The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) allowing the DPWH to use space technology for infrastructure monitoring and management.

Under the agreement, the DPWH will utilize satellite imagery and other space-based technologies provided by PhilSA to enhance monitoring, validation, and assessment of infrastructure projects across the country.

Gay Jane P. Peres, Officer-in-Charge of PhilSA, said that the two agencies joined forces “to use satellite imagery in making information on infrastructure projects more accessible and transparent to the public.”

The partnership aims to ensure transparency and efficiency in tracking the progress of public works projects by minimizing the need for on-site inspections.

According to the agencies, the use of satellite data will enable project monitoring that is more accessible to the public, “with minimal or zero human intervention.”

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon emphasized the importance of the partnership, noting that one of the major issues previously discovered in the DPWH was the lack of effective monitoring of infrastructure projects.

"Napaka-importante nito, alam niyo naman isa sa mabibigat na nadiskubre nating problema dito sa DPWH, is 'yung maayos na pagmomonitor ng mga proyekto, kaya naman nakalusot itong ghost project, ito mga lantarang paglilinlang o panloloko sa taumbayan dahil hindi namomonitor ng maigi at ng epektibo ang mga proyekto.

The DPWH chief further said that the collaboration with PhilSA seeks to address this problem by finding more efficient and transparent ways to monitor DPWH projects.