

lecturer and or recitation method and

laboratory equipment was limited and

only displayed for visitors to see so

there was little or no training in

scientific research

just as the religious orders provided

most of the teaching force and

institutions of learning they also took

the lead in technological innovation and

scientific research

the spaniards introduced the technology

of town planning and building with

stones brick and tiles

the construction of the walls of manila

its churches convents hospitals schools

and public buildings were completed by

the 17th century

towards the end of the 16th century the

religious orders had established several

charity hospitals in the archipelago

these hospitals became the setting for

rudimentary scientific work during the

spanish regime long before the

establishment of the university of santo

tomas or ust college of medicine

research in these institutions were

confined to pharmacy and medicine and

concentrated on the problems of

infectious diseases their causes and

possible remedies

several spanish missionaries observed

catalog and wrote about philippine

plants particularly those with medicinal

properties

by the second half of the 19th century

studies of infectious diseases such as

smallpox cholera

bubonic plague dysentery leprosy and

malaria

were intensified with the participation

of graduates of medicine and pharmacy

from usd

at this time native filipinos began to

participate in scientific research

in 1887 the laboratory municipal de

choudad de manila was created by decree

its main functions were to conduct

biochemical analysis for public health

and laundry takes specimen examinations

for clinical and medical legal cases

the laboratory municipal descendant of

manila also had a publication called

chronica dcncs medicas de filipinas

showing scientific studies being done

during that time

meteorological studies were promoted by

jess switz who founded the manila

observatory in 1865.

the observatory collected and made

available typhoon and climatological

observations

these observations grew in number and

importance so that by 1879 it became

possible for father federico faura to

issue the first public typhoon warning

the service was so highly appreciated by

the business and scientific communities

that in april 1884 a royal decree made

the observatory an official institution

run by the jesuits and also established

a network of meteorological stations

under it

in 1901 the observatory was made a

central station of the philippine

weather bureau which was set up by the

american colonial authorities

it remained under the jesuit scientists

and provided not only meteorological but

also seismological and astronomical

studies

it is also important to note that the

spaniards exploited the mineral wealth

of the philippine islands it developed

its agriculture and established

industries

research in agriculture and industry was

encouraged by the founding of their real

sociedad economica de los amigos del

pais de filipinas or the royal economic

society of friends of the philippines by

governador jose basco e vargas under

authority of a royal decree of 1780.

composed of private individuals and

government officials

the society functioned somewhat like the

european learned societies during the

18th and 19th centuries in a modern

national research council

it undertook the promotion of the

cultivation of indigo

cotton cinnamon and pepper and the

development of the silk industry

during the 19th century it was endowed

with funds which it used to provide

prizes for successful experiments and

inventions for the improvement of

agriculture and industry to finance the

publication of scientific and technical

literature trips of scientists from

spain to the philippines

professorships and to provide

scholarships for filipinos

the benefits of economic development

during the 19th century were unevenly

distributed in the architecture while

manila prospered and rapidly modernized

much of the countryside remained

underdeveloped and poor

there was also increasing concentration

of wealth among the large landowners and

poverty and landlessness among the

masses

this inequality coupled with abuses and

injustices committed by the spanish

friars and officials

gave rise to philippine nationalism and

eventually the revolution of 1896.

at the end of the spanish regime the

philippines had evolved into a primary

agricultural exporting economy

progress in agriculture had been made

possible by some government support for

research and education in this field

but it was largely the entry of foreign

capital and technology which brought

about the modernization of such sectors

notably the sugar and hemp

production the lack of interest and

support for research and development of

native industries like weaving for

example

eventually led to their failure to

survive the competition with foreign

imports

because of necessity and the social

prestige attached to university

education

medicine and pharmacy remained the most

developed science-based professions

during the spanish regime

for more details on this lesson you may

read the following papers

stay tuned for our next lesson on the

scientific and technological development

in the philippines thank you