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A Chance
by Japhet Gene Burgos
There is only so much you can do, but if somebody doesn't gives you chance, there is nothing you can do. This line could
best describe Agapito Flores' fate- the kind that could bring out a true realization to everyone.
Flores, a Filipino inventor, who is best known for his fluorescent lamp, was a struggling scientist of his time. He was
one of those budding inventors who humbly presented his masterpieces to the government but unfortunately, went home with tears,
bearing with him the feeling of rejection.
But the persevering scientist have immediately wiped his tears up and thought of a better idea. Selling his invention
to other more developed countries became his strategy. This did not bring him fame or honor from his own country but then,
he was assured of having himself and his family fed three times a day. So, was it his fault? Or was it the government's fault
of being so unfair?
If the government only gave Flores a chance, then that chance could have brought Philippines into the limelight where
people will no longer be enchained by poverty. But, wake up! This is not the only chance! We can still make up for this. One
remedy for this call is for the people to give importance to science and technology education. Hopefully, from this aim, our
endangered economy could leap out of the pit it stays in now.
It is 2005 - a year filled with more advanced gadgets, from cellphones with cameras to brand new cars with
entertaining features. Also, you could copy the body figure of your favorite actor with the latest liposuction surgery. What
else can you ask for? You would usually go shopping passing those towering buildings yet smelling the lung-destroying smoke
that dominates the air. And if you want to gain knowledge about how to survive the illnesses brought by the highly industrialized
country, or better yet, to be able to invent a better alternative for gasoline, Science and Technology education is certainly
the gate for change.
As included in the curriculum of various schools and universities, the teaching of Science and Technology
could help open the youth's minds to the different phenomena occurring in their daily lives. The effect of this teaching to
the students would be the instillation of responsibility and open-mindedness within them.
Ravaging typhoons had just invaded Philippines same as so with the tsunami that ended the lives of thousands
of people in southern Asia. All these predicaments needed abrupt studies so to lessen the burdens of the nation. What if students
do not have even the slightest idea of what is going on? What is a typhoon or tsunami, anyway? If people have known from the
start what these natural phenomena are, then the ability in them to cooperate in solving these problems will surely be stronger.
Unfortunately, the corrupt accumulation of funds in the economy has hindered the success of Science and Technology
programs in Philippine education. Funds have not been given to different schools and universities leading to the lack of appreciation
of students towards the subject. Therefore, in order to redeem their interest, there should be enough funds for the constructing
of well-equipped laboratories, modern libraries, and other science-related infrastructures.
Aside from this, producing determined and research-oriented professors and teachers should also be given importance.
What is the use of having good laboratories if those who teach you feed you with wrong things?
Not only in the accumulating of the minds of the students in being open-mindedness is Science and Technology
education important. It is also vital in the growth of our economy. If one runs a country and he/she knows that technology
could lift up the people's
impoverished lives, then there will be a big difference.
But if a good leader knows what is best for his fellowmen, he will make sure to provide more funds for agricultural
innovations. Take for example the introduction of steam or hydraulic-powered iron mills and ovens used in the extraction and
cooking of sugar cane juice. Back from the past, workers used wooden pressers driven by Carabaos and open cauldrons heated
by firewood. From the kind of innovations mentioned, surely, sugar cane plantation productivity will increase.
You will start to realize that sound is caused by vibrations, that lightning is an electric discharge that
comes before thunder and you will also know that thermal expansion causes roads to crack. Nevertheless, it is in Science and
Technology education where we are initiated into a world filled with explanations and solutions to certain dilemmas.
So how can we strictly maintain the effective implementation of Science and Technology education in our institutions?
The government must provide ideal opportunities for our budding scientists present in our country today. To mirror the
past, let us take Catherine II who established an academy of science and encouraged the publication of scientific journals
in Russia and Emperor Napoleon I of France who admired, encouraged, and rewarded well-known scientists. This is the very
initiative that our government needs to emulate. In supporting its own geniuses, the country will not rely only on some other
nations, proving to all that it can stand on its own feet.
We don't want another Agapito Flores who will lose faith in his own country, trying to ask refuge from other stabilized
countries. Maybe, there already many Agapito Floreses present in the Philippines today. Let us give them a chance. Time will
come that they will escape out from their shells. Hopefully, the government will try to listen whole-heartedly to them and
if that happens, not only Science and Technology education will be strengthened but also our country's economy. /Ripples
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