The Philippines is in an unenviable status of being a disaster-prone country and in a problematic environmental situation as highlighted by being the world’s third largest plastics polluter. There is no doubt the country needs all the help that it can get to address these challenging issues.
Fortunately, the country is now on the road to level-up its space program to be able to help address these current challenges.
Officials from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the European Union (EU) launched the Copernicus Capacity Support Action Programme for the Philippines (CopPhil) at a hotel in Pasay City on April 24.
Worth approximately P610 million, or €10 million, the first space cooperation program in Southeast Asia is expected to help Philippine authorities develop national systems to make use of EU’s earth observation’s satellites data in the country’s disaster mitigation, climate change adaptation and food security strategies.
Copernicus, the EU’s earth observation flagship program, provides free environment and climate obtained data from a constellation of satellites called Sentinels, which monitor the Earth and its several ecosystems on a 24-hour daily basis.
Moreover, the free information aims to assist the government, the private sector and the international organizations manage climate change impacts and build a sustainable future for all.
During the launch, Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. welcomed Copernicus and the Copernicus program in the Philippines as “a long-awaited cooperation on an innovative system that will provide the [country’s] new opportunities to develop earth observation applications for disaster risk reduction and management, environmental protection and climate change adaptation”.
PhilSA Director General Joel Marciano Jr. said, “The agency welcomes this partnership with the European Union, saying that it will strengthen the domestic space value chain, particularly the ability to process and use satellite images and space-borne data to better manage, and protect our environment and natural resources, and be better prepared in the face of disasters and climate change”.
European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Véron said the Philippines is an obvious candidate for the program because of its various experiences in climate change mitigation.
“The Copernicus program for the Philippines is a pioneer initiative in Asia and Asia Pacific and a starting point for a larger program on Digital Connectivity. The program will enhance capacities for a stronger and more shock-resilient Filipino economy and society,” Veron said.
“In the long term the European Union is exploring the possibility to create a network of Copernicus partners in the Asean region aside from other parts of the world,” Veron explained.
“The uptake of innovative technologies, such as Copernicus, will trigger growth, jobs and modernization of digital infrastructures that can be used in many sectors in the Philippines,” he added.
Dr. Benjamin Koetz, head of sustainable initiatives office of the European Space Agency, said the Philippines will benefit from CopPhil as Copernicus is the largest producer of earth observation data in the world.
Through its Sentinel satellites, Copernicus produces 25 terabytes of data production daily, Koetz said.
“It will enhance the capabilities of the DOST and the PhilSA in responding to the challenges of climate change and disaster risk and recovery management,” he said.
“Copernicus will also provide connectivity between the Philippines and the Association of Southeast Nations to study climate change and other issues,” Koetz added.
Copernicus’s satellite images have already helped the Philippines monitor the situation of remote communities in the aftermath of typhoons, such as “Odette” in December 2021, or accidents like an oil spill to help authorities plan their disaster preparedness plans and mitigation programmes.
Solidum acknowledged the need for such “one-of-a-kind” technology, as the Philippines has been constantly confronted with climate and disaster risks, which create natural, environmental and biological hazards.
Being frequently exposed and vulnerable to the impact of these risks, he said the country has implemented a resilience and adaptation agenda to handle these challenges.
At the same time, the DOST chief pointed out that space technology could be harnessed to future-proof the country’s economic and development gains.
“CopPhil will develop and leverage our own space and science technology applications to strengthen the nation’s resilience to disasters, climate change and manage our environment better,” he said.
Solidum said the administration of President Marcos Jr has given its all-out support and generosity to the partnership with the European Union for the development of space and technology in the country by providing sufficient funds to undertake research and development in activities to manage and mitigate the risks that threaten the country.
“We are one with him [Marcos] in appreciating and recognizing this partnership with the European Union which will help and continue to help us in developing and applying space innovations to enhance the country’s resilience,” the DOST leader said..
“This high-level statement from our president reaffirms the Philippines and European Union’s strong bilateral cooperation not only in the field of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation but also with other countries’ desire through enhanced cooperation and international stability in order to attain social and economic development,” Solidum pointed out.
PhilSA’s Marciano said value creation is one of the main tasks of the organization as it will help play a huge role in mapping the potential wealth that can be extracted from the country’s natural resources.
“[Besides] saving lives, science will also help in creating wealth for the country,” Marciano said.
Space capabilities are recognized in the Philippine Development Plan from 2022 to 2028, Marciano pointed out.
He added that PhilSA can share the information to government departments like in agriculture, and environment and natural resources.
Meanwhile, Solidum recognized that CopPhil will boost the country’s hazard assessment and information capabilities to monitor certain places in the country.
He said the partnership with the EU can help assess the country’s food security by helping monitor the production of crops and monitor the hazards during typhoons, floods, strong winds and El Niño.
“We can also see now the important relationship between the economy and the environment,” Solidum pointed out.
Image credits: Thelma Gecolea, EU Delegation