QUEZON CITY, (PIA) –The Philippines will celebrate its first-ever national space week on August 8 to 14, 2023.
This, after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. issued Proclamation No. 302 series of 2023 declaring August 8 to 14 of every year as the Philippine Space Week to promote space awareness, highlight the contribution of Filipinos worldwide in the field of space science, and espouse the value, benefits, and impacts of space science and technology applications (SSTA) on the lives of Filipinos.
Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr. explains the significance of establishing the country’s own space week,
“Space science, technology, and its applications play a vital role in our daily lives. The new knowledge we get from space exploration, the satellites, and the resulting products and services have brought many benefits that we all expect and rely on,” DG Marciano said.
“The declaration of Philippine Space Week and the accompanying annual celebration give importance to the space capabilities we are building and strengthening in our country, along with the contributions of Filipinos in all areas of space science, technology, innovation, policy and cooperation,” DG Marciano added.
“In this first ever Philippine Space Week, as we celebrate the 4th anniversary of the Philippine Space Act and the establishment of the Philippine Space Policy and the Philippine Space Agency, let’s come together and unite under the theme, ‘#YamangKalawakan Tungo sa Maunlad na Kinabukasan’,” DG Marciano further said.
According to the PhilSA chief, “Yamang Kalawakan” refers to space capabilities, resources, and infrastructure, and space as an environment that can be utilized for the benefit of the Filipino people.
The theme stresses the significance of opportunities in the global space economy that the Philippines can seize and develop to enable lasting progress and prosperity. (philsa/pia-ncr)
