So far, the needs enumerated can be characterized on the
whole as dominantly those for people as individuals,both
basic as well as non-basic. We now move on to the needs
of people as members of society.
First comes the system of roads and transportation
network. This facilitates the movement of people from
one place to another, as well as the transport of goods
and services. We note here that a significant portion of the
prices of goods in our country is due to the costs of
transportation. The archipelagic nature of the country puts
a higher requirement on the transport system of the
country. The land transportation system must be
complemented by the sea and air transport system.
EXAMPLE:
We have heard the observations that the corn in
Mindanao just rot in the fields, partly due to the lack
of transport facilities to bring them to Luzon where
the demand for the commodity is high. And
businessmen prefer so import come from abroad
because it is cheaper.
Goods from baguio. Root crops, fruits, and
vegetables. In fact those are cheaper when you buy
sa mismong farm na nagbebenta or sa bagsakan ng
mga goods na ganito
The various sea disasters in recent years bear witness to the
inadequacies of our sea transport system. To start with, we
do not have the number of ships needed for transport of
people and goods. As a consequence, the pressure for loading
beyond capacity is too high for the operators not to yield. On
top of this, the few ships that we have suffer from low quality
and poor safety It is saidthat the majority of the sea vessels
we have is 25 years old or older. We have not developed the
national capability in the building of ships. The question now
is should we develop the nation's capability in the science
and technology of ship building to satisfy both the local and
the foreign market? Or will we be better off just to buy the
ships we need from abroad? The national government ought
to consider this question carefully and act swiftly
accordingly. Whatever be the answer, thebottom line for the
country is - we need more and better ships to transport goods
and people.
The road network in the country still leaves much to be
desired in comparison with those in advanced and in the
newly Industrialized countries. The country has the
capability in the science and technology of road building.
We have abundant capable civil engineers. What we lack is
the money to finance the building of an adequate road
network for the whole country.
We note here that the Industrial Revolution was dependent
on the transport system The system of transport was, so to
speak, the nervous system of the materials, and services.
It is a necessary ingredient for any country to become
industrialized.
Second comes the communications network Governance
and commerce crucially depend on it. The importance of
a communication system has been growing since man
first set foot on the planet up to the foreseeable future. In
the same way that the transport network served as the
central nervous system for the Industrial Revolution, the
communication network is the central nervous system of
the Third Revolution or the so-called Information
Revolution which the world is yet undergoing. Advanced
countries as well as the newly industrializing countries
are fast establishing the communication network suitable
for the so-called Third Wave Civilization.
EXAMPLE:
ISBN -- Integrated System of Digital Network.
This is a system in which the different
communications media -- audio, text, video - are
sent through one physical channel. This facility
makes information available on-line both within the
country and without.
In this age of information, of intense market competition,
of strong world interdependence, the fight is best
characterize not as a fight between the First World and
the Third World: but as a fight between the fast and the
slow, ns put by Alvin Toffler in his book "Powershift".
The ingredient necessary to fight successfully in such a
world is the on- line multi-media communications
network – ISBN.
At present, our communications network is very poor
compared to countries with strong economies Again, the
archipelagic nature of the country exacerbates the
problem and accentuates the need for better
communications facility. For voice or
audio
transmission, the telephone system only covers the urban
centers. Except for communications to the outside world
from Metro Manila, the telephone facility that we have is
antiquated and often breaks down. To call Manila from
Los Baños, for example, is an exercise in perseverance
and patience -- and oftentimes luck. This inadequacy
reduces the overall productivity of the country. Even as
other countries are now setting up videophone systems
--a facility that integrates the transmission of voice and
picture, ie the persons conversing in this kind of phone
can hear and see each other - our country is yet struggling
to set up ordinary phones in other parts of the country.
The equipment and facility for a communicationsnetwork
is heavily dependent on high technology. Specifically,
information technology, both hardware and software, is
crucial. As far as software is concerned, the country is fast
attaining the necessary level of capability.There has been
a consensus that the country should goall out to establish
capability in the software aspect of information
technology. There is no doubt about its economic
viability. What people have doubts about, as regards its
economic viability, is in the hardware aspect
shall we acquire the capability in the manufacture of the
high-tech communications equipment and facility? Will
we be better off just buying what we need from abroad?
Just like for ship building, we as a nation must come to
grip with this question and act accordingly.
EXAMPLE:
https://primer.com.ph/tips-guides/2017/07/26/5-pinoy-smartphone-brands-you-can-check-out-for-your-next-gadget/
My phone, Cherry Mobile, Cloudfone, Star
Mobile, Chico Mobile,
Third comes the supply of water and energy. The health
and well-being of the individuals in society strongly
depend on the continuous supply of these basic services.
To the same degree, the health and well-being of our
economy critically depends on the uninterrupted supply of
water and energy -- most especially energy. Without
energy supply, the economic activity of a country comes
to a halt. The ready availability of water and energy is
dependent on the country's natural endowment. The
husbanding and wise use of our natural resources require
the contributions from many disciplines, including
disciplines from science and technology.
. The supply of energy, as in other countries, is the
limiting factor in our economic activity. As this is written,
the country is facing an energy crisis - daily brownouts
lasting from 2 to 10 hours for more than a month. The
crisis is not due to the lack of the raw materials that go
into the generation of energy. It is due to mismanagement.
At the latest newspaper report, the country has lost twenty
(20) billion pesos, and thousandsof workers may be laid
off.
The bulk of our supply of energy comes from abroad
through the importation of crude oil. Indigenous sources
of energy have been explored. We began to harness our
geothermal sources of energy and are continuing to
explore other sites. Local oil reserve found in Palawan is
estimated to be significant Production of local oil has
begun, it will take about two years for the Palawan
production site to reach its peak. Hydroelectric sources
of energy have long been tapped. The country considered
the possibility of the nuclear energy source during the
Marcos regime. The result of this consideration is the
controversial Bataan nuclear power plant. The
controversy arose not so much from the technical
questions on nuclear energy per se, as much as from the
political and administrative process in arriving at the
decisions of (a) having a nuclear power plant, (b)
acquiring that specific kind of nuclear power plant, and
(c) locating it at a particular site Its output of 600
megawatts of energy would have filled the energy supply
gap that the country is experiencing now.
Many other countries the US, Germany, England, Japan,
France, South Korea, etc. have been using nuclear power
plants to fill their energy needs. It is wise for the country
to carefully consider all options for its sources of energy.
As the world's supply of fossil fuel is diminishing,
advanced countries have been exploring through research
and development renewable sources of energy such as
biogas, wind, tide, and photovoltaic cell. For strategic
reasons, both military and economic, thecountry ought to
develop strong capability in the science and technology of
energy generation. As the country picks up in its drive
towards industrialization, its energy needs will
accordingly increase. Without a continuous supply of
energy, our hopes to become industrialized will come to
naught.
Fourth comes national security. Security from within -against the internal threat coming from the rebels, both
from the left and the right -- and security from without against the threat coming from external aggressors -- are
necessary for economic growth and development to be
established for the local businessmen to lead the way in
investing in the country and for the foreign investors to
follow suit.
The great bulk of our supplies, equipment, and
armaments for national security are imported or second
hand. The need to prepare for war has led the world into
sophisticated gadgetry. Many of the commercial marvels
in consumer products have their origins in militarycommissioned research and development. The design
and manufacture of the armaments of war depend on the
advances in science and technology. We have here the
symbiotic relationship between the economy and the
military the science and technology infrastructure that is
good for the economy, is the same infrastructure that is
good for the military. For strategic military and
economic reasons, the country ought to examine
carefully the areas of advanced science and technology
that we should go into that will serve optimally the needs
of both the military and the economy
National Needs
-
Land, air, and water transportation systems
-
Communications network Governanceand commerce
-
Supply of water and energy
-
National Security