The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) proposed a resolution designating every Aug. 8 to 14 of each year as celebration of the National Space Week or "Pambansang Linggo ng Kalawakan".
"The national space week will promote space awareness, espouse the benefits of space and its impact on the lives of our countrymen, celebrate the contribution of Filipinos worldwide in the field of space, and be a vehicle of inspiration for future generations," said PhilSA Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr. during the 6th Philippine Space Council (PSC) meeting on Dec. 19.
These dates also coincide with the approval of the Philippine Space Act on August 9, 2019, Marciano said.
PhilSA said that it will formally submit a memorandum to the Office of the President and ask for input from PSC members.
"The council is expected to act on the proposal in its next meeting in 2023," the agency added.
The inaugural meeting was hosted by PhilSA and led by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. as the new chair of the advisory body.
Marcos said in the meeting that he is impressed with how the country's space technologies assist the work of other government agencies in the environment, agriculture, and national security sectors.
"The quality of data we are getting from our satellites (and satellite subscriptions) are extremely useful," Marcos said in a PhilSA report.
PhilSA noted that among its powers and functions are "improved public access and resource-sharing" which helps other public and private offices fulfill their mandates.
Moreover, Marcos also instructed the space agency to make sure that the data collected through these technologies are readily available for the mapping of the country's bio-assets.
"In terms of green, in terms of bio-assets, there is now a way to quantify your nice fisheries, your agricultural activity.... It is in terms of how much carbon you’re putting out into the air. But the beginning, the first step of that, will be to map," he said.
Marcos and the PSC officials also visited a space satellite exhibition created by the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology in partnership with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development.