PH boosts security with space tech
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine government officials emphasized that satellites and other space-based technologies are crucial for strengthening the country’s security and disaster mitigation efforts.
During Stratbase Institute’s space cooperation conference held on March 19, experts from the Philippine Navy, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources highlighted the importance of these technologies.
Safeguarding maritime domain
Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, said that Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection System satellite program has been instrumental in safeguarding the Philippines’ maritime domain.
“Through an agreement with the Canadian government, the Philippine Navy has been using the Dark Vessel Detection System and has allowed them to track ships conducting illegal activities in Philippine waters even if they turned off their location transmitting devices to avoid surveillance,” Trinidad said during the forum.
Managing disasters
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director and Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said that satellite-based technologies are vital for improving the country’s disaster management capabilities.
“So the role of digital solutions, specifically satellite-based solutions, will be vital to leapfrog the capability of the country, not only the Civil Defense office but the entire… what we say, the whole-of-government approach in managing disasters,” Nepomuceno explained.
Mapping natural resources
Environment Undersecretary Carlos Primo David mentioned that their agency has been using satellite technology to map out the Philippines’ natural resources.
“With 10 people in our team and the whole country to map out, there’s absolutely no way to do that, except that if we use satellite imagery. So for us, it’s cost-effective. And the next step there really is leveraging on this technology for progress and economic development that comes after all this mapping has taken place,” David said.
More partnerships
Hearing these arguments, Stratbase Institute President Dindo Manhit urged the Philippine government to pursue more partnerships in this field.
In a statement issued on Friday, he particularly noted that “it is an industry that warrants attention.”
“We at Stratbase believe in looking beyond the present and seeing not only risks but opportunities as well. In the sector of space, the areas for new industries, collaboration with different countries, and economic potential for Philippine society at large are as vast as space itself,” Manhit said.
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