2 opinion
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Nurture tomorrow
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An outbreak of vaccine hesitancy
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The stains that 6 no detergent can remove
Alive and 8 Kicking: Jamie Lim on being a Mathlete and a Golden Athlete Siyentista ng Bayan
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28 feature Ano ang kulay 14 ng gravity? The Home of a Peripatetic
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Siyensiya Sa 18 Sariling Salita Means to An End
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t h e c ove r Edukasyon, karapatan ng mamamayan! The fight for genuine free and quality education has been a long-standing issue. But under the current fascist Duterte administration, education continues to be side-lined in favor of anti-people policies and violence against the people. Nevertheless, the fight must and will continue. The youth along with the other sectors in the Philippines will keep calling for genuine change until a nationalistic, scientific, and massoriented education is achieved..
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Nurture Tomorrow WITH A PROGRESSIVE SCIENCE EDUCATION
FOUR POINT THREE TRILLION PESOS. The education sector is set to get the lion’s share, with P654.77 billion allotted to the Department of Education (DepEd), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) combined. At first glance, Philippine education looks well-cared for. So by extension, science education must be thriving as well. However, Duterte’s track record in education has been dismal so far. With an ingenuine promise for free education, campus militarization, and countless human rights violations as more than a hundred of Lumad schools were forcibly closed down – all in the past three years. We should be well past the point of expecting anything new.
opinion
Ingenuine promises As one of the university’s largest colleges in terms of student population, it can be said that the College of Science is one of the most heavily affected by inadequate educational policies. At present, there is already a multitude of pressing concerns: incomplete reagents, defunct instruments, the dorm slot crisis, and delayed stipends, to name a few. In fact, in the Academic Year 2018-2019, beneficiaries of the Department of Science and TechnologyScience Education Institute (DOST-SEI) Undergraduate Scholarship Program suffered months of delayed release of stipends. To nurture the best of the best, we need to provide to them the best education possible— from opportunities, facilities, and quality instruction. But this cannot be accomplished
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with the way things are looking now, not when students still suffer from insufficient research subsidies and outdated laboratory apparatus. The point is that the fight does not stop with the passing of Republic Act 10931 (R.A. 10931) otherwise known as the Free Tuition Act. We need genuinely free and quality education starting with higher state education subsidies. The discussion on free education has been a long-standing issue. While the struggle for a truly free educational system has achieved significant progress with the passing of R.A. 10931, it is much too early to bask in content and triumph. There are still many challenges that hinder the pursuit of free education; in fact, many students are forced to pay a multitude of fees, such as graduation fees and other auxiliary requirements that they should be able to do without. In particular, CHED released a list of allowed Other School Fees (OSFs) essentially imposing compulsory payment from students. This, however, directly contradicts R.A. 10931 which very clearly states that education must be free of charge. Perhaps for some of us, it may seem that everything is easy or relatively easier. But it is of no doubt that there are those among us who struggle to get by day by day, forced to complete jobs while pushing through the semester just to meet their necessities. Let this remind us to never settle in the apathy of privilege and recognize that the fight for our rights needs all the support it can get. Every single peso that the R.A. 10931 has failed to provide contributes to the plight of the disenfranchised.’
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Stunted science education, stunted science and technology Education is the answer to the nation’s problems, as repeated by our elders ad infinitum. If, then, the proper conditions for quality education are not met, what can we expect from the state of our national development? What does our state of education imply about our national situation? Let us rephrase the question; what is the state of our science and technology (S&T)? As such, science and technology (S&T) is one of the most stunted sectors of our nation, ultimately speaking of a stunted science education. We say that S&T in the Philippines is stunted, because it is one of the most underdeveloped sectors. In the 2016 UNESCO Research and Development (R&D) expenditure report, the world average for R&D expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 1.7%.1 Meanwhile, our national budget allocated only a measly 0.14% to R&D. Quite damning, considering our neighbors such as Malaysia and Singapore have allocated 1.44% and 2.2% in R&D respectively in 2016.1 This lack of funds naturally translates to the Philippines being ranked 83rd out of 138 countries in terms of technological readiness, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). 2 Another reason why we say that S&T in the Philippines is stunted is the fact that in spite of the country’s abundance in mineral resources, the mining industry contributes very little to our GDP. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority reports that out of our $356.814 billion GDP in 2019, only $2.88 billion or 0.77% was contributed by the mining industry. 3 Unsurprising, since the mining industry is monopolized by multinational corporations such as Oceanagold and with the Mining Act of 1995 allowing up to 100% foreign ownership on profit. This points to two things: one being our lack of national industries as a result of our economy being taken over by foreign monopoly capitalists, and secondly, how we lack the capability to harness our own resources for our people’s benefit.
The evidence pointing out the technological incompetence of the Philippines goes infinitely longer than the reasons stated above. Of course, one primary rationalization to gather from this is the state’s clear lack of prioritization of science and technology. What few scientists remain locally are ignored and disrespected by state officials. This is not an isolated problem —the situation of our S&T mirrors that of S&T education. In 2018, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an academic assessment survey of 15 year-old learners. The Philippines fared poorly, ranking in the low 70s out of the 79 participating countries for different subjects: last in reading literacy with an average of 340 versus the OECD average of 487, and 78th in mathematics and science with 353 points and 357 points respectively against a 489 OECD average.4 This is mirrored in tertiary education; CHED reported 38,219 enrollees for the natural sciences in 2013-2014, but only 8,693 or 23% graduates in 2017-2018 for four-year courses. Similarly, mathematics had 16,195 enrollees for 2013-2014 but only 3,446 or 21% graduates in 2017-2018. 5 The state of the science sector on a national level leaves much to be desired, and that is the terrible truth that we have to accept. But this truth need not remain forever. Rather this harsh reality must drive us further forward and encourage us to continue to fight for increased state support for our respective fields and science education as a whole. Clearly, the fight for genuine free and quality education has everything to do with developing Philippine S&T that has been long ignored. Fascist Administration The logic demanding genuine free education and greater educational subsidies seems obvious enough, for any self-respecting government. Our current administration clearly digresses, with Duterte’s major benefactors being DND, AFP-PNP, and Build! Build! Build! (BBB). The Duterte administration, instead of directing funds to R&D, calamity fund, education, health, and agriculture, has chosen to give the bulk of budget increase to arm the
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AFP-PNP to intensify their attacks on human rights groups under the banner of “counterinsurgency.” Instead of investing the people’s taxes for long-term development, the administration instead took to building more infrastructure to showcase illusory growth, with P972.5 billion allocated for infrastructure in 2019 which in turn funded Duterte’s BBB. Included under this campaign are multi-billion peso reclamation and demolition projects. As it stands, the national crises seem to be unsolvable without divine intervention. But that’s not the point. If anything, the worsening state of our nation should provide more reason as to why we should keep pushing our campaigns forward. But in this quagmire of treason upon treason against the people, where can science education even find its place? But perhaps the state has already answered that, if our stunted state of science and technology is anything to go by. Progressive science education leading to national development Given all these, it is only imperative that we continue to demand for higher state subsidies. If we don’t, we’ll never be able to solve the issues that we keep debating about. As long as Philippine S&T remains backward and stunted, we’ll never hear the end of brain drain, technological incompetence, plummeting economy, and so forth. We should start somewhere, and one of those places can be
envisioning a quality science education under genuine free education. In the end, such science education is not without its expectations. And just like everything else, it will find itself among many other issues that our nation is currently facing or is yet to face. The goal, then, is to achieve a science education that is nationalistic, progressive, and mass-oriented. It has to be nationalistic, because it has to serve the interests of our nation by propelling the challenges of national industrialization forward and breaking free from total foreign subservience. We need a science education that encourages our scientists to stay in the country and help develop the fields of S&T and R&D, eventually leading to the creation of national industries made by and for the people. It has to be progressive and mass-oriented because what point does S&T have to offer if it serves only the interests of the elite? If it is only used as a tool to further exploitation and oppression? And lastly of course, a mass-oriented system of education ensures that education as a basic right is met, that all are given the opportunity to receive quality education. These characteristics are essential because it is only through these orientations will we be able to create the conditions for an education that nurtures the youth into serving the people.
References 1. “Science,Technology and Innovation : Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GERD), GERD as a Percentage of GDP, GERD per Capita and GERD per Researcher.” UNESCO Institute for Statistics. UNESCO. Accessed February 21, 2020. http://data.uis.unesco.org/index. aspx?queryid=74. 2. “The Global Competitiveness Report 2016–2017.” World Economic Forum. Accessed February 21, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/ reports/the-global-competitiveness-report-2016-2017-1.
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3. “National Accounts.” Philippine Statistics Authority. Accessed February 21, 2020. https://psa.gov.ph/nap-press-release/dataseries. 4. “PISA 2018 Results.” Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Accessed February 21, 2020. https://www.oecd.org/ pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm. 5. “Statistics.” Commission on Higher Education. Accessed February 21, 2020. https://ched.gov.ph/statistics/.
scientia vol 26 no 2
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OUTBREAK w ri t te n by Bianca Bat-og
FILIPINOS HAVE BECOME MORE wary of vaccines. The 2017 Dengvaxia controversy has caused widespread fear and panic when the vaccine’s manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, announced that the vaccine posed risks to vaccinated individuals without having a prior dengue infection, with reports of 39 children dying after vaccination emerged. However, as of writing this article, no study has found a link between the deaths and the vaccine. This, therefore, begs the question: How did we end up in this current climate of distrust in vaccines? Part of the answer lies in misinformation, unsupported assumptions, and sensationalism. A study conducted by the Aspen Institute revealed that poor institutional performance, political polarization, proliferation of news sources, media disintermediation, and the confusion between news and opinion affected the people’s trust on the information being given to them. The proliferation of online news sources, the use of social media platforms, and the different opinions and goals of various institutions have made it harder for people to navigate themselves through the news environment and determine factually true information from opinions and assumptions. The Public Attorney’s Office investigated the deaths, with its officials prematurely concluding that they were caused by the vaccine. To make matters worse, the media sensationalized the entire situation showing videos of distraught
parents, clamoring for justice as their children had contracted severe cases of dengue after being introduced to the vaccine. The office’s premature conclusion, lack of fact checking by other health agencies such as the Department of Health and media sensationalism brought us to where we are today. This blame game had destroyed the reputation of vaccines among the masses; parents are too scared to vaccinate their children in fear of contracting similar diseases.
This distrust in vaccines is a huge obstacle to immunization programs. Health workers are taking the brunt of frustrated parents and vaccine skeptics, with them being labelled as “child killers” when they administer vaccines. They get insulted and scorned at just for doing their job. All of this culminated in a large drop of immunization coverage and the resurgence of polio, a disease that has last been recorded in the country 19 years ago. Two types of strains of polio have been identified: circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV-1) and the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV-2). As its name suggests, the strains come from a genetically modified weakened virus contained in oral polio vaccines. However, it only becomes a disease when it is passed onto immunocompromised people, with children being the most vulnerable. These strains flourish in areas with limited immunization coverage and poor sanitation and hygiene. Contrary to what vaccine skeptics say, polio vaccines are safe and only cause minor side effects, as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). They even encourage people in affected areas to take them in order to prevent the strains from regaining the ability to
turn into a disease.
Can we really afford the public to avoid vaccines when outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, measles, and dengue are now occurring in the country? The fear of vaccines stems from political fearmongering and media sensationalism, not from vaccine ineffectiveness. However, it is impossible to insulate these issues from politics and the media which is why it is important for scientists to communicate with the masses so that misinformation and widespread panic can be avoided. Science communication and the role of scientists to the people as educated experts are important factors that must be considered more seriously. Our country’s scientific community must have a proper representative in the government so that it would be easier for scientists to voice out their recommendations regarding national issues. Filipino scientists should not be afraid to voice out concerns and give their expertise because, first and foremost, the main goals of scientists are to solve current problems being faced by the people and to share their knowledge to the masses through effective science communication. They should not fall into the pit of doing science just for the sake of it, instead, they should utilize their skills and knowledge in improving the lives of our countrymen. We must remember that vaccines have successfully eradicated a range of diseases in the last century. With proper administration and an expansive coverage, they will only continue to save lives.
of vaccine hesitancy
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the stains
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MANY OF OUR READERS NO DOUBT remember taking Chemistry 16.1 as freshmen, titrating soda and observing the changes that red cabbage pigments go through in a solution with variable pH. Students of this course rarely handled dangerous chemicals; a cheeky student’s lab report once listed “diabetes” under the hazards of soda as a reagent, arguably the most serious threat they would face in the lab. Despite this, they are decked out in complete personal protective equipment (PPE), from lab gowns complete with gloves and goggles to shield their eyes. In stark contrast, employees manning the detergent factories of the Peerless Products Manufacturing Corporation (PEPMACO), who work with corrosive chemicals like sulfuric acid and surfactants which irritate the skin, often have nothing more than their own clothing and mumbled prayers to protect them. Forced overtime is also commonplace, resulting in fatigued workers who are prone to make mistakes. As a result, chemical burns and other accidents are commonplace at the so-called “Patayan at Sunugan,” slaughterhouse and furnace, as the employees mockingly call the plant. “Patayan at Sunugan,” that is how employees from nearby manufacturing companies call the PEPMACO plant. Health support is also nonexistent. The lack of a clinic with a medical officer on call in the factory means that when workers do get injured, the best they can hope for is amateur advice from the human resources department, often ending tragically for the workers who are misdiagnosed and treated poorly (in more ways than one). In the past, pregnant workers have suffered miscarriages while working at the plant after the management refused to rush them to the hospital after they started bleeding. To prevent similar incidents in the future, the management has acted decisively and
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banned expectant mothers from working at the plant. The employees do occasionally get to wear safety gear; when the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) conducts inspections. The management is then quick to deck their workers out in full PPE to keep up appearances. Not all of them get this chance though; workers with noticeable burns from factory accidents are hidden or given the day off to prevent difficult questions from the inspectors. On top of health and safety issues, the workers manning these “slaughterhouses” get paid less than minimum wage— between 370 and 400 pesos for a full day’s work. They do not even get the benefits they are legally entitled to. Instead of remitting part of their salaries to the Social Security System (SSS), Philhealth and PAGIBIG, PEPMACO pockets the funds instead. Asking for accountability from PEPMACO is difficult for many of the workers are contractual, including those who had been working there for ten to fifteen years. By now, it should be crystal clear that PEPMACO’s plants are terrible places to work in. The corporation shamelessly violates several laws and lacks basic human decency. So why won’t their workers just give up their jobs and seek employment elsewhere? The answer is simple; it’s not as easy as it sounds. In this economy, giving up a job can mean that your family starves. If the choice is between enduring injuries to your hands or losing your children to hunger, it’s not a choice at all. Besides, leaving the terrible work environment in PEPMACO will not fix the problem, it would only pass it on to someone else. As such, the PEPMACO Worker’s Union (PWU-NAFLU-KMU) was formed,
ent
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as the workers unified in solidarity for the protection of their rights as workers and as people. However, the management has been reportedly singling out members of the union, giving them unreasonably difficult workloads and terminating them illegally. These conditions have forced the workers to go on strike on June 24, 2019. The rising tension between the management and PWU-NAFLU-KMU culminated in a violent dispersal of the union’s picket line on the 28th of June, 2019, when approximately 300 hired goons attacked the workers’ camp at 1 AM. The goons reportedly beat the picketed unionists down with shields, arnis sticks and stones, injuring twelve workers. The union was unable to sue the attackers as the goons wore face masks during the dispersal and thus could not be identified. The heartlessness of PEPMACO to their workers need not be justified further. Amidst all of these violations, a question arises: Why is PEPMACO doing this? It is plain that this penny-pinching attitude is not born from necessity, since the company can afford goons to disperse the strikers and lawyers to keep from being sued. All of these are rooted in capitalist greed, which values profit maximization over human rights. Since their ideology demands the ever expansion of capital, it is their nature to do so even if it means the mass exploitation of their workers. In other words, the plight of PEPMACO workers is not separate from the plight of the workers of Nutri-Asia, to the contractual workers of Jollibee Foods Corporation, to the “sweatshop” workers in fast-fashion factories in Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. The fact that no change has been seen even as more and more injustice is brought to light is symptomatic of the strength of the status
quo and the ineffective justice system in this nation. Blood has stained the factory floors and yet nothing has changed. Under the exploitative system that is capitalism, workers will never be free from exploitation. Perhaps it is time to ask the simple question: what can we do? One step is to support the unionized workers in their calls to hold corporations such as PEPMACO accountable. This will force corporate owners to come to the negotiating table to pay heed to the demands of the workers that they should not have had to fight for in the first place. Such a union will also be able to call for boycotts in concert with their own efforts, as opposed to boycotts that are not organized by the workers themselves, which often only leads to employees being laid off without meaningful change being implemented. This first measure will be meaningless if this union is not protected by law. Legislators must enact bills that encourage the organization of unions and protect them from employers. Such laws would improve worker conditions, increase the quality of life of the working class and direct economic development to the masses.
w ri t te n by Jerrieme Maderazo g r a p hi c s by Tiffany Ashley Uy
Another step is to expose the atrocities committed by giant capitalists on the people, especially as science literate students. While we are not at the forefront of the chemistry world, our UP education has enabled us to understand the hazards of strong bases and acids, toxic vapors, and so on. The challenge to us now, as iskolar and siyentista ng bayan, is to utilize science communication so that we are able to bring science closer to the people. After all, what purpose does science serve if it only stays within our ivory towers? And finally, we should aim for a world where exploitation is ended once and for all. And this world can only be actualized with the replacement of the current exploitative systems that we have in place. Taking from the plight PEPMACO workers, it should be clear that there is no humanitarian reason why capitalist greed should still continue to perpetuate. Therefore, the end of capitalism is the end of exploitation.
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community
alive and kicking
Jamie Lim on being a Mathlete and a Golden Athlete w ri t te n by Nikka Macasa Jazryl Galarosa Lem Nathan EreĂąa
scientia vol 26 no 2
On Math and the People FOR JAMIE LIM, IT WAS BOTH A leap of faith and a love by chance that she treaded into the complex realm of mathematics. Starting at the university taking up BS Applied Physics, she was still uncertain of the future ahead—all she knew was that she wanted math. “But then after first year I saw na mas naeenjoy ko ‘yong math classes more than the physics ones so I decided to shift,” Lim said. Then, in her second year, it was fate. She fell in love with her majors: with a little luck and a lot of logic, she knew she made the right decision shifting into BS Mathematics. “If there’s any favorite subject, it’s gonna be logic.” Graduating summa cum laude last 2019, the 22-year-old talks about giving back to the community. More than being about numbers and variables, for Jamie Lim, math is more of a philosophy—it involves a lot of critical and systematic thinking, which she believes would be helpful in developing the state of science and technology (S&T) in the Philippines. “If you just apply proper deductive reasoning, dapat walang magulo in anything. Sana lang in lahat ng fields they really do that then everything would be maayos and there would be no confusion and things would be so clear.” With plans to take data science—which deals with scientific processes, algorithms, and computer systems to extract knowledge from data—for her masters, she vows to give back. This time, through her contribution in the field of mathematics, the limit does not exist for S&T in the Philippines. Lim, finally, leaves some parting
words for aspiring educators, scientists and for everyone who struggles in grasping the seemingly complicated world of science: consistency and patience. “‘Yong one virtue na important ata sa pag-aaral ng math is ‘yong patience to try to understand kasi it takes you so many times to read again and again. Slowly makukuha mo naman siya so you just have to put in the effort in trying to understand it.” With the education system of the Philippines struggling to grasp and appreciate math in relation to real-world problems, for Jamie Lim, gearing the goal to give back and contribute to the community is the key in nurturing S&T and education in the country. Karate: Jodan and Godan After graduating with honors, Lim once again graced the headlines after clinching a gold medal in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games that tells not only of her tenacity amidst adversaries but also of how politics in sports come into play. Emerging victorious in the Women’s +61kg kumite was a victory against the odds for Lim, although she started karate at an early age. The four-year hiatus she took to focus on her college education rigged her form; she was off the pace in sprint exercises and weight training. The rigor of training for hours on end everyday with only a seemingly slim chance for success also took a toll on her mentally and emotionally. It was no longer child’s play for Lim. She now faces decorated karatekas who have far more experience in recent years. But she never lost sight of her goal saying:
image credits from top to bottom: 1. elijah allen macaspac - rappler 2. krixia subingsubing - twitter 3. jamie lim- facebook
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“I knew that 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines would be so special because the people are all there to cheer for you and they’ll be so happy pag nanalo ka and so, it was a great opportunity. Alam ko na pag pumasok ako, deal na ito. All in na.” The sliver of hope and her longtime dream of being part of the national team drove Lim to seize a victory for the Philippines—one of her ways of giving back to the country. However, her journey towards her first SEA Games gold was not without the prevalent politicking in sport federations. Having been caught in the middle of disputes among the FIlipino karate community, her club was withheld of any opportunity for a national stint until the latest turnover of the Philippine Karatedo Federation (PKF) presidency. This turn of the tide allowed anyone, from any club, to compete in national championships and thus have a chance to qualify for the national team and represent the country in regional and international tournaments. Such advances are a big step towards achieving national competence in sports albeit lacking. Still, not all sports have comprehensive programs or facilities to cater for all sorts of athletes. More than the medals and recognitions, sports contributes to community and character development—both of which have yet to be the focus of such programs. With this, and proper allocation of funds, the likes of Lim could be trained by the country’s very own resources.
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scientia vol 26 no 2
image credits from top to bottom, left to right: 1. jamie lim - facebook 2. edwin bacasmas - inquirer 3. lisa marie david - rappler 4. sea games media
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w ri t te n a n d i l Audrey D
TETCHI CRUZ-CAPELLAN Tetchi Cruz-Capellan is a former agriculture undersecretary turned CEO. currently the head of Philippine renewable energy provider SunAsia Energy Inc. She was a part of rural electrification projects, which allowed people — farmers, especially, to use solar power. Six-thousand homes and 500 community facilities received electricity through solar and hydropower under her leadership of the Alliance for Mindanao Off-Grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) project. She has talked about the importance of energy security and carrying out renewable energy projects instead of subsidizing limited energy sources like fossil fuels.
THE PHILIPPINES HAS BEEN A SO scientists that ended up taking to their expertise. Having consistent that Filipinos are capable of produc innovators specializing in various fiel structure and tropical climate, it is n environmental study, be it terrestrial risk and reduction for natural phenom renowned modern-day Filipino scien add to existing knowledge on
ALFREDO MAHAR LAGMAY Alfredo Mahar Lagmay is mostly known for being the executive director of the Department of Science and Technology Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (UP NOAH Center), which conducts advanced disaster research and hazard assessment. Lagmay has published works investigating major natural disasters in the Philippines such as the Guinsaugon landslide and the Mayon eruptions. He was awarded the Oustanding Filipino for Geology and Earth Science (2013) and was the first Asian to receive the Plinius Medal by the European Geosciences Union — bestowed only upon scientists with significant interdisciplinary research related to natural hazards.
ALETTE YNIGUEZ Aletta Yniguez dreams of ensuring the sustainability of Philippine fisheries. Her studies also focus on marine environment and coral reefs and looked into factors causing the formation and decline of harmful algal blooms. She also specializes in biological oceanography and has done research regarding ocean acidification which is expected to have mostly negative impacts on ocean ecosystems. She completed a degree in Biology, majoring in Ecology, at UP Los Baños. She then became a research assistant at the Marine Science Institute before eventually completing her PhD at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Florida.
References: 6 Filipino female scientists who are improving the way we live. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/04/02/ filipino-female-scientists.html Beyond the Storm: A Story About Gemma Narisma. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pumplepie.com/products/beyond-the-storm-a-storyabout-gemma-narisma
Celebrating women in STEM: Tetchi Cruz-Capellan. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://info.umkc.edu/unews/celebrating-women-in-stemtetchi-cruz-capellan/ Chng, L., Leonard, & Monash University. (2016, February 11). Turning Sunrays Into Gold. Retrieved from https://www.asianscientist. com/2016/02/features/tetchi-cruz-capellan-sunasia-philippines-solarpower-alliance/ Lagmay, Alfredo Mahar Francisco. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nigs. upd.edu.ph/index.php/people/faculty/mahar-lagmay/
ista ng
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lllu s tr a te d by Dela Vega
OURCE OF MANY WORLD-CLASS the international stage because of spots among Asia’s best, it is clear cing award-winning researchers and lds. As a country with an archipelagic no wonder that it is a great venue for or marine life, agriculture, or disaster mena. Let’s take a look at some of the ntists, with contributions that helped n the Philippine environment.
GEMMA NARISMA Gemma Narisma is known for her research on climate change and how it affects people. She is recognized for her studies on land-atmosphere interactions and how changes in the biosphere affect local and regional climate. Her studies exploring climate change and its impacts have been helpful especially for disaster risk mitigation and adaptation. She has been recognized as an Outstanding Young Scientist Awardee for Atmospheric Science (2012) and one of the Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service (2013).
EDGARDO GOMEZ Edgardo Gomez was a national scientist and a UP professor emeritus, who’s done extensive research on marine ecosystems. Known for his work studying and assessing coral reefs, the UP Marine Science Institute (MSI) founding director led the world’s first national-scale assessment of coral reef damage and contributed to the baseline mapping of the Philippines that were helpful to both the Spratly Islands debacle and UP system’s archipelagic studies program. In addition to his contributions to the academe, he also pushed for coral replanting and giant clam breeding for the benefit of coastal communities.
GAY JANE P. PEREZ One of Gay Jane Perez’s accomplishments is leading a program that launched Diwata-1 into space, the Philippines’ first microsatellite. She is well-known for her studies on precision agriculture, which is geared towards developing agriculture in the Philippines using satellite observations, models, and ground data to improve yield with better prediction tools. Her work on remote sensing has led to findings that aim to make farming more efficient, examining things like spatial distribution of vegetation, temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture, as well as drought impacts and mitigation. She was given $20,000 and an award by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the annual ASEAN-US Science Prize for Women, a prize given to female scientists who “deliver major safe, sustainable, and relevant contributions to the ASEAN region and their local communities.”
Narisma, Gemma Teresa T. (2020, January 22). Retrieved from https:// www.ateneo.edu/ls/sose/physics/faculty/narisma-gemma-teresa-t PeoplePill. (n.d.). About Mahar Lagmay: Fillipino geologist - Biography and Life. Retrieved from https://peoplepill.com/people/mahar-lagmay/ Plinius Medal. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.egu.eu/awardsmedals/plinius/ Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dap.edu.ph/coe-psp/innov_initiatives/
project-noah-nationwide-operational-assessment-of-hazards/ Rohaidi, N. (2016, June 23). 8 Scientists From The Philippines To Watch (VIDEO). Retrieved from https://www.asianscientist.com/2016/05/ features/8-scientists-philippines-research-and-development-stem/ Team Pilipinas. (2018, October 23). Gay Jane Perez wins ASEANUS Science Prize for Women. Retrieved from https://www. goodnewspilipinas.com/gay-jane-perez-wins-asean-us-science-prizefor-women/
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w ri t te n by C.J. Palpal-latoc g r a p hi c s by Jansen Wong
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ISA SA MGA DAKILANG NAGAWA NG TAO AY ang pagkuha ng kauna-unahang litrato ng isang bagay na higit pa sa ilang bilyong kilometro ang layo. Abril ng nakaraang taon, inanunsyo ng Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration ang unang larawan ng black hole sa gitna ng M87 galaxy. Karagdagang ebidensiya ang larawan na ito sa madami pang ibang ebidensiya na pumapabor sa General Relativity (GR), ang teorya ng gravity na pamana ni Albert Einstein. Gayunpaman, kahit madami nang tagumpay ang GR, hindi pa rin matiyak ng mga pisiko kung ito na nga ang tamang teorya ng gravity. Sa katotohanan, kahit nakatitiyak na ang mga pisiko na may mga black hole, hindi naman nila masabi na ang mga black hole na kanilang natukoy ay pareho sa mga black hole na pinapalagay ng GR. May mga black hole kasi na pinapalagay ng ibang teorya ng gravity na halos kaparehas ng mga black hole sa GR. Itong mga black hole na ito ay magkamukha kaya hindi mo sila mapagiiba base lang sa litrato. Ang sitwasyon ay para bang alam na natin ang kulay ng isang bagay, hal. blue, (i.e. may black hole) pero kung anong partikular na uri (i.e. teorya)—light blue, navy, cerulean—hindi tayo sigurado. Aktibong pinag-aaralan ang mga alternatibong teoryang ito ng Gravity Group sa National Institute of Physics (NIP). Sa isang papel1 na nailathala noong nakaraang Enero, ipinakita nina Reginald Bernardo at John Celestial, mga gradwadong mag-aaral ng grupo, at ni Prop. Ian Vega, ang tagapanguna ng grupo, na pwedeng magkaroon ng mga ganitong malaGR na black hole (i.e. black hole na kamukha ng black hole sa GR) sa isang interesanteng alternatibong teorya ng gravity. Ang teoryang tinutukoy ay tinatawag na kinetic gravity braiding (KGB). Mapapakunot man ang noo mo sa pangalan nito, ang KGB ay kabilang na sa mga pinakasimpleng grupo ng mga alternatibong teorya. Interesante ang teoryang ito sapagkat hindi tulad ng iba, hindi pa ito napapabulaanan. Noong 2016, inanunsyo ng Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) ang kauna-unahang gravitational wave (GW)—wave na kahalintulad ng water wave subalit imbis na tubig, ang space (at time) mismo ang nagagambala. (Isa din ito sa makasaysayan at mabibigat na ebidensya para sa GR.) Nang sumunod na taon, muling nakatuklas ang LIGO ng bagong GW at napagalamang ito ay kasimbilis ng liwanag. Dahil dito, napawalang-saysay ang mga teoryang nagsasaad ng ibang bilis. Kasing bilis ng liwanag ang GW ng KGB kaya ligtas ito kasama ang iilang natitirang teorya. Tulad ng alinmang teorya sa pisika, ang puno’t dulo ng KGB ay napapaloob sa tinatawag na “aksyon.” Ang “aksyon” ay isang ekwasyon na gumaganap bilang zip file ng isang teorya at
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naglalaman ng katangian nito. Halimbawa, sa aksyon nakukuha ang mga equation of motion na nagsasaad kung paano gagalaw ang isang bagay na naaapektuhan ng nauukol na pwersa (hal. pwersa ng gravity). Ang aksyon ng KGB ay binagong bersyon ng aksyon ng GR. Sa katotohanan, dinagdagan lamang ang mga term ng aksyon ng GR. Sa KGB, ang mga dinagdag na term ay mga function ng “scalar field “ at ng “kinetic density” ng scalar field na ito. Kaya kung ang aksyon ng GR ay “A = f(x)” halimbawa, ang aksyon ng KGB ay “A = f(x) + g(scalar fied, kinetic density).” Ang scalar field ay isang function din at binabago nito ang behavior ng gravity. Ayon kay Celestial, hindi natin alam kung ano ang kinakatawan ng scalar field na ito pero hindi rin siya iniisip bilang source ng gravity tulad ng mga regular na bagay na may mass. Samantala, ang kinetic density naman ay maiisip daw bilang kinetic energy ng scalar field na ito. Bago ang papel nina Bernardo, inaakala na upang makakuha ng mala-GR na black hole sa KGB, na may teknikal na ngalang “stealth black hole,” kailangan na ang mga dinagdag na mga term ay function ng parehong scalar field at ng kinetic density nito. Hindi pwedeng kinetic density lang kunwari. Idiniin nila na nananatiling tama ang akala na ito pero kapag lamang nakaangkla sa kondisyon na hindi constant ang kinetic density. Papaano na kung nagbabago ito? Ito ang binigyang pansin nina Bernardo at sa pagsaalang-alang nila ng kondisyong ito, nakahanap sila ng mga solusyon buhat sa aksyon na naglalarawan sa mga stealth black hole. Ang implikasyon nitong lahat ay ngayo’y alam na nating mas marami pa palang mga stealth black hole kaysa sa dating inaakala. Ibig sabihin, kung may nakita tayong black hole na kamukha ng black hole na sinasabi ng GR, mas lalo na tayong hindi nakasisiguro kung ano ang tamang teorya na naglalarawan dito. Kung babalik tayo sa ating color analogy, parang nakahanap pa tayo ng bagong tipo ng blue. Sa kabila nito, may pag-asa pa rin tayong makahanap ng eksaktong teorya. Kapag nakatukoy na ng mga bagong GW ang Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), ang kapatid ng LIGO na nakatakda para sa space, inaasahan na magkakaroon ng mga bagong limitasyon sa mga teorya ng gravity. At ang mga limitasyong ito ang makakatulong sa ating maiabante ang ating kaalaman. Pero hanggang sa puntong iyon, kung papipiliin mo ng isang teorya ng gravity ang isang pisiko, para mo na rin siyang tinanong kung anong paborito niyang kulay. References 1. Reginald Christian Bernardo, John Celestial and Ian Vega, “Stealth black holes in shift-symmetric kinetic gravity braiding,” Physical Review D 101, no. 2 (2020).
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w ri t te n by Kyla Javier i l lu s tr a ti o n s by Jansen Wong I HAVE A SECRET TO TELL YOU. My friend has been acting really weird in the past few months. His name is Aspen, and we’ve been friends since we were kids. He’s a typical lanky boy, his hair meticulously cropped in a two by three haircut and black-rimmed eyeglasses. We’re in college now, with him studying engineering while I major in biology. He started acting weird in the summer, during the midyear term. It was really difficult to get general education subjects during the regular semester, so we took the opportunity to get them in the midyear when most of the students went back to their provinces for the break. We both live in Marikina which is a fifteenminute ride away from campus. He was walking to the footbridge near the jeepney station when I saw him. My childish instincts came into life as I ran to him to grab his bag and pull him backward in an attempt to startle him. He yelped in indignation, and the expression painted on his face as he looked at me made my heart stop. For a moment, Aspen’s face had no traces of recognition. It was fleeting and was replaced by confusion, his eyes searching for something in my face. It felt so awkward, standing there at the bottom of the footbridge while multiple people passed by as we stared at each other. He jolted suddenly, as if someone flicked a switch in his mind. “Jules?” I sighed in relief, but the uncertainty in his face put an unsettling feeling in my gut. “Did you have amnesia or something? Are you sick?” I patted the back of my hand on his forehead in an attempt to joke. His temperature was fairly normal. “...No, no. I’m just,” Aspen started climbing the stairs. I scrambled to catch up to him with my short legs. “...out of it.” I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t say...” We walked in silence until we reached the other side. As we descended the stairs, I asked him, “What happened to you?” Aspen really seemed out of it, and the way he talked felt like he wasn’t sure what to say. “I just... read a lot of assigned readings last night. You know, for Arts 1 and Soc Sci.” We were already at the base, and I playfully
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shoved him as we crossed the street. “Sana all. My attention span could never take those pretentious readings.” Aspen let out a nervous chuckle. We walked in silence. We were nearing Palma Hall where both of our classes are held when I felt my shirt soaked with sweat. I took out my mini fan from my bag and turned it on. “I don’t think I can take this heat and my classroom’s zero ventilation.” We were about to go our separate ways, with Aspen’s class on the first floor, when he said, “Really? It feels cold...” I paid his comment no mind until I arrived at my classroom. I was on my seat, waiting for the class to start. As I was scrolling through social media while holding my mini fan close to my face, I received a notification from my weather app. Today’s temperature is 35°C. I was getting sick of the food near AS, so I asked Aspen to have lunch with me in the Math building (don’t judge me, I find their food passable). I texted him as my class was starting to wrap up, and I watched the bubble beside his icon move for several minutes before his reply came through. It was a simple okay. I saw Aspen waiting for me at the lobby, seated on one of the low benches. He waved at me as I walked to where he was seated. “What took you so long to reply?” I teased him. “I swear that bubble was moving for like, ten minutes.” Aspen stood up and gathered his stuff. He was already walking to the exit when he replied, “I’m just not used to this phone.” I watched his retreating back in confusion for a few seconds before running to catch up to him. “What are you talking about? You’ve had that phone for two years.” He glanced at me and smiled. He ruffled my hair and held me in a headlock. “Nevermind.” The incredulous look on my face when he kept walking to the street near NISMED where the IKOT jeeps pass by must have been too apparent,
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because he looked at me in a sheepish manner while rubbing the back of his head. “Why are we taking the long route?” “Isn’t it going to be farther if we take the route passing by UPIS?” Aspen replied with a frown. “What is wrong with you?” I asked in exasperation. “Have you forgotten about the arboretum?” “The what? Are we even allowed to pass through there? Isn’t that a restricted area?” The words coming out of his mouth sounded like a joke, but his serious tone said otherwise. “It’s not? I pass through the arboretum every day in the last two semesters! A lot of students pass by!” I grabbed his right hand and dragged him to the entrance where the cardboard standee of a tree greeted us. “What is wrong with you?” Aspen did not reply. As we were walking down the rocky and muddy path, I noticed the complete look of awe and wonder in his face. At some point, he just stopped walking, seemingly taking in every plant and tree his eyes landed on. “They’re so...” He takes a deep breath, “..green.” At this point, I am seriously getting weirded out, but I found myself teasing him, “Of course they’re green! They’re not going to be blue, bruh. Is this the first time you’re looking at—” My hands gestured at everything around us, “—plants?” Aspen looked like he finally snapped out of his trance and continued walking down the path. A strong gust of wind blew and with the whistling of the air, I thought I heard a soft yes. The stream of weirdness came and went in the succeeding months. At first, I felt really unsettled, but the fast pace of life in the university didn’t leave me much time to think. I tried not to dwell on the day we were walking through the gardens in the Biology building and saw a bee hovering over the flowers. I thought all the bees were all dead, he said. I tried not to think about that time when we went to the ocean park, where he was childlike in his amazement. “This is the first time I’ve seen them moving! All my life I thought I’d only see taxidermy.” I didn’t want to spoil his fun, but I’m pretty sure I’ve brought him to the Biology building where there are different fish that were housed in tanks. I tried to not make a big deal out of the time when I told him I was scared of the approaching typhoon with wind speeds greater than 230 kilometers per hour, and he asked me in confusion, “Why are you scared of a signal number 1 typhoon?” I tried to dismiss it as one of his more-than-twenty-four-hours-awake moments. I told myself not to overthink about the time he mistakenly wrote his name as Aspen Rodriguez IV in a signature campaign. I remember elbowing him. Aren’t you a junior? He crossed out the IV in panic and replaced it with a Jr. I looked at him in a mix of concern and disbelief. I tried to dismiss them, but they were at the back of my mind. Sometimes, I wondered if Aspen lived in another time, which was absurd. I think I need to get more sleep. It was the 20th of September. I craved for pancit canton, so Aspen and I ate lunch at the Sunken Garden, sitting on one of the concrete benches. I was munching on my chilimansi pancit canton with a side of dynamite sticks when we
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noticed people gathering for a mob. That Pikachu mascot was so cute. “Jules,” Aspen tried to get my attention. “I have something to tell you.” I tore my gaze away from the colorful banners of the mob. “Is this the part where you tell me that you’re in love with me and then our friendship falls apart because I don’t feel the same?” Aspen looked like he wanted to shove me off my seat if not for the pancit canton plate I’m holding. He let out a small laugh. “That’s not it.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Then what is it?” “I’m sure you’ve found me acting weird in the past few months.” I returned my gaze to the people gathering on the other side of the street. “Weird doesn’t even capture how you’re acting.” I shifted the way I sat, now facing him with my legs crossed on top of the bench. I looked at him expectantly. The program at the other side of the street seemed to be starting, and the banging of the drums almost drowned his reply. “I am not the Aspen you knew.” I laughed at the absurdity of it all. “So, it wasn’t just me losing my mind?” Aspen (or not Aspen) laughed as well. “No, I’m from a hundred years in the future. The Aspen you knew, he’s my grandfather. That’s why you’re familiar. He’s told me countless of times about his dearest friend Jules.” He elbowed me playfully. “Was it an accident?” Aspen raised his eyebrows. “You going back in time, I mean. Was it an accident or did you willingly go back?” “Does it matter?” The drums on the other side of the street were thundering, catching his attention. “You’re right. You’re already here, watching the world fall apart into the sorry state you once knew.” “I don’t think that will happen, though.” Aspen said as he watched the mob start their program. We are unstoppable, a better world is possible. Sigaw ng kabataan, sagipin ang kalikasan. “There’s still hope.” There is no Planet B. Last September 20th, 2019, hundreds of environmental activists gathered at the University of the Philippines Diliman to participate in the Global Climate Strike. Led by Youth Advocates for Climate Action in the Philippines (YACAP), the strike called for systemic change as a solution to the world’s worsening climate crisis. System Change, not Climate Change! This climate strike will not be the last.
w ri t te n by Sam Peniano
NAHIRAPAN KA BA SA MGA ASIGNATURANG agham at matematika noong bata ka pa? Hindi ka nag-iisa. Napakarami nga naman talagang mga terminolohiyang kakaiba at prosesong komplikado na kailangang alalahanin, kaya mas mahirap itong intindihin.
PAANO GAMITIN ANG WIKANG FILIPINO SA AGHAM
sa sariling salita:
s i y en s i ya
g r a p hi c s by Hanz Salvacion
Ngunit marami ring estudyante ang mas nakakaintindi ng mga paksa sa paaralan kung ginagamit ang wikang Filipino o ang wikang nakalakihan nila sa kanilang bayan. Dahil dito, marahil ay kailangang mas lalo pang gamitin ang wikang Filipino sa agham, matematika, at teknolohiya. Ngunit, paano? Tingnan natin at gawing basehan ang mga iminumungkahing paraan ng pagsasalin ng National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) at Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF): ang pagtutumbas, paghihiram, at paglikha ng mga salita. 1. Pagtutumbas Ang pagtutumbas ay ang paghahanap ng direktang salin ng isang dayuhang salita. Oo, may hamon itong dala dahil “walang dalawang wika sa mundo ang may magkatulad na bokabularyo”. Subalit mainam kung gagamitin ito sapagkat kilala na ang salita, kaya posibleng mas madaling maipalaganap. May dalawa itong yugto: a. Paghahanap ng pantumbas sa kasalukuyang koleksyon ng Filipino. Kung mayroon naman, bakit hindi gamitin, diba? Halimbawa: • patunay = proof • singaw = vapor b. Pagtuklas ng pantumbas sa ibang wikang katutubo ng Pilipinas. Sumasang-ayon ito sa layon ng KWF na isangkot ang mga wikang katutubo sa pagpapayaman ng Wikang Pambansa. Hindi totoo ang kuro-kurong walang ideyang siyentipiko ang mga wikang katutubo! Kung tutuusin, ang “parisukat” na nangangahulugang “square” sa Ingles ay isang sinaunang konsepto. Halimbawa: • dagsin (Ilokano, “bigat”) = gravity • sikway (Hiligaynon, “itakwil”) = repel, repulsion • tiláw (Hiligaynon, “subukin”) = trial, experiment
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2. Panghihiram Ang panghihiram ay ang pagsasaayon sa Filipino ng terminong Espanyol o Ingles. Sa Ingles, pwede itong gamitin “as is” o baybayin gamit ang tuntuning Filipino. Maingat dapat itong gamitin upang hindi dumami ang mga baryasyon ng salita at maging nakalilito. Gaya ng nabanggit, may tatlong paraan ng paghihiram na maaaring gawin: a. Mula sa Espanyol at isinusunod ang baybay sa tuntuning Filipino. Dahil sa malaking impluwensya nito sa wika dala ng ilang taong kolonisasyon, isinasaalang-alang din ang paghihiram mula sa Espanyol. Halimbawa: • Kimika (química) = Chemistry • enerhiya (energía) = energy b. Mula sa Ingles na pinananatili ang orihinal na ispeling. Hindi ginagalaw ang dayuhang salita at ginagamit ito “as is.” Sumasang-ayon ito sa iminumungkahing paraan ng pagtuturo ng agham ng tagapangulo ng KWF na si Virgilio Almario. Sa paraang ito, mas nabibigyang-pansin kung paano ipapaintindi sa mga mag-aaral ang paksa kaysa tahasang paghahanap ng mga katutubong termino. Halimbawa: • Chemistry • gravity • cell c. Mula sa Ingles na isinusunod ang baybay sa tuntuning Filipino. Sa paraang ito, ang Ingles na salita ang basehan at binabaybay lang ito sa Filipino, kadalasang “kung anong bigkas, siyang baybay.” Halimbawa: • Kemistri = Chemistry • nitrohen = nitrogen 3. Paglikha. Bukod sa pagtutumbas at paghihiram, maaari ring subuking lumikha ng mga bagong salita para sa mga terminong siyentipiko. Ayon sa KWF, “makabuluhang paraan ito ng pagpapayaman sa bokabularyo ng wikang pinagsasalinan.” May
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tatlo itong paraan: a. Neolohismo, kung saan gumagawa ng isang bagong salita mula sa inasimilang mga salita. Halimbawa: • Kapnayan (sangkap + hanay+ -an) = Chemistry • banyuhay (bagong anyo ng buhay) = metamorphosis • sihay (silid ng buhay) = cell b. Hiram-salin (Loan translation), kung saan literal at “word for word” ang pagsasalin. Halimbawa: • subukangtúbo = test tube • halamang-ugat = root crop c. Bagonghulog, kung saan binibigyan ng bagong buhay ang isang lumang salita sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng bagong kahulugang teknikal. Halimbawa: • agham = science (dati: pagkilala sa tunay na pagkatao ng isang tao) Kita naman natin, maraming paraan para magamit ang mga termino sa agham, matematika, at teknolohiya sa wikang Filipino. Nasa atin na lang kung paano ito gagamitin upang mas mapakinabangan ng batang at masang Pilipino. Dahil kung naiintindihan ng Pilipino nang tunay at buo ang agham, siguro ay mas pahahalagahan ito at bibigyang-pansin sa bansa. At marahil ay magsisimula iyon sa isang estudyanteng mas naintindihan ang kanilang aralin sa agham sa tulong ng kanyang sariling wika. Mga Sanggunian: Almario, V. S. (2016). Batayang pagsasalin: Ilang patnubay at babasahín para sa baguhan. Manila, Philippines: Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. Rada, E. T. (2017). Estilo ng pagsasalin sa wikang Filipino ng mga teksbuk sa araling makabayan. Scientia: The International Journal on the Liberal Arts, 2, 85-97.
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Means to an End
0101010 1010101 1101001 1001011 1110010
w ri t te n by John Rafael Ambag g r a p hi c s by Deitro Dazo
THE PHILIPPINE SPACE AGE IS underway. From the early dabs with space-related activities during the 1960s until the signing of the Philippine Space Act last August, the country has come a long way from being a mere observer to an actual player in space initiatives. The law, buttressed by the recent string of successful satellite launches of Diwata-1, Maya-1, and Diwata-2, sets up the country to be “space-capable” and “spacefaring” by 2022.1,2
rehashed the said move, purchasing Agila-2 with assistance from China in 1997.
In spite of the law being signed only last 2019, the Philippines is not exactly a rookie in space initiatives. In fact, one of its earliest attempts can be traced back all the way to the Spanish colonial era upon establishment of the Manila Observatory in 1865. 3 Subsequently, not much progress was made until the mid-1960s, when the government created the Philippine Communications Satellite (PhilComsat) as a means to provide the country with its own satellite system for communication and information purposes.4
During the 1950s, when the Philippines was still licking its wounds from the previous war and the myriad human exploitations that took place, Russia already launched Sputnik 1, the first human-made object to make its rounds about our planet. The launch, which took place on the 4th of October, 1957, sparked the mythicized space race at the time. 5
At the time of its inception, Philcomsat served as a founding member of the International Satellite System (Intelsat), an entangled conglomeration of 172 countries cooperating with each other in managing fax, cable, telephone, and TV transmissions. At the time, Philcomsat had exclusive franchise for satellite communication in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea. During the 1969 launch of the Apollo 11, Philcomsat’s equipment also made it possible for Asians to watch and participate with the well-anticipated moon landing. Fast forward to 1974, PLDT created the Mabuhay Philippines Satellite Corporation (MPSC). At the time, incumbent President Fidel Ramos insisted on having a Philippine satellite in orbit, prodding MPSC to purchase Palapa B-2P from Indonesia, later renamed as Agila-1, the first satellite of the country, which was shifted to its new orbital slot on August 1996 upon acquisition.4 After which, PH
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The Philippines’ early attempts with space initiatives are interspersed along a rocky history spanning wars with three colonizers, transitionary governments, dictatorship, and a street revolution. Meanwhile, during the same span, space projects outside the Philippines are burgeoning at a tremendous pace.
And while PH was busy creating Philcomsat during the late 1960s, the US already launched three men to the moon via the Apollo 11 mission. Between the 1950s and the late 1960s, the two space giants, US and Russia, exchanged haymakers by sending satellites, humans, and even animals like dogs into space. The country’s recent move made it only the sixth Southeast Asian country to have a space program. We’ve been lagging behind by a tremendous margin, with Indonesia’s National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN in Indonesian) established as early as 1963. 2 Indonesia made the decision with military operations in mind, specifically creating usable rockets for its air force. 2 Meanwhile, Malaysia has ANGKASA, primarily tasked with remote sensing and earth observation. Singapore also has its own space agency in the form of the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing, and Processing (CRISP), housed under the National University of Singapore (NUS). It also processes retrieved satellite data. 2 Lastly, Thailand and Vietnam
0 1 1 1 0
fig. 1 CubeSat Maya-1
fig. 2 Diwata-1
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... the establishment of a space agency is not an end goal, but only a means to an end.
wrap up the members of this pantheon of countries, with Thailand establishing the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) last 2000, while Vietnam created the Vietnam Space Technology Institute (STI) last 2006. Despite being late to the game, the Philippines expects to reap significant benefits from the new space agency. Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, whose team conducted the groundwork necessary for establishing PhilSA, explains from a cost-benefit analysis that for every peso used for space initiatives in the country, the government can get P2.50 back.6 He insists that doing space initiatives in the country is not a futile effort punctuated by financial losses, but instead a money-making venture for us Filipinos as the global estimate for financial returns in space initiatives stand at $4 for every $1.7 Instead of thinking of posh western films showing off faulty rockets and nauseating space suits, one must know that space initiatives are more than that. In fact, the practice of space science provides a wide array of practical applications including saving up on foreign sourcing of satellite data.
2019. To add, since 2010, the country had only spent P7.4 billion on space research and development which already resulted to launching three minisatellites, and establishing a new hub for space research, UlyS3ES which stands for University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems, housed in UP Diliman. 2,8 In that same span, the country has already sent a handful of Filipino engineers and scientists to train abroad, improving the talent pool via programs such as PhilippineLIDAR (Light detection and ranging) and STAMINA4Space (Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation, and Advancement). 2 In spite of a modest budget, space initiatives can lead to hefty dividends for numerous government sectors if used properly and in integrative fashion.
PhilSA expects to have P10 billion for the next five years, an average of P2 billion per annum to shoulder its first operations. While the numbers may seem staggering, that amount only costs 0.067 percent of PH’s annual budget of P3.662 trillion for
With PhilSA established, the country sets its sights to new horizons in the field of space science listing six key target areas for the agency to address: national security and development, hazard management and climate studies, space research and development, space industry capacity building, space education and awareness, and international cooperation.9 Whether the said key areas are arranged according to priority is unknown, but it still reflects one common theme: the establishment of a space agency is not an end goal. As exemplified by its neighboring space agencies, PhilSA is a means to an end.
References
ploration/.
1 . Francicsco, Mikael. “‘Space? So What?’ 10 Practical Uses of Space Science in the Philippines.” FlipScience - Top Philippine Science News and Features for the Inquisitive Filipino. (blog), February 1, 2019. https://www.flipscience.ph/space/10-uses-space-science-philippines/.
6. Francisco, Mikael. “Why the Philippines Needs a National Space Agency.” GMA News Online, October 9, 2016. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/584375/scitech/science/why-the-philippinesneeds-a-national-space-agency/.
2. Tan, Michael L. “Philippine Space Agency.” Accessed February 22, 2020. https://opinion.inquirer.net/124039/philippine-space-agency. 3BusinessMirror. “PHL Flying High–into Space.” BusinessMirror (blog), October 29, 2018. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2018/10/29/ phl-flying-high-into-space/. 4. Manila Standard. “Businessman Urged Gov’t to Set up Satellite,” December 7, 1993. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SZUVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3woEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2567%2C1675404. 5. Austalian Geographic. “Timeline of Space Exploration.” Australian Geographic, August 27, 2012. https://www.australiangeographic. com.au/topics/science-environment/2012/08/timeline-of-space-ex-
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7. Kyodo. “Philippines Breaks New Ground with Own Space Agency.” The Japan Times Online, August 17, 2019. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/17/asia-pacific/science-health-asia-pacific/ philippines-space-agency/. 8. Gonzales, Gelo. “DOST Appeals for Space Agency Bill Approval before Congress Adjourns.” Rappler. Accessed December 19, 2019. http://www.rappler.com/technology/news/222381-dost-appealspassing-space-agency-bill. 9. Ronnicque, Neyzielle. “Philippine Space Agency Signed into Law.” DOST-ASTI (blog), August 15, 2019. https://asti.dost.gov.ph/ communications/news-articles/philippine-space-agency-signedinto-law/.
scientia vol 26 no 2
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scientia vol 26 no 2
VOL. 26 NO. 2 THE NURTURE ISSUE MAR 2020
e d i to r - i n - c h i e f Natalie Galibut
a s s o c i a te e d i to r C.J. Palpal-latoc
o n l i n e e d i to r Alab Ayroso
c a m p u s e d i to r Nikka Macasa
c u l t u re e d i to r Justin Hapa
s c i e n c e e d i to r John Rafael Ambag
d e s i g n e d i to r Tiffany Ashley Uy
campus
Audrey Dela Vega Bienvenido Castro Jazryl Galarosa Lem Nathan EreĂąa
cul ture
Bianca Bat-og Jerrieme Maderazo Kyla Javier Sam Peniano
science
Alyanna Lontok Emma Oliveros Jenver Laragan Nyrene Paranga Rio Constantino
design
Adrian Bayle Christia Tangin Deitro Dazo Hanz Salvacion Jansen Wong MC Perez Reign BaĂąares Sam Julian
a d m i n i s t r a t i ve
cover art by sam julian ed. cartoon by mc perez comics by jansen wong
Aces San Pedro Fort David Janina Alviar Myxie Rogado Xian Guevarra
ERRATUM for Scientia Vol 26 No. 1: Agham Youth is not the current lead coordinator of 350.org. We apologize for this oversight.
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