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Science and technology in the Philippines describes scientific and technological progress made by the Philippines and analyses related policy issues. The main agency responsible for managing science and technology (S&T) is the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

You want to know a brief history about it? 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 and these had important consequences for the rise of the country’s professions. In Pre-Spanish Philippines, it is embedded in the way of life of the people.

Scientific knowledge is observed in the way they interpret the movements of heavenly bodies to predict seasons and climates, and in organizing days into months and years. They use science in preparing the soil for agricultural purposes and like any other ancient cultures, they discovered the medicinal uses and more. Technology is used by people in building houses, irrigations and in developing tools that they can use in everyday life. They developed tools for planting, hunting, cooling, and fishing; for fighting their enemies during war or tribal conflicts; and for transportation, both on land an on waterways. They also developed technologies in creating musical instruments. They learn to weave cotton, make glass ornaments, and cultivate lowland rice and dike fields of terraced fields utilizing spring water in mountain regions. They also learned to build boats for trading purposes. Spanish chronicles noted refined plank built warships called caracoa suited for inter-island trade raids.

According to the Technology Index of 1982, the state of Science and Technology of the Philippines is defined to be -0.1 compared to the U.S, the world’s technology leader, which is 100. The Philippines also ranks low in terms of technological capacity. Regarding to the type of basic technologies: Material Technology, Equipment Technology, Energy Technology, Information Technology, Life Technology and Management Technology, Extreme lack of research laboratories in semiconductors, molecular biology, photovoltaics, etc. is the inadequate facilities of the S&T libraries and information networks, including access by the university students.

The Philippines faces multiple global and local challenges which require science, technology and innovation. These include: 

1. The intensifying competition from globalization and regional integration; 

2. Natural disasters, environmental degradation and climate change; 

3. Persistent poverty and increasing inequality

PHILIPPINE CLAIMS THE 51ST SPOT IN GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX AD OF 2021 REPORT.  “Despite challenges from the pandemic and decreasing budget for research and development (R&D), the Philippines claimed the 51st spot out of 132 economies in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 report.”

What is the role of science and technology in the Philippines? – Normally, the role of science and technology in the government of Philippine defines overseeing and managing national technology development and occupying, undertaking technological and scientific research and promoting public consciousness of science and technology. 

What is the status of technology in the Philippines 2021? – Philippines performs better in innovation outputs than innovation inputs in 2021. This year Philippines ranks 72nd in innovation inputs, lower than last year but higher than 2019.   -There are also sectoral councils for Forestry, Agriculture and Aquaculture, the Metal Industry, Nuclear Research, Food and Nutrition, Health, Meteorology, Volcanology and Seismology.

Filipinos were already engage in activities and practices related to science forming primitive or first wave technology. They were curative values of some plant on how to extract medicine from herbs. They had an alphabet, a system of writing, a method of counting and weights and measure. They had no calendar but counted the years by the period of the moon and from one harvest to another.

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