Officials of PhilSA and their partner agencies answer questions from the press during the launch of Philippine Space Week. PhilSA and its partners inked agreements promoting value creation in space.
(From L-R) DOST-ASTI Chief Science Research Specialist Engr. Alvin Retamar, LBP Senior Vice President Elcid Pangilinan, DBM Undersecretary Maria Francesca Del Rosario, PhilSA Director General Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr., MinDA Secretary Maria Belen Acosta, DA-BFAR Assistant Director Isidro Velayo, Jr., PhilSA Deputy Director General Dr. Gay Jane P. Perez, and PhilSA Director Dr. Ariel C. Blanco.
(08 August 2023, Quezon City) The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) opens the Philippine Space Week[TZ1] celebrations with the signing of five (5) landmark agreements envisioned to deepen space data acquisition and the use of space science and technology applications for value creation. This vision is in line with PhilSA’s fourth year anniversary theme, Yamang Kalawakan tungo sa Maunlad na Kinabukasan.
PhilSA inked formal agreements with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
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Monitoring government-funded projects from space
DBM Undersecretary Maria Francesca del Rosario and PhilSA Director General Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr. lead the agreement signing on the DIME project
PhilSA and DBM signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the “Digital Information for Monitoring and Evaluation,” or DIME project. This initiative is expected to improve the monitoring of government property and government-funded infrastructure projects with the use of data and images from satellites processed and made available by PhilSA. This would reduce costly on-ground efforts such as field-based validation activities and would ensure the proper use and expenditure of public funds.
“We wanted to highlight the importance of what PhilSA can offer to the country and to good governance. What we wanted to fulfill in this project is for the public to use space science and technology for them to know whether the government projects and programs are properly implemented in the areas where they are supposed to be implemented. For example, farm-to-market roads, school buildings, and so on. We can leverage on space science and technology and provide good governance for the public to have this sense of comfort that public funds are being used properly,” Budget Undersecretary Ma. Francesca del Rosario explained.
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Space R&D for financial applications
Engr. Alvin Retamar of the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science Institute, Senior Vice President Elcid Pangilinan of Land Bank of the Philippines, and Director General Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr. of the Philippine Space Agency sign the tripartite memorandum of understanding for scientific and technological research collaboration on the use of space data and analytics for financial applications
PhilSA, LBP, and DOST-ASTI signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in scientific and technological research on the use of space data and analytics for financial applications. Areas of cooperation among the three agencies include: the development and utilization of space-related technologies for financial applications; the conduct of joint research and exchange of information necessary for the research undertaking; organization of training symposia or similar activities; sharing of technological resources, and; other areas that may be mutually identified and agreed upon by the parties.
“I am inspired by the boundless potential that lies ahead of our partnerships. These collaborations not only enhance our individual capabilities but also amplify our collective impact in the society and the communities that we serve. DOST-ASTI commits to supporting this undertaking within the bounds of our mandate, that is, the science and technology infrastructure that we run, which exists to support national initiatives that drive groundbreaking discoveries and further revolutionize the landscape of space science and technology in the Philippines,” DOST-ASTI Chief Science Research Specialist Engr. Alvin Retamar said.
“Through this partnership, we look into enhancing our capabilities to roll out more effective lending strategies for the agriculture sector by leveraging on the latest advancements in geospatial technologies and data analytics tools. This is very much aligned with LandBank’s efforts to intensify our support to the sector by streamlining our processes and providing improved services through innovations,” LandBank Senior Vice President Elcid Pangilinan said.