Technologies identified under the Philippines’ Pagtanaw 2050 science and technology foresight plan are beginning to take shape in areas ranging from satellite applications and smart agriculture to advanced manufacturing and electric mobility.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will assess the progress of the long-term plan during the 2026 National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW), as the government examines how technologies envisioned under the roadmap have moved into actual deployment.
The National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines (NAST PHL) will lead the forum “Pagtanaw 2050: The Philippine Foresight on Science, Technology, and Innovation” on Nov. 28 at the Greenleaf Hotel in General Santos City.
Pagtanaw 2050 is a 30-year science, technology, and innovation (STI) foresight plan covering 2019 to 2050. It was developed to guide government policy, legislation, budget allocations and research and development investments.
The initiative began following a challenge from former DOST secretary Fortunato de la Peña to NAST PHL and was officially published in September 2021.
“This is firmly grounded in the Filipino people’s aspirations within the context of our natural and physical endowments […] as well as our shared Filipino values and skills, and other potentials as contained in our Constitution and other national institutions,” de la Peña wrote in the plan’s foreword.
Pagtanaw 2050 identifies current, emerging and frontier technologies that could address national challenges including food security, energy, climate resilience, healthcare, digital infrastructure and poverty.
Among the areas covered are artificial intelligence (AI), digital technologies, genomics, smart farming, biomedical technologies, clean energy, space technology, geospatial applications, smart mobility, marine technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Several technologies envisioned in the roadmap are already operational or being deployed.
In space technology, the Philippines established the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) in 2019 and has expanded the use of satellite and remote-sensing data for applications such as disaster risk management, environmental monitoring and weather forecasting.
The country had earlier developed Diwata-1, its first microsatellite designed and built by Filipinos, which was launched in 2016. Satellite imagery from the country’s space programs has been used for environmental monitoring, disaster assessment and other geospatial applications.
Geospatial technology is also being integrated into disaster management. DOST agencies including the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) operate monitoring and early-warning systems using data from seismic, volcanic, weather and other observation networks.
Phivolcs has also developed GeoRiskPH, which combines geospatial information and tools for natural-hazard and risk assessment.
Agriculture is another area where technologies identified in the foresight plan have moved into field deployment.
The Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry (SARAI) program combines satellite data, drone imagery and AI to provide information on crop conditions, microclimates, planting schedules and crop protection. The technology has been deployed in areas including Surigao del Sur.
Advanced manufacturing capabilities have also expanded through DOST’s Metals Industry Research and Development Center and its Advanced Manufacturing Center, or AMCen, which develops and applies additive manufacturing and 3D-printing technologies.
Electric mobility projects supported by DOST include electric tricycles, the c-trike, e-tranvia and electric ferries. Among these is MB Dalaray, a locally developed electric ferry designed for inland waterways.
Pagtanaw 2050 also places the country’s maritime resources and Blue Economy among the areas that could underpin long-term economic development, alongside clean energy, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies.
The roadmap complements existing national and international development frameworks, including AmBisyon Natin 2040, DOST’s Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Several laws supporting the country’s innovation ecosystem have also been enacted, including the Philippine Innovation Act, Innovative Startup Act, Philippine Technology Transfer Act and Balik Scientist Act.
The NSTW forum will examine how far these initiatives have progressed and how emerging technologies can be further incorporated into national development through 2050.
This year’s NSTW carries the theme “Science, Technology, and Digital Innovation: Driving Food Security, Sustainable Energy, and National Resilience.”
