Space-based technology such as satellites are vital in strengthening the maritime security and disaster-mitigation in the country, officials from the Philippine Navy, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resource said.
The officials made the statement during the first space cooperation conference organized by the Stratbase Institute in partnership with the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines and the Philippine Space Agency.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the Dark Vessel Detection system, Canada’s satellite program that has been used in the Philippines since November last year, has helped the Navy get vital information that are crucial in safeguarding the country’s maritime domain.
“The impact has been significant considering that our response capability is now focused on actionable information,” Trinidad said.
“With all the information, not only from Canadian friends, but all other sources that we sift through, and transform the information to intelligence, then we could preserve our response capabilities only when they are needed. And we expect this to improve as we get more capabilities to be able to see what’s out there,” he added.
Through an agreement with the Canadian government, the Philippine Navy has been using the Dark Vessel Detection System which allowed them to track ships that are conducting illegal activities in Philippine waters even if they turned off their location transmitting devices to avoid surveillance.
Canadian Embassy in the Philippines’ political and public affairs head Colin Townson said the dark vessel system helps the government become more efficient and make better investments by focusing its resources to where the critical problems and challenges are.
“Data last month [showed] it [dark vessel detection system] contributed directly to 60 percent fuel savings in the BFAR region… It has been used for search and rescue, to save human lives, and, of course, to monitor and track Philippine fisheries. So, that’s kind of where our starting point is in the Dark Vessel Detection Program,” Townson said.
“What we’ve done on dark vessel detection was phase one… In the next seven weeks, we will move to phase 2 and we will begin deploying and training operators through the Visayas and Mindanao to expand the number of operators who are able to work with the system and will also be bringing on additional agencies as partners with access to the system,” he added.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director and Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said satellite-based solutions are vital to leapfrog the capability of the country in managing disasters.
“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 whole-of-government approach in managing disasters,” he said.
Environment Undersecretary Carlos Primo David said they have been using satellite technology in mapping the country’s natural resources.
“In our experience in DENR, the use of satellite imagery actually makes our work cost effective… We are rich in natural resources. How do we utilize this for economic development and progress in our community? The very, very first step is to map out where our resources are,” he said.
Stratbase Institute President Dindo Manhit urged the government to collaborate more with like-minded nations like Canada.
“This is an industry that warrants attention especially in the wake of rapid technological advancements. It is our hope that this conference would be the start of discussions on the relevance of space science and technology applications across different sectors,” he said.
“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 added.
