Filipino Inventors: The harsh reality
Many of you have heard the tale of Agapito Flores, Fe Del Mundo, and Daniel Dingel. We’ve all heard the stories of Filipinos making their mark on the world, be it in writing, singing, or inventing. But really, which of them really created their “invention?”
Singers, writers, and athletes don’t have to worry about having their achievements stolen from them. Sure, some writers may worry about being plagiarized, but now Publishers are doing their best to watch out for their own writers; attentive professors and teachers are also on the lookout for faked essays.
But in inventing, it all depends on the person and the invention. Why? You can easily claim you invented this, but no one will notice until it has become very useful. Even then, many inventors are still unknown. In order to receive claim and royalties from an invention, you must patent it to the government and show it to a noteworthy organization.
Alas, there are a lot of “supposed” inventors of certain products. Stealing someone’s idea is as simple as taking it, patenting it, and marketing it to the public. But here, there are a lot of people who claim to have made famous products, yet they are not being recognized. Why? Because they didn’t invent it.
The Moon Buggy
Pride is good for a country, but claiming that a countryman invented another person’s product is a bad thing to do. Myths likes this thrive on people who are unaware, and they have gained notoriety after the birth of the internet and cellular phones. Spreading them has become easy, and many school books actually CREDIT these people as the true inventors.
Doesn’t that seem like a slap to the face of the real inventors? To show you some examples, here are some “supposed” inventors.
- Roberto Del Rosario, the “inventor” of the karaoke.
- Armando Lite, inventor of the “Armalite” or M16.
- Eduardo San Juan, inventor of the Moon Buggy.
In truth, the three inventors are not real. The M16 was not named after Armando Lite, and the gun is not called “Armalite.” Armalite is actually ArmaLite, a small arms company. It is not an abbreviation for Armando Lite.
The Karaoke was created by Daisuke Inoue, a Japanese man who developed it for his band. He is considered to be a national inventor in Japan, and he is recognized by many to be the true inventor of the Karaoke.
Eduardo San Juan, who was referenced in my English book once, is not the inventor of the moon buggy. However, I will say this: There is too many websites saying he did or did not. However, there are documents of Eduardo passing on designs and schematics. Sadly, our friend did not manage to get his work accepted as the final design.
So why do these myths propagate here? Maybe because we love our country so much that we often believe that our countrymen are superheroes. I’m not saying it’s bad, but we really should think before we act. Do any of you know Fe Del Mundo?
Dr. Fe Del Mundo
Fe Del Mundo is a woman we should be proud of. She designed an incubator made of bamboo, and she was able to get into Harvard BEFORE they admitted women. I believe instead of spreading myths, we should spread what is already true.
It’s not wrong to be proud of your country, but we shouldn’t bask in other people’s glory. Rather than making myths, or stealing people’s thunder, we should instead be happy over other people’s inventions and the inventions that have actually been verified.Why? Because it’s better to worship a man who is real, than a superhero that’s fake.
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Excuse me. Roberto del Rosario is a real person. You’re a writer yet you don’t research your topic at all. He’s even at About.com http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/Karaoke.htm
Meron pa pala para sa inyong kabutihan,
Alam niyo ba ang dahilan kung bakit bawal ang marijuana? Prohibited not even regulated. Marijuana is a drug very good medicine look into the encyclopedia of herbal medicine. While the cigar and alcohol, dangerous to your health addictive can kill is not prohibited not even regulated. kahit maliit na bata na di pa makapagsalita ng tuwid ay pwede utusan bimili ng sigarilyo.
What about the natural sea salt a.k.a. complete source of minerals. When you buy a multivitamin you will notice that it also includes minerals because this is as important if not more important. Now it is banned to force you us to consume IODIZED SALT now they have iodized water. Google consequences of iodized salt, iodized salt byproduct of mineral producer.
fRIENDS,
Let me present a different perspective. It is a known fact that a country’s economy is basically a business organization. Whoever or whatever country came up with the best inventions and innovations gets the biggest slice of market. Kun ako ba ay maka imbento ng isang bagay itutoro ko kaya sa iba. Ang mahirap sa ating mga Filipino ay mahal na mahal natin ang mga librong galing sa ibang bansa partikular galing sa merika. Libreng donasyon pero ang kapalit ay karunungan na tunay. maniniwala ba kayo na tayo ay mahal ng mga kano kaya tayo ay tinuturoan. Hindi po bagkus ang kabaligtaran ang katotohanan. Sa aking opinion ang mga Filipino ay may tagly na likas na talino at may malaki ang posibilidad na tayo ay maging kagaya ng Japan Taiw an at iba pa o kaya higit pa. pag nagkagayon malaki ang magiging kabawasan sa kikitain ng mauunlad na bansa. Dahil dito at dahil ang mga Filipino ay likas din na “Corrupt” at oto oto kun kaya madali tayong makontrol ng mayayamang at maununlad na bansa sa pamamagitan ng pagsuhol sa ating mga opisyales sa gobyerno, upang tayo ay di umunlad at di maging malaking kumpetensiya sa kanila. Ang Budget ng ting DOST ay napakaliit na porsyento kumpara sa iba. At ito ay ginagamit pa para mapigilan ang pag asenso ng mga imbensyon na may potential. Sabi ng mga engineer sa DOST hindi raw possible kasi di naayon sa libro ng mga kano. O kamon. Makailang ulit na rin akong naimbeta sa mga imbemsiyon contest na pakana ng DOST. The latest contest I decided not to join but rather be an observer. One particular entry by a college student was an electronic power disconnection/connection system supposedly to be use by power cooperative. The device according to the inventors can be operated via a Cellphone. Dial a number and a particular connection goes off. I asked the inventors what about the miscall and miss sent. Of course they just look at me with a surprise in their face. So I told them don’t worry the judges here are experts in their own fields but ignorant ot inventions you have a very good chance of winning. The entry won first place. Anyway the very first time I joined the conetst years before . I already notice the fault so I called the attention of DOST thru the Filipino inventors Blog. But I got no answer and the choice of hiring experts in their own field to judge an invention contest goes on to present. In entertainment they field dance experts to judge a dance contest expert singer to judge a singing contest. But our DOST choose to do the moronic. Guess what somebody got a very good influence. if you happen to drop by any of the DOST try to see what kind of exhibits they have. I saw patis toyo suka and other lowly innovations while many of us have very good ones.
By the way the power disconnection system operates on the principle that a cellphone will be assigned to every subscriber which is incorporated on the switch board. If the assigned number is dialed the cellphone will be triggered on which will then trigger the relays etc to switch off/on the power. This is only my guess. A similar idea came across my mind years before but I immediately abandoned it because of miscalls and missent which could result to misdisconnection. But our DOST Hailed the idea as outstanding.
Its about time that we make our own books from our own discoveries. And of course eliminate corruption and colonial mentally. For as long as we have these we will never prosper.
hfsds
The problem with younger people is that you never heard of the newspaper. In the 70′s the visit of Eduardo San Juan was a well publicized event. He even received an award for the 10 Outstanding men of the Philippines. News reports about him were carried by foreign news bureaus and reprinted in foreign magazines and newspapers. To discredit such a person is to discredit yourself. The author may be filled with such self loathing and low self esteem because of the current state of events in the country. Remember though that there was a time when Filipinos stood proudly. Do not belittle the achievements of your own countrymen. Eduardo San Juan in his speech at Mapua admitted that he was just an ordinary student at Mapua but his message is clear. You may be an ordinary Filipino but you can achieve extraordinary goals if you pursue your dreams.
Perhaps you dont realize that when Engineer Eduardo San Juan visited the Philippines to speak at the graduation of Mapua Institute of Technology, he spoke freely about how the lunar buggy was developed. Yes he was only a part of an Engineering team that designed it but the conceptual design submitted through Brown Engineering was his. This was his idea. The articulated wheel design, the most essential part of his design where the wheels were placed outside the vehicle and powered independently was his original idea. Next time do your research. Did you even talk to the FBI agents who were his security escorts at that time he spoke at Mapua. I did.
M Sambaoa – Fluorescent lamp and incandescent bulb is a completely different matter and in fact Thomas Edison who was known as the inventor of the incandescent bulb didnt actually invented the incandescent bulb. He is a wealthy businessman buying out others’ inventors patent.
1875 – Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans patented a lightbulb.
1878 – Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914), an English physicist, was the first person to invent a practical and longer-lasting electic lightbulb (13.5 hours). Swan used a carbon fiber filament derived from cotton.
1879 – Thomas Alva Edison invented a carbon filament that burned for forty hours. Edison placed his filament in an oxygenless bulb. (Edison evolved his designs for the lightbulb based on the 1875 patent he purchased from inventors, Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans.)
These Filipino inventors can be proud of.
The harsh reality in this issue is not about people living in lies and ignorance, its about the harsh treatment on what Filipinos are capable of. Does idolizing false inventors really something to be ashamed of? Or the real deal we should be doing is to inform our people? The fact that this topic is in English simply speaks for whom this topic really is for.
Really, why do some filipinos think that these “inventors” really existed? Is it because they can’t find anything worth bragging? Or maybe they have lived under a rock all their life. Wake up filipinos! We make our own legacies! We should not let our pride comsume us.
Because not everyone gets the proper education. And noone even bothered to correct them. I honestly find people in slums wont find it worthy to be bragged about. Does knowing the truth ease their living? Everything starts with education.
Every Filipinos should have a formal education.
Filipinos deserves it.
Formal education is a scam. Well it started with good intentions kaya lang yun magagaling na nagpapatakbo sa mundo ay pinasukan ito at denesenyo upang ang mga mag aaral natin ay maging tonto. Papano ito nagawa? Sa pamamagitan ng pagsuhol sa mga kurap.
I dunno why some filipinos still believe that these “inventors” really exist. Too much filipino pride, maybe? Wake up filipinos!
It’s not real.
i am pilipino your just envy
Please, I’m filipino. Work on your basic grammar.
Is your name Filipino?
I’m a Filipino. (capital F)
Please work on your basic grammar and churvaek.
I AGREE WITH THE AUTHOR!!WE SHOULD CORRECT THOSE THINGS.
@Johnny Torres Sir tama po kayo!
Agree ako na kulang na kulang ang suposta ng gobyeno sa mga Filipino inventors. .
Our problem with our country is that the ingenuity of Filipinos is not fully given recognition by our government. Our government do not give full support especially financial to our inventors. Our government will only recognized our inventors once they are in other countries and their inventions are successfully realized and recognized. And worst in it they are no longer considered Filipinos because they have chosen to become citizens in the country/s where they are given recognition.
@diego san diego. I fully agree with you in your statement. Engr. Ed San Juan a graduate of Mapua was with NASA and he helped in the designing of the moon buggy. In fact it personally came from his own idea how the buggy looked like. The buggy was not only his contribution. he also designed for the armed forces of USA like missiles, etc. In fact when Engr. Ed San Juan came home in the 70s he was met by Filipino scientists in the airport and he was given an honor by Pres. Marcos.
Proof? Then why is it that even our own government, or the US for that matter,won’t give him any distinction? Where did you get your information?
I’ll tell you this for the sake of education: NOT ALL BOOKS ARE TO BE TRUSTED. Not all things are official. Word of mouth and “wikipilipinas” is not trustworthy.
baliw ka ba o sira
Honestly, maybe you should try to read instead of acting dumb.
Did the “other” inventors of the Moon Buggy had any distinction from the US? Well try checking Mapua’s site and check their advertisement. With their name(status) on the Engineering field, I really doubt they’d brag about Engr. San Juan being a graduate from them when its not a really true.
My research comes from the internet and from some newspapers. http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=222118
http://hownow.brownpau.com/archives/2007/05/the-lunar-rover-and-eduardo-san-juan-update-from-an-lrv-designer
Those are just some minor links. Honestly, how could MAPUA know since they weren’t working for NASA. He did work for lockheed, but did Lockheed make the rover?
lol you talked about books cannot be trusted but you scour the internet and newspaper for information which also can’t be trusted
I would make some disagreements with the moon buggy. The armalite and flourescent lapms are two myths but much has yet to be said about Mr San Juan’s design for the moon Buggy. I guess the author should make some citations and research before he makes these claims for the sensitivity of this issue is high. On my readings I have come upon the knowledge that Mr. San Juan was working in the same company that created th initial design for the moon buggy. Although he could not be credited entirely for the invention for it was a team effort the Pinoy did make some sketch that resmbled the buggy before it came to be. I guess we can only fully know the truth of the matter if we get to see the NASA’s documents on the matter.
What Happend to the water car of DANIEL Dingel??anyone??
The so-called invention of Daniel Dingel is a hoax. His invention claimed that an engine can be powered by a hydrogen (after splitting the water by hydrolysis). The engine that he used was the ordinary gasoline engine (if I remember it right, it was a Toyota engine). The DOST said and any expert on material science said that an engine composed of alloy can not withstand the combustion of a hydrogen inside its cylinders. It’s like exploding a hydrogen bomb in an alloy. If you do that, the alloy would have exploded into debris. What really powered Dingel’s engine was not the hydrogen, but rather, still a gasoline. He made us believe that water powered his engine, but it was not.
and we often praise the underachievers or worst those who achieved only through publicity or word of mouth
and we often praise the underachievers or worst those who achieved only through publicity or word of mouth
I don’t believe in Agapito Flores. Those who believe that I do probably also believe in Daniel Dingel. The first line has only one real author, and that is Fe Del Mundo.
tama, wala naman daw tlgang agapito flores. c thomas edison pa din ang nag invent ng fluorescent bulb after of few years na mainvent nia ung light bulb.
kaya d umaasenso ang pinas ,,kc ayaw nilang suportahan ang research sa science and technology,,,pero suportado nila ang political science..jan cla magaling sa pulitika…at magimbento kung papano i magic ang kaban ng bayan !!!mga kurakot!!!!!$^%&^%&^*&*&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!