In December 2018, the Philippines House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 8541, or the Philippine Space Development Act, designed to help beef up the country’s development of space technologies, applications and a more secure and independent space access.
The bill aims to create a central government agency called Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) which will be under the Department of Science and Technology (DoST). According to the explanatory note of the bill going to the Senate, the PhilSA will be responsible for developing space science technology policies, implementing research and education programs, and establishing industry linkages between private and public sector stakeholders. It will also be the Philippines’ representation for international space agreements and arbitrations.
PhilSA’s headquarter will be housed on 30 hectare of land, which are under the administration of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority within the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga and Tarlac.
The bill also requires establishing a Philippine Space Development and Utilization Policy (PSDUP), a roadmap that would enable the country to be a globally capable nation on space front.
(Source: Philippine News Agency; Manila Bulletin)
