Phl in the space age

I remember how much I marveled at the spaceships wandering the universe, discovering new frontiers and encountering extraterrestrial beings.

When I was a young child, I had this fascination for science fiction series. I would always wait for that day of the week when “Space 1999” would be aired. For those who do not know that, it was a science fiction series which ran for a good two years from 1975 until 1977. It starred Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. I was always glued to the TV then, and would do my school homework only after watching. I remember too “Star Trek” (the original series) when William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk commanded the Starship Enterprise, together with Leonard Nimoy as the Vulcan science officer Spock. That series also made me stay in front of the TV with full and undivided attention to the series. I did not even want to change the channel during advertisements for fear that I would miss any part of it. Besides, switching channels meant getting up from where I was and moving the rotary switch. Yes, no remote controls yet back then.

It still makes me smile to this day when I recall those days. I remember how much I marveled at the spaceships wandering the universe, discovering new frontiers and encountering extraterrestrial beings. I would be mesmerized by the spaceships the actors travelled in, how advanced and complicated they were and how they traveled at warp speed.

As I grew up, my knowledge about the universe and space also broadened. I learned about NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and its real-life activities, literally outside our world. I found out about countries that actually have their own satellites to help them in their advancement and protect their welfare. And so, I then wondered whether the Philippines would one day have its own space program, and if it would have satellites or even spaceships in outer space, orbiting the earth or beyond in search of other life forms in the vast universe.

And to my pleasant surprise, I came across a very recent law that may well be the seed of what eventually will grow to be a fully developed space program of the Philippines. I am indeed delighted to share with you Republic Act 11363, known as the Philippine Space Act, which was just approved last 8 August 2019.

Under this law, the Philippine counterpart of NASA is created — the Philippine Space Agency. It will carry out the country’s plans in space development. “The Philippine Space Development and Utilization Policy, of the Philippine Space Policy, will serve as the country’s primary strategic roadmap for space development and will embody the country’s central goal of becoming a space-capable and space-faring nation within the next decade. It shall focus on areas of SSTA that would address national issues, promote the efficient utilization of space assets and resources, establish capacity-building measures for human resources development, strengthen national defense, and enhance international cooperation.”(Section 4, RA 11363).

There you have it — the law as the basic framework of the country’s space program. This year thus officially marks the country’s entry into the space race. Well actually, as early as 2016, we already had the Diwata 1, which is the country’s first satellite designed and built by Filipinos. This was followed by Diwata 2 in October 2018.

But the law presently discussed makes the country’s space development plan more concrete and visible. It gives direction. Of course, the plan does not materialize overnight. It will entail years, a decade at the very least probably, for the Philippines to be at par with some countries. But with the passage of RA 11363, there is already this positive step towards this development. The law may just be one small step by the government. But certainly, it is one giant leap for Filipinos. Who knows, with Filipino brilliance and industry, we may just very well find ourselves in the outer space on our own version of the Starship Enterprise. Yes today, it may just be a dream. But tomorrow, it can be reality.