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RP supports use of space tech to address climate change


The Philippines has expressed its support for the use outer space technologies to help deal with disasters and calamities. In a statement delivered at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Permanent Representative to the United Nations Libran Cabactulan shared the Philippine experience in the aftermath of tropical storm Ketsana and typhoon Parma last year. According to Cabactulan, the country benefited from space-based technology through the UN Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER). “We witnessed how useful and effective satellite imagery can be in monitoring the movement of typhoons, especially if such data are sent to vulnerable communities in a timely manner," Cabactulan told members of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. The UN-SPIDER program ensures that countries, as well as international and regional organizations, have access to space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle. The Philippines hosts one of UN-SPIDER’s regional support offices. In his statement, Cabactulan pointed out to the committee that “President Aquino is resolute in reviewing and improving the country’s weather forecasting system to ensure immediate government response." “Cognizant that information is key in planning for any calamity, President Aquino is prioritizing improvements in the dissemination of information, such as finding ways to inform fishermen who cannot afford radio equipment of weather changes so they can immediately go back to shore," he added. Cabactulan also reiterated the Philippines’ call for accurate statistics to aid in disaster reduction. He said the Philippines encourages activities that promote the benefits of space technology especially in the areas of disaster management and climate change. “The Philippines is confident that as we have all come to recognize the usefulness of outer space applications in addressing the climate change challenge, we will be able to find ways and means to make such tools available to all countries that remain, and will continue to be vulnerable to disasters and calamities," Cabactulan said. –VVP, GMANews.TV

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