ANAC-IP Rep. Jose T. Panganiban, Jr. who is also the chairman of the House committee on agriculture, is urging the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to explore ways to maximize the use Diwata 2, the country’s second microsatellite to help farmers, saying government should leverage technology to help boost its agricultural programs.
Diwata 2 was launched into space from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan late last month.
The microsatellite is able to capture images with high location accuracy using a locally-made satellite orientation module.
“What is lacking is the downloading of this knowledge so that our farmers can benefit from it.”
“Ngayon pa lang siguro dapat gumawa na tayo ng team na magpa-plano kung paano natin magagamit ang images ng Diwata 1 and 2,” said Panganiban, who said that the efforts to establish a presence in space could be a game-changer in the country’s development goals.
Efforts at weather tracking, disaster mitigation, agricultural mapping, communications, and national defense would benefit greatly from the accurate images the microsatellite could provide, added the solon.
“The prospects of improving our agricultural productivity by using the satellites is truly exciting, and I hope that we will not miss the opportunities opened to us,” Panganiban said.
Panganiban also said that many Filipino researchers are already exploring the use of satellites for precision agriculture.
“Perhaps the DA can work with their counterparts at the DOST to make the most of the assets available to us.”
The country already has the capability to forecast the occurrence of drought, and the ideal period and areas for better crop yields, among others, he said.
“What is lacking is the downloading of this knowledge so that our farmers can benefit from it. In this regard, perhaps the DA can work with their counterparts at the DOST to make the most of the assets available to us.”
