Spanish Colonial Era

During the early years, parish schools taught basic arithmetic, reading, writing, and so far, religion. Filipino natives assimilated advanced methods on agriculture, learning also about sanitation. Without denial, Spanish colonizers indoctrinated formal education in the Philippine archipelago and established scientific institutions, colleges, and universities such as the University of Santo Tomas (UST) – at least for the growth of science and technology. 

The Halls of UST institutionalized by Miguel de Benavides, Manila's third Archbishop. || 

Source: http://arquitecturamanila.blogspot.com/2014/07/university-of-santo-tomas-main-building.html

On the other aisle, Jesuits have founded the Colegio de San Ildefonso (1595) in Cebu City and in Manila, both the Colegio de San Ignacio (1595) and Ateneo de Manila (1859). The Dominicans endowed the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1640) in Manila. Although the opportunities of learning quality science, access to these schools are limited only amongst the elite of the colonial society: European-born or local Spaniards, the mestizos and few native Filipinos.

Engineering gradually became popular amongst the Spanish era where government buildings, churches, roads, bridges and forts are constructed as prioritized by the Gobernadorcillo. Surprisingly, the study of biology during this 19th century was given focus. Botanists Fr. Ignacio Mercado., Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Chemist Anaclento del Rosario, including medicine scholars Dr. Jose Montes and Dr. Elrodario Mercado contributed science to the Philippines.

In line with medicine, the University of Santo Tomas granted the degree of Licenciado en Medicina to 62 graduates from 1871 to 1886. The total number of graduates in pharmacy during the Spanish period was 164. To a certain disadvantage, getting a doctorate degree in medicine during those times required at least an additional year of study at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain. 

                                             Pontifical way of education by Jesuits and Dominican fathers || 

                                        Source: https://missionariesneeded.weebly.com/notable-figures.html

Why the state should provide more support 

on the area of Science and Technology?

Contextually, throughout this era, the Philippine state thereon was invested of the Spanish curriculum which I supremely believed have proliferated collegiate education in areas of medicine, engineering, and natural science. Perhaps the colonization period may be of destined for the state in absorbing relevant knowledge in terms of scholarly science and technology.

References:

Elena, A., & Ordóñez, J. (2000). Science, Technology, and the Spanish Colonial Experience in the Nineteenth Century. Nature and Empire: Science and the Colonial Enterprise, 15, 70–82. https://www.jstor.org/stable/301941

Constantino, R., & Constantino, L. R. (2008). A History of the Philippines: From the Spanish Colonization to the Second World War. NYU Press, Monthly Review Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv12pnqbf

Embassy of the Philippines to Madrid, Spain. (2020). Q&A with Dr. Aitor Anduaga on Colonial Science in the Philippines for Quincentennial Encounters: Cultural Conversations on the 500-year-old relationship between the Philippines and Spain | Philippine Embassy Madrid. https://www.philembassymadrid.com/qa-anduaga