Science and Technology in the Philippines

By Crisanto M. Lopez, PhD

Department of Biology, Ateneo de Manila University

Science and technology (S&T) is one of the determinants of a country’s economic development.
For a country to prosper, one must have an efficient system to implement its S&T programs together with
the support from all stakeholders. Implementation of S&T programs is directed by the complex relationship
between the government, educational institutions, private organizations and the members of the society.
To understand how the complex relationship between various stakeholders contributes to the current
Philippine S&T state, it is imperative to look back at the country’s history and analyze how it led to the
present condition. We can then use the lessons learned from the past and present predicament to take
action and improve the future of S&T in the country.

This article presents the state of S&T in the Philippines by describing what happened in the course
of history of the country, giving emphasis on the numerous events that established the S&T landscape at
present. Next, the current status of Philippine S&T is described with respect to the country’s internal
evaluation and rankings relative to other countries reported by various global institutions. Then, focus is
given to the future plans of the government, various bills that are expected to be implemented in the coming
years, and recommendations based on policy research on S&T. Finally, an analysis on the status of the
Philippine S&T then and now is made in the hope that one may see how the country can truly progress.

BRIEF HISTORY OF S&T IN THE PHILIPPINES

Precolonial S&T

The settlement of inhabitants in various areas of the Philippines during the Stone Age is evidenced by the
tools excavated from these sites. Implements used in making weapons, sawing, drilling, and polishing hard
stones were excavated in Philippine graves and work sites. In 2018, a paper published in the prestigious
scientific journal, Nature, revealed that humans were living in the Philippines by 709,000 years ago. Stone
artefacts (sharp-edge flakes, cores as source materials for the flakes, and hammer stones) were unearthed
by an international team of scientists at an excavation at Kalinga on Luzon island. These artefacts are
believed to be used to butcher a rhino whose complete skeleton was found at the place where the tools
were found. Prior to this discovery, the earliest proof of hominin in the area was a small foot bone found
in nearby Callao Cave, which dated only 67,000 years ago. The discovery has profoundly changed the
knowledge in hominin colonization of the Philippines.

Rice cultivation and boat building were the main activities of Filipinos during the first century AD. Early
Filipinos all over the islands were also involved in agriculture, such as animal raising, crop planting,
fermented product production, and gold mining. However, communities near coastal areas were observed
to have more complex technology because they were exposed to foreign trade and cultural contact. Hunters,
who were settling in the mountains, were also present during those times. They would trade forest products
with lowland and coastal settlements.

During the precolonial times, Filipinos had their own writing system, weights, and measures. Years were
tracked by the cycle of moon and seasons of harvest. In addition, early Filipinos used their own reading
and writing systems in sending messages and letters. Innovations were not present at that time because
natural resources were bountiful, no threats came from the environment, and the population was small.

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S&T During the Spanish Regime

The early stages of modern science and technology in the Philippines was brought by the Spanish regime.
This was evident with the establishment of schools, hospitals, and scientific research. Jesuits and
Dominicans founded schools from late 1500s and in the 1600s, respectively. Among the Jesuit-founded
schools were Colegio de San Ildefonso in Cebu City, Colegio de San Ignacio, Colegio de San Jose, and
Ateneo de Manila. Dominicans founded Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario (now known as
University of Santo Tomas) and Colegio de San Juan de Letran. By the 19 th century, the courses in the
Bachelor of Arts degree included subjects in physics, chemistry, natural history, and mathematics. When
the Suez Canal was opened in 1869, liberal ideas and scientific knowledge of the West found their way to
the Philippines. Several opportunities opened up for Filipino students to go to Europe for advanced studies
due to increased commerce between the Philippines and the rest of the world.

Religious orders also established several charity hospitals towards the end of the sixteenth century.
The hospitals served as the venue for scientific works in pharmacy and medicine, most especially in
infectious diseases, their cause and potential cures. In 1871, the University of Santo Tomas opened the
Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy. Because of this, studies of infectious diseases (e.g., smallpox, cholera,
bubonic plague, dysentery, leprosy and malaria) was intensified. The Laboratorio Municipal de Ciudade de
Manila was built in 1887 to conduct biochemical analyses for public health and examination of specimens
for clinical and medico-legal cases. Scientific studies done by the institution were published in Cronica de
Ciencias Medicas de Filipinas.

As early as the 1700s, plant studies in the Philippines have also started. In 1763, Father Fernando
de Sta. Maria published the Manual de Medicinas Caseras. It contained Father Sta. Maria’s observations on
Philippine plants together with their classification and information on their medicinal properties. Research
in agriculture and industry started with the creation of the Real Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais
de Filipinas (Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Philippines), which promoted the cultivation of
various crops, such as indigo, cotton, cinnamon, and pepper, and silk industry development. Prizes for
those who could produce good scientific results and inventions for improvement of agriculture and industry
were awarded by the society. Funds for the society were not only given to finance the publication of
scientific and technical literature, trips of scientists from Spain to the Philippines, and professorships, but
to also provide scholarships to Filipinos. Towards the end of the Spanish colonization, the Philippines
became a primary agricultural exporting economy, which was made possible by government support for
agricultural research and education.

In the field of meteorological studies, the Manila Observatory was founded by the Jesuits in 1865.
The Observatory collected typhoon and climatological observations, which led to the issue of the first
public typhoon warning by Fr. Federico Faura in 1879. The Observatory was then made a central station
of the Philippine Weather Bureau in 1901 by the American colonial authorities. Aside from meteorological
studies, the observatory also provided seismological and astronomical analyses.

The opening of Manila to Asian shipping in 1789 led to its rapid development as international
center. This gave way to the introduction of modern amenities into the city, such as waterworks system,
steam tramways, electric lights, and a banking system. The School of Agriculture, together with a Nautical
School and vocation schools, were established during the 19 th century because of commercial needs.

Development in S&T During the American Regime

The concurrent government support for an extensive public education system, awarding of
scholarships for higher education in science and engineering, establishment of science research agencies,

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and implementation of science-based public services all led to the rapid advancement of S&T in the
Philippines under the American regime.

These were all evident in the coordinated policies adopted by the American authorities for the
promotion of higher education in the sciences, government research institutions, and various technical
agencies. By the Act of the Philippine Legislature, the University of the Philippines (UP) was created on
June 18, 1908. Despite the fact that most of the early instructors and professors in the sciences and
engineering at UP were Americans and other foreigners, they were gradually replaced by Filipinos, who
qualified to be sent abroad for advanced training. The establishment of UP satisfied the needs for
professionally trained Filipinos in the government’s several organizations and programs. Aside from UP,
private nonsectarian universities were organized during the early period of the American regime to help
meet the increasing demand for professional education and the country’s need for trained manpower.

One notable observation during the American regime was that the middle class Filipinos developed
a general disdain for manual work that was part of their colonial experience under the Spaniards. The
unpopularity of the industrial and vocation courses in the Philippine school system prompted the
government to offer scholarships to fill up the technical positions in the government service. An Act by
the Philippine Commission in 1903 sent high school-aged individuals to be educated in the US as teachers,
engineers, physicians, and lawyers. However, in return, they had to render public service for five years in
the Philippines after their studies.

Development of science gained more government support together with the efforts to establish an
extensive public school system and public health programs. In 1905, the Bureau of Government
Laboratories was reorganized and renamed Bureau of Science, which remained to be the principal
government research establishment until the end of the Second World War Most of the senior scientists in
the Bureau were Americans but Filipinos gradually took over as they acquired the necessary training.

The Bureau of Science served an essential role in training Filipino scientists and was the hub for
pioneering research on several diseases, such as leprosy, tuberculosis, cholera, dengue fever, malaria, and
beriberi. In addition, other studies, such as commercial value of tropical products, Philippine minerals and
roadbuilding materials testing, and nutritional value of foods were also done at the Bureau. In terms of
publication, the Bureau of Science published the Philippine Journal of Science that reported scientific works
done locally and other Philippine-related scientific improvements abroad.

The professional organizations established during the American regime were also instrumental in
the growth of scientific research of the country. In 1933, the National Research Council of the Philippine
Islands (NRCP) was created by an Act of the Philippine Legislature. NRCP was involved in the promotion
of scientific research and was active in the deliberations and drafting of provisions affecting science and
industry in the 1934 Constitutional Convention.

Despite the establishment of several science and educational policies, there was still a lack of
coordination between them and economic policies, which led to the delayed industrialization of the
Philippines. This was attributed to the fact that while there were opportunities for Filipinos for higher
education in the sciences and engineering, the economy remained basically agricultural. The economy was
greatly determined by free trade relations between the Philippines and the United States, which resulted to
the Philippines being primarily just an exporter of agricultural crops and raw materials and importer of
American manufactured goods. Additional effect of the misalignment of the policies was the
underdevelopment of the physical sciences as compared with the medical and agricultural sciences.
Industrial research did not receive much great support under the American regime as compared with
medical, agricultural and related sciences.

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S&T During the Commonwealth Period

When the Philippine Commonwealth was inaugurated in 1935, the Constitution had a provision
that promoted scientific improvement for the economic development of the country. However, all
educational and scientific activities virtually came to a stop during the occupation of the Philippines by the
Japanese during the War. This was because all able-bodied citizens joined the resistance movement. In
addition, the country was reduced to ruins during the battles for the liberation in 1944-1945 when almost
everything was destroyed in Manila. It was in this situation that the Philippines became a sovereign state.

S&T Since Independence

Since Independence in 1946, the education and training of scientists, engineers, and physicians and
the government support for scientific research and development established during the American regime,
have remained unchanged. Government support for education continued to be concentrated at the
elementary school level and private colleges and universities provided education for the majority of the
college population. Furthermore, the scientific work in government suffered from a lack of support,
planning, and coordination. This was evident in the dearth of basic information needed by industries,
neglect of experimental work, the meager appropriation in the national budget for scientific research, and
the low salaries of government scientists as reported by US Economic Survey Mission to the Philippines in
1950.

There was no innovation in the education and training of scientists and engineers since
independence. This is partly because of the conservative nature of self-regulation by the professional
associations. The dynamic relationship between science, technology, and society and the relevance of their
training to Philippine conditions was not perceived by professional organizations because of 1) specialized
training, 2) vertical organization by disciplines, and 3) lack of liaison between professions.

Several reorganizations and establishments of various S&T-related government institutions

happened postwar years. The Bureau of Science was reorganized into the Institute of Science in 1947.
However, in 1951, the Institute of Science was renamed to Institute of Science and Technology and had an
additional responsibility of improving industrial processes and enhancing technological development. To
stimulate research in the sciences and engineering and promote science consciousness among the people,
the Science Foundation of the Philippines was created in 1952. In 1958, the Congress enacted the Science
Act due to the decline in Philippine science since the early years of the American regime. The decline was
because of the lack of government support, dearth of scientists of high training and ability, low morale of
scientists, and a lack of public awareness of science. The Science Act of 1958 created the National Science
Development Board (NSDB), which is responsible not only for formulating policies for the development
of science but also for coordinating the work of science agencies. In addition, the National Institute of
Science and Technology (NIST) was also created by the Act, which placed it under NSDB.

Additional science agencies were created by law, which expanded NSDB’s organization and
functions. This expansion was a testament to the government’s concern and support for the development
of Philippine Science and Technology. In 1982, NSDB was reorganized into National Science and
Technology Authority (NSTA) composed of four research and development councils. Such reorganization
has given rise to a demand for high caliber scientists and engineers, who shall undertake research as well as
staff universities and colleges. In 1983, Executive Order No. 889 was issued by President Ferdinand E.
Marcos to establish a national network of centers of excellence in basic sciences. Moreover, a Scientific
Career System in the Civil Service was established by Presidential Decree No. 901 to attract more qualified
scientists to work in government and encourage young people to pursue science degrees and careers.

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 In 1986, the National Science and Technology Authority was replaced by the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST). The Philippines produced its first Science and Technology Master Plan
when the Philippine Task Force for Science and Technology was created in 1988. The goal of the S&T
Master Plan was to achieve newly industrialized Philippines by year 2000. Noticeable improvements
regarding science and technology was reported during the last years of the 20 th century. A significant
increase in personnel specializing in the S&T field was recorded. An increased priority was further given to
S&T personnel when the Magna Carta for Science and Technology Personnel (Republic Act No. 8439) was
enacted. Numerous laws, policies, and projects that concern both the environment and science were
implemented to push technology as the tool to increase the country’s economic level. In 2014, specific
fields of science, technology, and engineering were given focus due to recognitions given by the government
to various notable scientists.

CURRENT STATUS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION IN THE

PHILIPPINES

Philippine S&T by the numbers

The essential data used to gauge the state of S&T development of a country is its Research and
Development (R&D) statistics. R&D activities are indicated by 1) number of R&D personnel per million
population, 2) number of researchers per million population, and 3) proportion of national R&D
expenditures to the country’s gross domestic product.

Since the 1980s, DOST has been carrying out nationwide surveys to collect data on financial and
human resources devoted to research and development. The survey includes government, academe, and
private non-profit institutions. In addition, research and development data were also collected from private
sector (Compendium of S&T Statistics, 2015). The collected data are used to guide the formulation of better
science and technology policies and programs in the country by determining research and development
priorities.

Following the above criteria, 1) the recorded number of R&D personnel per million population of
the Philippines in 2013 was 372, 2) researchers per million population totaled 270, and 3) the proportion
of R&D expenditures to the country’s gross domestic product was 0.14%. In addition, R&D expenditures
per researcher was estimated at 601 thousand pesos per researcher. According to UNESCO, the suggested
ratio is 380 scientists per million population. Their data showed that there were only 189 scientists per
million in the Philippines in 2013. This figure is different from the 372 reported by DOST. The discrepancy
could be attributed to the terminologies used. The UNESCO’s data were scientists while that of the DOST
was R&D personnel, which included researchers, technicians, and auxiliary personnel.

In comparison with the previous years, the R&D personnel of the Philippines in 2013 has more
than doubled compared to its number in 2011. The private industry contributed to this increase as it had
more than half of the total R&D personnel based on the survey conducted. Among the R&D personnel,
the researchers made up more than 75% while the rest were technicians and auxiliary personnel. It should
be noted that almost half the researchers were based in higher education (HEI) and government institutions.
Most of the R&D researchers from HEIs were from public HEIs.

Budget allocation in the DOST was increased by 115.11% from 2009 to 2014. GDP per capita (in
current USD) in 2015 was 2,899.4 while population was 100,699,395 in 2015 (World Bank). National R&D
expenditures in 2013 was almost 16 billion pesos. Comparing this figure to the expenditures in 2011 would
give about 40% increase. Most of the R&D expenditures were from private industry followed by HEIs.
The government ranked third in the R&D expenditures and 52% of this were financed through the
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government’s own budgets. Public HEIs were financed by other government sources but some also came
from foreign contributions. As expected, R&D expenditures of private HEIs were funded by their own
budgets, however, government funds also contributed to their expenditures together with the funds from
foreign sources. Foreign sources were the main contributors to the R&D expenditure of private non-profit
institutions. In the analysis of the R&D expenditures in 2013, the government funds amounted to 9.242
million pesos, 62% of which were given as grants to government R&D institutions, state universities, and
colleges. Private universities also had a share in the government funds (2%), together with private non-
profit institutions (0.1%).

The R&D activities in 2013 were geared towards agricultural production, explorations and
exploitation of the earth, access to information and knowledge, control and care of environment, protection
and improvement of human health, and industrial production and technology. From among these R&D
activities, agricultural production and technology had the highest spending by the government, while
exploration and exploitation of the earth was the main focus of public HEIs. On the other hand, private
HEIs focused their R&D efforts towards social structures and relationships. Private industry’s R&D
activities were mostly focused in the manufacturing industry. However, despite the upward trend in growth
rates of Gross R&D expenditures from 2002 to 2013, it was noted that their equivalent shares to GDP
remained constant at 0.14%.

In 2014, RTI International has prepared the Philippines Innovation Ecosystem Assessment for
USAID Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE). USAID STRIDE’s
mission is to stimulate inclusive economic growth by enhancing the capacity of Philippine universities to
conduct S&T research aligned with the growth requirements of the private sector, which is directly related
to innovation ecosystem. Innovation ecosystem is defined as the dynamics of the complicated relationships
between actors or entities whose functional goal is to enable technology development and innovation. To
be able to achieve innovation ecosystem growth and sustainability, the percentage of the profits of the
commercial sector must be channeled to investments in fundamental research and that the investments
must ultimately lead to innovation-induced growth in the economy. In the RTI/STRIDE Innovation
Ecosystem Model, five dynamic processes and one contextual factor are included. They are 1) education
and human capital development, 2) research and knowledge creation, 3) direct collaboration between
universities and industry, 4) intellectual property protection, licensing and technology commercialization,
5) startup and spinoff companies based on technology and innovation, and 6) environment for
collaboration, including information sharing, trust, and social capital. USAID STRIDE reports that
collaborations between high-level executives of businesses, government, universities, and scientific
professional associations; scientists; and entrepreneurs are irregular. It concludes that the Philippine
innovation ecosystem as a whole is characterized by extensive mutual distrust and dismissiveness between
universities and industry groups that leads to growth limitation of innovation studies and commerce.

According to the assessment, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related

supply of graduates continues to exceed local demand, leading to constant out-migration of skilled people
and under-employment of many locally trained scientists and engineers. However, there are reported serious
shortage of training for essential innovation-driven fields, particularly in high-demand IT occupations.
Another room for improvement is the coordination with employers by the higher education institutes to
ensure course content and professional licensing can keep pace with emerging technology trends.

When it comes to research and knowledge creation, the Philippines is widely perceived as lacking
a strong culture of research and that the university system lacks the appropriate incentives, both for
individuals to consider research as a career, and for institutions to produce globally competitive and
commercially relevant research output. In terms of knowledge and know-how transfer between universities
and industry, there seems to be lack of motivation on the active marketing of services because of the
absence of publications, prestige, patents and direct income from university-industry collaborations. The

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industry believes that direct collaborative relationships are complicated relative to other options, such as
consulting with faculty. This is attributed to universities’ competing priorities, unrealistic expectations of
intellectual property ownership and future patenting revenue, and burdensome administrative procedures.
There is also a perceived lack of any legal payment system for companies to contribute financially to
government-funded research.

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) has, in recent years, been actively
executing intellectual property protection, patent licensing, and commercialization in the Philippines. In
addition, IPOPHIL is aggressively promoting awareness of the potential value of properly-protected
scientific discoveries. However, there is a very minimal demand from local private sector due to lack of
expertise in marketing patent portfolios for commercial use, and familiarity with and trust of legal
mechanisms from licensing. Companies are worried that confidentiality might not be upheld in the
patenting procedure notwithstanding the fact that the regulatory setting for licensing is currently adapted
to international standards. Furthermore, there is also the lack of legislation to create an officially legitimate
payment mechanism for, acquiring rights to, or licensing, government-funded innovations from universities
and other research laboratories.

On a positive note, there has been a rapidly growing demand from venture capitalists and
Philippine firms for lucrative technology startups and derivative companies. The only problem is that the
current supply is only concentrated in small but coherent environments, mainly in Metro Manila and Cebu.
Entrepreneur education, support organizations, and many corporate initiatives have stimulated the interest
among potential entrepreneurs despite the shortage of experienced technology capitalists and general
repulsion to risk among professionals. Calculated efforts of local and international stakeholders have
improved enabling factors such as finance, mentoring, matchmaking, and incubation. However, challenges
still exist when it comes to regulation of company’s basic business as well as absence of many of the
entrepreneur-specific business services and expertise needed to grow the startup environment.

The Philippines compared to the World

According to the Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum, the Philippines
ranked 57th out of 138 countries in 2016-2017 (Global Competitiveness Index Rank). Among the 12 pillars
of competitiveness, three are related to Science and Technology, namely: 1) technological readiness, 2)
business sophistication, and 3) innovation. It is important to note that for at least the three pillars related
to S&T, the indicators were results obtained from a combination of opinion survey questions among
respondent CEOs whose perceptions determine the country’s rankings and actual data. In terms of
technological readiness, the Philippines ranked 83 rd. Technological readiness includes availability of test
technologies, firm-level technology absorption, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) technology transfer,
internet users, broadband internet subscriptions, internet bandwidth, and mobile broadband subscriptions
per 100 population. Under the business sophistication pillar, the Philippines ranked 52 nd. This includes local
supplier quantity, local supplier quality, state of cluster development, nature of competitive advantage, value
chain breadth, control of international distribution, production process sophistication, extent of marketing,
and willingness to delegate authority. The country ranked 62nd out of 138 countries in terms of innovation
pillar. This pillar includes capacity for innovation, quality of scientific research institutions, company
spending on R&D, university-industry collaboration, government procurement of advanced technology
products, availability of scientists and engineers and PCT applications per million population.

Another organization that ranks countries based on competitiveness is the International Institute
for Management Development (IMD). Their World Competitiveness Yearbook Ranking is an annual
placing of countries that is based on various competitiveness factors. These factors and the corresponding
ranking of the Philippines in 2016 out of 61 countries were: economic performance (38), government
efficiency (36), business efficiency (24), basic infrastructure (57), technological infrastructure (41), scientific
infrastructure (55), health and environment (54) and education (59). The overall ranking of the Philippines
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for 2016 was 42. Focusing on the trend of the Philippine rankings, the country was placing between 38th
(2013) and 42nd (2012).

In comparison with other members of the Southeast Asian Region, the Philippines ranked between
4th and 5th next to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia based on the following criteria: technological
readiness, business sophistication, innovation, capacity for innovation, company spending on R&D, quality
of scientific research institutions, university-industry collaboration, and availability of scientists and
engineers. However, it is valuable to note that the Philippines ranked 8 th out of 9 countries in terms of
government procurement of advanced technology products. In addition, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
applications per million population placed the Philippines in the 5 th position below Singapore, Malaysia,
Brunei Darussalam, and Thailand.

Based on the competitiveness status reports by various global institutions on the Philippines’ S&T
landscape, the government recognizes the following reasons why the country has a weak performance in
terms of science, technology, and innovation (STI): 1) weak STI culture, 2) low government spending on
STI, 3) inadequate S&T human resources engaged in STI R&D, 4) difficulty in increasing employment
opportunities and retaining S&T human capital, 5) absence of a vibrant intellectual property culture, 6)
weak linkages among players in the STI ecosystem, 7) restrictive regulations that hamper the
implementation of R&D programs and projects, 8) inadequate STI infrastructure.

FUTURE OF S&T IN THE PHILIPPINES

To remedy the identified problems, the government has included vigorous advancement of STI in
the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 (AmBisyon Natin 2040: The Philippines by 2040: matatag,
maginhawa, at panatag na buhay). As part of the strategies, the government plans to 1) promote
commercialization and utilization of technologies from publicly-funded R&D, 2) develop a vibrant
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) culture, 3) encourage more innovative financing mechanisms and private
sector investments, 4) provide support mechanism for start-ups and micro, small, and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) in the regions, 5) support research and development agenda, 6) increase funding for human
resource development, 7) tap the expertise of foreigners and overseas Filipinos, 8) strengthen STI
infrastructure, 9) establish and promote innovation hubs and other similar mechanisms, 10) foster an STI
culture, 11) strengthen tri-partite collaboration, and 12) intensify international cooperation in STI.

In its consultation with government and private R&D institutions, the academe, industry and other
concerned agencies, the DOST has prepared the Harmonized R&D Agenda (HNRDA) 2017-2022, which
is in line with the Philippine Development Plan. HNRDA are organized into five sectors that include: 1)
basic research; 2) health; 3) agriculture aquatic and natural resource; 4) industry, energy and emerging
technology; and 5) disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Each of these sectors have top
priorities, which are hoped to be implemented by 2017-2019 and the rest of the priorities in 2020-2022.

The Senate Committee on Science and Technology headed by Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino is
pushing for the following: Free Internet Access (Senate Bill No. 1277) for public places, Balik Scientist Bill
(Senate Bill 1183), Innovative Startup Act (Senate Bill No. 175) and Magna Carta for Scientists (Senate Bill
679). Balik Scientist Bill institutionalizes the Balik Scientist program of the DOST. It seeks to provide
overseas Filipino scientists with financial benefits and incentives to encourage them to return to the
Philippines and help boost the country’s R&D. The issue of brain drain is currently being addressed by the
Balik Scientist program. The implementation of the Balik Scientist Bill will potentially encourage highly
skilled scientists and engineers who were trained abroad to come back to the country and contribute to the
country’s research output. The Innovative Startup Act seeks to give necessary support for business startups
to help them thrive and compete in the market. The amendments to the Magna Carta for Scientists aims to
streamline the process of providing benefits and incentives to S&T government personnel.

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 The integration of the Philippines in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) has made the
country recognize its shortcomings and challenges of staying competitive within the region. A strong
recommendation to remedy this is for the country to invest heavily in S&T research and development. One
way of doing this is to spend more in education by specifically strengthening Bachelor of Science programs
and graduate programs directly related to economic sectors of the society.

DOST has been implementing programs which are geared towards improvement of S&T human
resource by providing scholarships under various schemes. Graduate students can avail of scholarships
under the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT), Advanced Science and
Technology Human Resource Development Program (ASTHRDP-National Science Consortium and
ASTHRDP-Capacity Building Program in Science Education), and National Consortium in Graduate
Science and Mathematics Education. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to be awarded the
DOST-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) Scholarship for undergraduate students and Junior Level
Science Scholarships. All the scholarships offered by DOST require a return service from recipients.
Looking at the output of some of the abovementioned scholarships, the ERDT has produced 47 Ph.D.
graduates as of May 2015 after having awarded scholarships to 246 students from 2007 to 2015. ASTHRDP
has only produced 22 Ph.D. graduates out of a total of 229 scholarships given from 2009 to 2015.

A remarkable increase in compensation is now being given to S&T personnel for projects funded
by the DOST relative to their academic counterparts and some industry jobs. This is a welcome incentive
for newly graduated research students who are still passionate about contributing to the scientific R&D
outputs of the country. However, the translation of this increased investment in human resource to
scientific research output that can be used to boost the economic growth of the country remains to be seen.

Finally, it is essential to remember that the S&T landscape of the Philippines could be improved
by not just directly addressing government policies, educational systems and research activities of private
organizations. An important aspect of society is culture that also needs attention when it comes to total
appreciation of the S&T in the Philippines. Culture organizes ideas, practices and values in everyday lives.
S&T will only be seen as an exoteric, specialized, and unrelated epistemology, outside the range of normal
life and beyond its moral imperatives unless it is integrated as a familiar feature of daily awareness and
custom. Filipino culture should recognize S&T as a significant portion of their daily lives if they truly want
to progress and compete in this age of globalization.

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© 2018 - Ateneo de Manila University. All rights reserved. This is solely for the use of students of Sci10 (Science and
Society) SY 2018-2019 and is the property of the Ateneo de Manila University and may not be reproduced or sold
without the written permission of the University.
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Caoili, O.C. (June 1986). A History of Science and Technology in the Philippines. Paper prepared for the
University of the Philippines Science Research Foundation.

Department of Science and Technology. Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda 2017-
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Department of Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation Service S&T Resource Assessment and
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Ingicco, T., van den Bergh, G. D., Jago-on, C., Bahain, J. -J., Chacón, M. G., Mano, N., Forestier, H.,
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Pernia, E.M., Clarete, R.L., and Padilla-Conception, G.P. (undated). The Role of Science, Technology and
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Pertierra, R. (2003) IPC Reports: Science, Technology, and Everyday Culture in the Philippines. Institute
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PH lacks 19,000 scientists in research and dev’t – Bam Aquino. (2017, May 13). Retrieved from
https://www.rappler.com/nation/169716-philippines-lack-scientists-bam-aquino.

RTI International. (November 2014). Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development
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Saloma, C. (2016, July 19) Human Resource Generation and Funding Absorption Capacity of the
Philippine Scientific Enterprise System. UP President Edgardo J Angara Fellowship Lecture.
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Schwab, K., ed. (2016). The Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017. World Economic Forum: Geneva.

Senate of the Philippines. (2017, March 22, 2017). Bam lays down priority measure of SciTech committee.
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© 2018 - Ateneo de Manila University. All rights reserved. This is solely for the use of students of Sci10 (Science and
Society) SY 2018-2019 and is the property of the Ateneo de Manila University and may not be reproduced or sold
without the written permission of the University.