Blog No.2 [Blog-A, No.2] Our Blog ALL ABOUT THE INVENTSCHOOL in general Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the InventSchool | PART TWO by Rafael Nelson M. Aboganda | February 8, 2021 Milestones and Chronology A chronological look at the growth and development of the InventSchool™ over the past 50 years. Short courses and seminar-workshops on creativity and innovation, scientific and technological creativity, social invention and community innovation, and creative arts and literature have been conducted by the InventSchool in the Philippines and the Samahar Roving School, its forerunner, for more than 50 years. A short episodic chronicle of the InventSchool with some details is presented in the “milestones and chronology” below. Prelude to the InventSchool|1967-1972 Before the InventSchool was established, there was a ‘roving school’ which conducted seminars on creativity in arts and design. Thereafter, the creativeness and inventiveness development program started “creative thinking” seminars for aspiring young inventors. The founders of the InventSchool thought that there should be a more comprehensive training program for identifying and developing new breed of Filipino inventors. Here’s how the InventSchool began: The beginnings of the InventSchool: The idea of InventSchool began in 1967 when a small group of young college graduates and students, conducted short courses and seminars on creativity in arts and design, photography, journalism and tourism for college students, through a travelling (mobile) school in the so-called “university belt” of Manila, Philippines. 1967-68 – The Art Newsmag, a tabloid-magazine, was published in June 1967 by the graduates of the Philippine School of Journalism (PSJ). An on-the-spot painting contest was held on October 14, 1967 at the National University (NU) in Manila sponsored by the NU Society of Architecture & Arts Students (SAAS). The PSJ graduates and SAAS members conceived the idea of an education and research group for creativity in architecture & arts and science & technology. July 7, 1968, the Samahang Maharlika (Samahar), an association dedicated to the promotion of creativity in arts-and-literature and science-and-technology was organized. Samahar, which conducted seminars on creativity in arts and design at NU, became the germ of the idea of what we now call the InventSchool. INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-2 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part Two | Page 1 INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-2 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part Two | Page 2 1969 – Samahar was incorporated as Samahang Maharlika, Isp. at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Manila and launched the Samahar Roving School (SRS), the only mobile school that moves around the university belt in Manila conducting short courses on creativity in arts and design, photography, journalism, and tourism for college students. 1970 – May 11, the Philippine Inventors Commission (PIC) and Filipino Inventors Society (FIS) agreed to implement the provisions of Republic Act 3850 (otherwise known as the Philippine Inventors Incentives Act of 1964) particularly creativity training for students, organization of “creative societies” (student inventors’ associations), and publication/dissemination of inventive activities. June 24, PIC jointly with FIS launched two projects, namely: Project I – Creativeness and Inventiveness Development Program (CDIP) to promote inventive creativity among students, teachers and talented professionals through creativity training and seminar-workshops focusing on the development of local inventions; and Project II – Publication and Dissemination of Inventive Activities (PS) to promote the development of local inventions and their manufacture―through the mass media. The two projects enlisted the organizers and principal lecturers of Samahar-SRS. 1971 – May 2, the first seminar on “creative thinking” under the PIC creativeness program was held at St. Louis University in Baguio City participated by teachers attending the summer training in science teaching sponsored by the National Science Development Board (NSDB). 1972 – Creativeness and inventiveness development program continued conducting seminar-workshops on “creative thinking and invention development.” October 1972, the first working paper on “creatology” entitled “Towards a Positive Understanding of Creativity—Creatology, the Science of Creativity” co-authored by Rafael Nelson M. Aboganda and Ricardo S. Cortez was published by the Publication Staff, Creativeness Development Division, Philippine Inventors Commission (PIC). Creatology became a special topic of the PIC creativity training courses. [“Creatology” was derived from Latin creat- the past participle stem of creare. “to bring forth, produce,” and Gr. creatus, “creative” + Latin logus, “study” and Gr. logos, “reason, study”.] (Watch “What is Creatology?” | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhUOIfx5lQc) Early years of the InventSchoolTM |1973-1989 In the early years, the InventSchool™ upholds the idea that “creativity and inventiveness” can be developed through proper training and actual experience. Here are the highlights of our early years: 1973 – In the third-year implementation of Projects I and II, the idea of a mobile “school for young inventors” gradually evolved among its project leaders Rafael Nelson M. Aboganda and Ricardo S. Cortez. February, “Likhaan Institute for Creative Studies and Technological Innovations,” a proposed schoolxxx INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-2 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part Two | Page 3 roving school for young inventors (school-to-school, house-to- house), was conceptualized. May, Likhaan Institute was organized but renamed Imbensyon Pilipino (IP) and registered as a single proprietorship at the Philippine Bureau of Commerce on June 15 with registry No. 45258. Soon enough, Aboganda and Cortez proposed the basic concept of the InventSchoolTM and the organization of InventClubs. Cesar C. Villariba, Jr. (creativity trainer in lateral thinking), Fernando Ubaldo, Jr. (creative researcher, inventor of Ovulonics Watch), and Jose Marte R. Torres (PIC patent examiner), all part- owners of Imbensyon Pilipino, supported these ideas. July 7, The InventSchool was organized as the training unit of Imbensyon Pilipino (IP). August 5, 12, 19 & 26, first orientation seminar entitled “Creative Dynamics” was held in a makeshift classroom at the residence of Ubaldo in Quezon City. 1974 – “Special Report on Creatology” was submitted in January to Gen. Florencio Medina, then Secretary of Science & Technology. [Gen. Medina was all praises about the report. He said, “This was the best thing that ever happened to PIC.”] Seminars on “creative thinking and problem-solving” under the PIC creativeness program were conducted in major cities in the Philippines. Creatology was presented in the seminars utilizing fundamental observations from initial ‘creatological’ studies. Aboganda left PIC and continued the InventSchool seminar-workshops. 1975 – Imbensyon Pilipino was transformed into the Creativity Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (CRADFI) and carried out the seminars on creativity and invention development under the InventSchool program. 1976 – PIC and CRADFI, individually and/or jointly, conducted seminars on creativity, creative thinking and invention development. 1977 – PIC with CRADFI continued undertaking seminars on creativity and invention development. By mid-year, however, PIC concluded its creativity training program. 1978 – May, a new foundation named “Likhaan Institute for Technological Innovations” was proposed by staff-members of the Community Resource Management & Development Department (CRMDD) of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) to uplift the quality of life of rural poor, transfer appropriate technologies to the countryside, and help “nationalize” technology in the Philippines by developing and making use of Filipino inventions. June 28, Likhaan Institute was organized in a meeting held at the Philippine Columbian on Taft Ave., Manila. The organization was however renamed Technology for Human Development Foundation, Inc. (THDF). PIC and THDF jointly conducted a special creativity training course for the agricultural officers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Leyte Province. From then on, THDF continued the InventSchool training program. 1979 – January 16, Techud (new acronym of THDF) was incorporated at SEC with Reg. No. 83952—it retained The InventSchool as its primary training program. With some travel funds provided by PIC, Techud continued undertaking seminars on creativity and invention development, particularly for teachers and students of the University of the Philippines College Baguio in Baguio City and other schools in Benguet Province. October, Techud submitted to PIC a proposal to reactivate the creativeness and inventiveness program; unfortunately, no action was taken. INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-2 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part Two | Page 4 1980 – May, another letter-proposal for the revival of creativeness development program was presented by Techud to PIC; again, no action was taken. October 3, Techud again proposed the revival of the creativeness and inventiveness program to PIC to be called “The InventSchool Program.” November 30, Likhaan Institute Foundation was organized by Aboganda with Ernesto A. Forcadilla, Renato A. Forcadilla,