SPACE exploration has long been thought of as the domain of rich, technologically advanced nations. It wasn’t long ago that the space race was only between the United States and the Soviet Union. Now, 13 countries are already able to develop and successfully launch space-going rockets using

their homegrown technology, including the United States, Japan, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Ukraine, Iran, Russia, Israel, North Korea and South Korea. Meanwhile, there are six international agencies and 68 countries that have their own space agencies.

While we may not be as rich or technologically advanced, it is heartening to know that we now have our very own government body dedicated to space science and technology and its various applications.

The Philippine Science Agency (PhilSA) is a nascent agency under the Office of the President. It was established only in 2019 through Republic Act 11363, or the “Philippine Space Act.” Using the Philippine Space Development and Utilization Policy or the Philippine Space Policy as its road map, PhilSA shall achieve the country’s goal of becoming “space-capable” and “a space-faring nation” within the next decade.

This was a welcome development, considering that there was no centralized agency for our budding space program. There was also the issue of insufficient funding. Previously, the country’s first satellites were produced by the University of the Philippines’ engineering faculty and researchers in partnership with Japanese universities and funded by the Department of Science and Technology.

While space-faring sounds like shooting for the stars, spacecapable is what we must truly aim for. PhilSA’s more grounded, practical tasks are within the scope of national security and development and hazard management and climate studies.

Through PhilSA, the country “will focus on space applications that can preserve and enhance the country’s national security and promote development that is beneficial to all Filipinos.” It will also lead in developing and utilizing science and technology “applications to enhance its hazard management and disaster mitigation strategy as well as ensure the nation’s resiliency to climate change.”

In performing its mandate, PhilSA will undoubtedly be put to the test given the various challenges in the West Philippine Sea. It will also be pivotal in providing information relative to the worsening effects of climate change in the country. Cognizant of these challenges, the budget of PhilSA under President Marcos Jr.’s administration increased from P179.404 million in 2022 to P847.658 million in 2023. For 2024, its proposed budget is P1.642 billion, which saw an increase of 51.5 percent. This demonstrates a commitment of support for space science and technology and research and development.

President Marcos encouraged “promoting a deeper understanding of space science” and “applying research-based approaches to build a resilient, progressive, and sustainable future” in his message for the Philippine Space Week.

True to its objectives, PhilSA was recently able to track the debris from North Korea’s space rocket Chollima-1 falling near Samar. We now have different means to monitor what’s coming to our territory.

UP professor emeritus Randolf David once said, “Merely transplanting modern institutions onto another society does not automatically make that society modern. It does not create conditions to make these institutions work.” This is why we need to continuously support and enable our very own research and development capabilities, especially the talented pool of human resources working towards innovations.

It is high time to maximize space technology as a tool in public administration. Our plans and policies on the environment, disaster response and resilience, and national security and foreign affairs should now be more informed by the data harnessed by PhilSA.

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I thank the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) for reaching out as regards my previous column, “The ugly truth behind cults” (The Manila Times, Oct. 17, 2023).

UPF is an international and interreligious network of individuals and organizations and a nongovernment organization dedicated to peace-building. It is an affiliate organization of the Unification Church.

UPF’s Dr. Robert Kittle shared with me developments in peacebuilding, marriage and family, and youth and service. They also conduct various education and advocacy activities and award individuals who have made a significant impact in peace and diplomatic endeavors.

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