A decade after the launch of the country’s first microsatellite, Diwata-1, in 2016, the University of the Philippines Diliman's College of Science hosted the launch of a children's book aimed at inspiring the next generation of Filipino space scientists.
The book, titled "Isang Puwang sa Kalawakan: Si Gay Jane Perez at ang Diwata-1" (A Space in the Cosmos: Gay Jane Perez and Diwata-1), was officially unveiled Friday at the college's administrative lobby in Quezon City.
Authored by Palanca Hall of Fame awardee Eugene Y. Evasco and illustrated by Henrick Dulin, the biography chronicles the life of Gay Jane Perez, the ad interim director general of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).
During the panel discussion, Perez shared her unconventional path to physics and satellite engineering, noting the lack of relatable role models during her youth. "I didn't dream of becoming a scientist because I didn't know one," Perez said, translated from Filipino. "I saw them in movies as mad scientists, unbathed, with messy hair."
Perez served as the project scientist for PHL-Microsat-1, or Diwata-1, which was successfully deployed from the International Space Station in April 2016. Speaking on the historical weight of the project, she said the achievement "marked our entry to the space era, making the Philippines an officially spacefaring nation."
Filling up spaces, not just in the cosmos
When asked what other "puwang" or gaps they wish to fill in the country, the creators shared their respective advocacies.
Evasco advocated for better resources for early education. "I want to fill the spaces in our public libraries," Evasco said, pointing out that many schools still have meager collections, translated from Filipino. "That is the gap I want to fill... to give the youth the opportunity to glimpse their future."
Evasco also explained the urgency of localizing science communication to ensure young readers see themselves represented in STEM fields.
"I wanted to show the youth a real Filipino woman who reaches such great heights," Evasco said, translated from Filipino.
He added that before the country's recent space endeavors, a Filipino reaching the cosmos was considered a "suntok sa buwan" (punch to the moon) — a local idiom for an impossible dream. Through the book, he wants to tell Filipino children that nothing is impossible.
Perez, meanwhile, advocated for greater scientific involvement in national governance and policy-making.
"The gap I hope we fill is having more scientists help shape our policy," Perez said, translated from Filipino.
Currently holding the rank of a Cabinet secretary and serving as the Presidential Adviser on Space Matters, she noted that integrating scientific expertise into policy formulation remains a critical need for the nation.
The event concluded with a powerful call to action from UP Diliman College of Science Professor Giovanni Tapang, who highlighted the systemic educational barriers in high school mathematics and physics that prevent young girls from pursuing STEM careers. He warned that without intervention, the country risks "cutting off" the potential of thousands of future scientists.
Tapang emphasized that the book, which is part of the Sulong-Agham Children's Books series — a collaborative project between the College of Science and Supling Sining, Inc., aimed at bridging the youth to science and technology — is more than just a celebration of Perez's achievements.
"We are celebrating that there is a space," Tapang said, referring to the book's title, translated from Filipino. "We have the ability to fight for that small space, to expand it, and bring it out into the open for the country."