THE Philippines is banking on space technology to sharpen its disaster response and strengthen data-driven governance as it hosts the 31st Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), the region’s largest annual space gathering.
Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Deputy Director General Gay Jane Perez told the media on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, that the forum comes at a crucial time for the country, which has been battered by increasingly severe typhoons, floods and climate-driven hazards.
“Space gives us this unique vantage point where it can have nationwide coverage and take measurements remotely from hard-to-reach areas,” Perez said.
The forum was held in Shangri-La Mactan, Lapu-lapu City, Cebu.
“Next time, we can plan better, we can respond faster. These are the things that we want to do,” she said.
Perez said the weeklong engagement allows the Philippines to tap into regional knowledge, emerging technologies and global best practices.
Satellite data — when paired with ground information — “becomes very powerful” for disaster response, agriculture and governance, she added.
A major highlight of the forum was the attendance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who emphasized the administration’s next flagship satellite mission: the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment (Mula), the country’s largest satellite to date. Mula’s capabilities will aid agriculture, environmental monitoring and disaster risk reduction.
In his speech, Marcos said space technology must be harnessed to directly benefit communities vulnerable to climate and disaster risks.
“Space must serve the people,” said Marcos, adding that satellite data and space-enabled tools are now essential to governance, environmental protection and disaster resilience.
Marcos highlighted PhilSA’s efforts to supply agencies with satellite-based information and cited the development of the Mula satellite, which he described as “the country’s largest Earth observation satellite.”
He also pointed to partnerships such as the Copernicus Data Centre, as the Philippines must “ensure that outer space remains a domain of responsible stewardship.”
New technologies, risks
Delegates reported updates from APRSAF’s five working groups: space applications, space frontier, space education for all, space policy and law and the space industry sector.
Perez pointed to ongoing projects such as CH4RISE, which tracks methane emissions from agriculture.
“Farming practices, unfortunately, also generate a lot of carbon emissions. So we have to manage that,” she said.
The forum also explored emerging themes—from astronaut wellness and space medicine to cultural initiatives like an “Asian kitchen in space.”
A key priority discussed was space sustainability. With thousands of satellites now in orbit, preventing collisions and protecting national assets has become urgent.
“We need to make sure that our assets are safe. They don’t collide,” Perez said.
New partnerships
PhilSA formalized three new agreements during the event, namely: Star Signal Solutions (Japan), a collaboration on space situational awareness; University of Southern Pennsylvania, a partnership for human resource development; and Space Generation Advisory Council for programs to strengthen space awareness among the youth. / CDF