The Aerospace Program of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) has provided internet connectivity to some communities in Mindanao.
The program, which AdDU started offering in 2018, has partnered with communities and schools by connecting them to the internet.
“One of our work is to demystify space because for Filipinos, sometimes when you talk about space, it’s literally out of this world. But when we talk about space or aerospace engineering we focus more on the different techniques such as space crafts, satellites, and aircraft that can provide a lot of benefits here on earth. With the single communication satellite, you can reach any part of the earth so any part of the Philippines can be connected for example the internet using the communication satellite and this is what we have been doing in the Access Mindanao Program since 2020,” said Dr. Rogel Sese, chair of the Aerospace Engineering Department of ADDU, during Wednesdays at Habi at Kape media forum.
In 2020, AdDU, in partnership with other academic institutions, government agencies, and private institutions, launched AdDU Community Connectivity Empowered by Satellite Service for Mindanao (ACCESS Mindanao) to provide alternative solutions using satellite technology to address the problem of online connectivity, democratize access to the internet, and improve the quality of life for people in Mindanao.
“Amid the pandemic when we shifted to online we know that here in Mindanao we have a lot of communities and areas that are isolated and are not connected to the internet mainly due to the lack of infrastructure like cell towers or fiber optic network but these communities also need connectivity so that they can continue their day-to-day operation when we shifted to online activities. So instead of waiting for months or years for them to be connected, we utilized satellite technology to connect schools, communities, hospitals all over Mindanao,” Sese said.
AdDU has sites all over Mindanao from Dinagat Island down to Basilan and Tawi Tawi.
“Wherein in a matter of one or two days we connected a school to the internet and this enable them to continue their education thru online means and enabled administrators also to submit reports to DepEd and teachers to receive trainings. We provided that level of connectivity to very important communities,” Sese said.
This was very evident also in AdDU’s Dinagat Island site wherein when Super Typhoon Odette struck the island, all the network telecommunication infrastructures were devastated except its lone site in the town of Tubajon wherein they were able to maintain their connectivity because it is independent of the local and ground-based telcos.
“Even if the ground base telcos are down, using satellite internet or satellite connectivity they can still have that level of access. So, this serves as a lifeline to them,” Sese said.
Sese said whenever they go to a community to bring the satellite to a particular school or area, they install the satellite antenna and leave it at that.
“We take time in what we are doing social preparation because we want to be inclusive in terms of the development. We take time into explaining to them what is this technology, how can they use it, what would they gain or what would they benefit from it so that they will have a sense of ownership. We do this in all the communities including the IP communities and the Islamic communities we partnered with. Even up to now, we have these communities that continue because they feel that it is their own,” he said.
AdDU is the only major university in the country that is offering a complete aerospace engineering program. It covers both the aeronautical side, which is more on aviation and the astronautical side that is more on space.
Sese said in the past four or five years since the program has been in existence, AdDU has had a very good number of students enrolling in the program. Currently, there are 135 enrolled students from the first year to the fourth year.
It has the first batch of graduates last year consist of six students and this year the expected second batch of graduates is 15.
“The students will be exposed not only to the academic side but also to the industry side. They have subjects focusing on aircraft design, spacecraft design, materials development, and rocket development,” Sese said.
