Manila, Philippines– A Philippine Space Agency may soon be in place and provide opportunities for Filipinos to explore space.
Senators have passed the Philippine Space Act on third and final reading with an 18-0 vote in favor.
The agency will be tasked to plan, develop and promote the national space program.
The House of Representatives passed the same bill last December.
If signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, t a 30-hectare land in Clark, Pampanga will be set aside to for the space program.
An initial funding of Php 2 billion a year will be appropriated for the program’s first five years. The fund will come from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCor), among other sources.
The new agency will receive ₱2 billion a year in the first five years of the effectivity of the law. This will be sourced from the income of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
The PhilSA will also be given ₱1 billion from the national budget as its initial operating fund.
If signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, the PhilSA will absorb the functions of the Philippines Space Science Education Program of the Science Education Institute, which is currently under the Department of Science and Technology.
