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Philippine National Security

The concept of national security has changed, evolved, and expanded in immense ways over time. No longer
does it exclusively refer to the traditional notions of internal and external defense, but now also encompasses
virtually every aspect of national life and nation-building. It is anchored on three major pillars:
1. The first pillar is safeguarding the Philippines’ national unity, its democracy, and its social institutions. The
most important foundation of national unity is that all citizens share one national identity that is, being
Filipinos regardless of their ethnic, religious, cultural, and ideological orientations.
2. The second pillar of national security is ensuring the security of the State and preserving and protecting its
sovereignty, territorial integrity, and institutions.
3. The third pillar is the protection of properties, infrastructures and keeping the people safe from all forms of
threats, both here and abroad, and to the extent possible, creating jobs in order to bring back home
overseas Filipino workers where their physical safety can be fully guaranteed by our Government.
The Government envisions a Philippines that by 2022 shall become “a secure and prosperous nation wherein
the people’s welfare, well-being, ways of life and core values; government and its institutions; territorial integrity
and sovereignty are protected and enhanced and confident of its place in the community of nations.”
The National Security Interests
1. Public Safety, Law and Order and Justice
The most fundamental duties of the State are to ensure public safety, maintain law and order, and dispense
social justice within the purview of the constitutionally enshrined principles of democracy, rule of law, and
respect for human rights.
2. Socio-Political Stability
This is a condition where peace prevails even in diversity and where cooperation and support exists between
the Government and the people under an atmosphere of mutual respect and empathy, bound by a strong
notion of nationhood and a sense of duty to respect the rule of law and serve the common good.
3. Economic Solidarity and Sustainable Development
Reducing poverty and income gaps, creating equal economic opportunities for all, and distributing the fruits
of development to the broadest segments of society are key objectives of the desired economic growth and
national security outcomes.
4. Territorial Integrity
This condition ensures that the territory of the country is intact and inviolable, and under the effective control
and jurisdiction of the Philippine Government. This includes the right of the Philippine government to protect
and defend all land, marine and sub-marine features and resources within its territory from invasion and illegal
incursions and resource exploitation.
5. Ecological Balance
The Philippines must be able to maximize the rewards of its rich natural resources while at the same time
conserving and protecting these finite resources for the sake of the future generation.
6. Cultural Cohesiveness
National unity is an essential cornerstone of nationhood and national survival. The Government must continue
to fully harness these attributes and values system in order to strengthen the Filipino family
7. Moral and Spiritual Consensus
It speaks of moral and spiritual consensus among Filipinos on the wisdom and righteousness of the national
vision, as enunciated by the country’s leadership. It presupposes the people’s trust and confidence in the
Government’s commitment and capability to lead the nation toward this desired national vision.
8. International Peace and Cooperation
The security of the state is best enhanced through the pursuit of amity cooperation with all nations and
partnership with like-minded countries and strategic partners.

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The National Security Challenges

The national security sector needs to give focused attention to several major internal and external issues and
challenges confronting the Philippine society.
• Internal Environment
1. Law and Order and Administration of Justice
- The Philippines has grappled for years with a serious peace and order problem. The national crime
rate, considered as one of the highest in Southeast and East Asia, has posed a significant deterrent to
investments as well as constrained the country’s overall development potential.
- While the number of reported crimes has been rising, the ability of the police to solve crime has
decreased. The twin scourge of corruption and patronage politics plaguing law enforcement institutions
and Government sector as a whole has made it extremely hard, to bring the crime rate down.
- This has amplified the need to undertake crucial reforms aimed at cleansing and strengthening the five
pillars of the criminal justice, namely: law enforcement, the courts, prosecution, correctional institutions,
and the community.
- The Philippines’ growing illegal drugs problem in particular needs a determined and proactive solution.
Successive researches and pertinent crime statistics in the Philippines show a strong and direct
correlation between crimes, especially serious or violent ones, and drug abuse.
2. Internal Armed Conflicts
- The communist rebellion being waged by the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing,
the New People’s Army (NPA), continues to pose serious peace and order problems in the country.
- The Muslim separatist struggle being waged by non-state armed groups and extremist movements
remains a major source of instability in resource-rich but impoverished parts of southern Philippines (or
Mindanao).
- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is the largest and most organized of the myriad radical groups
operating in Mindanao.
3. Terrorism and Transnational Crimes
- The Philippines faces continuing threats from terrorism, both of foreign and domestic origin.
- The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) which is an extremist organization known for its bandit-like tactics and
notorious for beheadings and kidnap-for-ransom activities in Mindanao, remains as the foremost terror
group actively inflicting severe socio-political and economic disruptions.
- ASG along with its affiliates, such as the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM),
has a long-term intention of waging jihadist against non-Muslims.
- Other local terrorist groups such as the Ansar al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP), Maute Group, Bangsamoro
Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and Daesh-inspired entities have the potential to inflict various forms of violent
attacks not only in Mindanao but also in any part of the Philippines.
- Meanwhile, the problem of transnational crimes has become more pressing. Given its archipelagic
attributes, the Philippines’ borders are porous and vulnerable to the activities of international crime
syndicates. These illegal transborder activities include: drug trafficking; human trafficking of children,
women, illegal migrants and labor; illegal fishing/poaching; arms smuggling; and monetary laundering.
4. Economic and Social Threats
- Poverty remains pervasive and is not expected to change significantly in the near future. As the
population continues to grow, more Filipinos are expected to join the ranks of the poor so long as the
poverty rate remains largely unchanged.
- Income inequality between the rich and the poor and between urban and rural areas has remained high
and will likely persist in the near future
- Different levels of economic and social development, along with the demographic pressures, cause
hunger and malnutrition, homelessness, and larger migrations of people from rural to urban areas.
- Demographic migrations, in addition to social problems and with the growth of crime, can lead to
increased instability and insecurity.
- Infectious diseases are also on the rise particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired
immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
• External Environment
1. Overlapping Territorial Claims and Maritime Domain Issues
- The country needs to address the disputes concerning maritime boundaries as they affect a complex range
of national security concerns as well as threaten regional peace and stability.

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- The Philippines must ensure good order within its sea boundaries and develop appropriate maritime domain
awareness and response force capability to address the presence of hostile forces at sea, pirates, terrorists,
traffickers, illegal fishers, and other environmental transgressors.
- The Philippines must also protect the nation’s maritime interests in the Benham Rise and Batanes islands
in the North, and the ZambaSulTa and Bongao islands in the Southern Philippines.
- The dispute over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) remains to be the foremost security challenge to the
Philippines’ sovereignty and territorial integrity
2. Global and Regional Geopolitical Issues
In addition to the WPS issue, there are other inter- and intra-states flashpoints of immediate concern to the
Philippines. These include the intensifying conflicts in the Middle East and Africa (MENA region), persisting
tension in the Korean Peninsula, unresolved territorial disputes in Northeast and Southeast-Asia, unsettled
Sabah issue, China-Taiwan conflict, and other power rivalries where the hegemony of the United States is
contested and threatened.
I. United States
The United States remains as the only superpower in the world today and maintains its strategic presence
around the globe. In the Asia Pacific region, the US strengthens the sphere of influence through the
“pivot/rebalance policy” and has sought to improve its military standing through the introduction of more
sophisticated weapons systems, in the improvement of basing facilities and in the alliance and multilateral
network it has set up among its regional partners. The US remains as our sole defense treaty ally.
II. China
With China’s rise as the world’s second largest economy, surpassing Japan, attention has focused
towards its direction due to its large population, large territory and vast natural resources, rapid industrial
and technological breakthroughs, and unparalleled economic growth. The rise of China generates policy
concerns not only among developed countries such as the US, Japan and Korea, but also among the
ASEAN nations due to socio-cultural interactions, significant trade and investments, as well as territorial
claims in the WPS. China’s more active presence in the WPS is motivated by the growing need for food
sources, increasing demand for energy resources, and renewed stirrings of nationalism.
III. ASEAN
There are existing border disputes among the member-states of ASEAN, but the organization has
consistently upheld the principles of consultation and consensus as its norm in resolving inter-states
misunderstanding and conflicts.
IV. Japan
Japan remains as an economic power house in Asia and the new security challenges confronting it induce
Tokyo to seek closer security relations with other regional states. Their pacifist constitution is a product
of its experience in World War II as well as the continuing security umbrella the US has been providing
it. Japan has entered into a strengthened strategic partnership with the Philippines aimed at boosting
political, security and defense ties and cooperation between the two countries.
V. Other Regional Players
Other extra-regional powers such as South Korea, Australia, Russia, and India as members of the East
Asia Summit (EAS) are also crucial in contributing to the peace, stability and prosperity of the East Asian
Region.
3. Global Uncertainties and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
I. Increased Global Economic Uncertainties
While the world has so far averted a full-blown economic crisis, the present trends show that the potential
for global economic recessions has increased significantly. The slowdown in major economies of the
world such as the US, China and the European Union will have an impact on virtually every country in
the world including the Philippines.
II. Global Security Issues and Welfare of OFWs
- Conflicts abroad and other emerging global security threats pose a direct danger to overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs), who contribute significantly to the national economy, accounting for most of the
country’s net factor income from abroad (NFIA) through their remittances
- The Government must exert continuing effort to promote and protect the rights and welfare of our OFWs,
particularly victims of illegal recruitment, human trafficking, ill-treatment and unfair labor practices, among
others.

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III. Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

- Rapid technological advancements and greater access to scientific knowledge are changing the face
of the world in unimagined ways. Scientific and technological breakthroughs are creating wealth and
progress everywhere, but are also spawning new and increasingly dangerous triggers for global
insecurity.
- Among the most serious of these threats is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs),
which has come to occupy center stage in international politics.
- WMDs are classified into three major types: nuclear weapons, chemical warfare agents, and biological
warfare agents.
- Nine nations are currently in possession of such WMDs – Britain, China, France, India, Israel
(assumed), North Korea (claimed), Pakistan, Russia, and the United States – and a number of states
are believed to possess chemical and/or biological warfare agents.
4. Other Strategic Issues and Challenges
I. Rising Threat of Cybercrime
The latest report by PricewaterhouseCoopers’s (PWC) Global Economic Crime Survey revealed that
cybercrime is today’s fastest rising economic crime. Expounding on the nature of cyber crime, Interpol
said that more and more criminals are exploiting the speed, convenience and anonymity of the Internet
to commit a wide range of criminal activities that know no borders, either physical or virtual, cause
serious harm and pose very real threats to victims worldwide.
II. Climate Change
Scientific studies show that the Philippines is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In its
most recent assessment, the Inter-Governmental Panel for Climate Change stressed that the rising
global temperature has already impacted on the climate threshold of the earth. For the Philippines, the
findings predicted that we will experience extreme maximum and minimum temperatures, more frequent
intense rains, and more disastrous tropical cyclones (e.g. Typhoon Haiyan) with average of 22 typhoons
per year.
The possibility of El Niño weather episodes will also increase. According to a 2015 study funded by the
US Agency for International Development, every single major city in the Philippines is expected to face
some form of water shortage by 2025.
III. Institutional Concerns
Other urgent concerns include much-needed reforms in the security and judicial sectors with emphasis
on the following: modernizing and professionalizing the armed services; strengthening the judicial
system; strengthening legislative oversight on security agencies; and improving the national security
and intelligence community.

The 12-Point National Security Agenda

The Government shall endeavor to unify all efforts that will open the door for greater progress and enhance the
well-being of Filipinos. Collective actions shall be promoted to pursue and advance the 12-point National
Security Agenda summarized as follows:
1. Human and Political Security
Effectively respond to the complexity of both old and new security threats to the safety, welfare and well-
being of Filipinos. It is an important element to protect the core of human lives and institutions in ways that
enhance peace, unity, freedom, democracy and people’s dignity.
2. Health Security
Enhance the quality of life of Filipinos by preventing and mitigating the effects of infectious diseases as well
as interdicting illegal and hazardous agents (e.g. chemical, biological and radiological contrabands) including
illegal drugs that destroy the future generations of Filipinos.
3. Economic and Financial Security
Harness science and technology for global competitiveness, level the economic playing field, promote multi-
resource economy that guarantees the interests of the next generation, develop infrastructure and tourism
attractiveness, and enable our people to innovate and upgrade their capabilities to protect their livelihood
and resources. Pursue the development of financial institutions which are essential mechanisms for
productive enterprises.
4. Food and Water Security
Promote food security in the country by addressing the causes of food shortage and inaccessibility to food
supply (e.g. low production due to natural calamities and conversion of agricultural lands to subdivisions and

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other commercial land uses); improving agricultural productivity to include livestock, poultry and fishery; and
pursuing modern agricultural technology through corporate and cooperative arrangement. Develop additional
water impounding and irrigation systems and safeguard access to quality water to preserve ecosystem,
sustain livelihood, health and food nutrition, and achieve socio-economic development.
5. Military and Border Security
Achieve upgraded defense capability, to assume responsibility for security, protect the country from internal
and external threats, and strengthen national sovereignty by modernizing the capabilities of our core security
sectors
6. Socio-Cultural Security
Heighten consciousness and pride in the Filipino heritage and values.
7. Environment and Disaster Security
Guarantee the right to live in green and environment-friendly conditions, preserve and develop these
conditions, and protect the eco-systems from damages brought about by the people’s destructive practices
on land, air and marine life. In addition, enhance our disaster preparedness through preventive and mitigating
mechanisms from natural and/or human-induced emergencies that may impact on our environment and the
safety of our citizenry.
8. Energy Security
Secure and protect energy supply throughout the country and pursue the sustainment of existing sources
and the development of alternative sources of energy to support the demands of economic enterprises and
households and contribute to the global efforts to address climate change.
9. Maritime and Airspace Security
Ensure safety of life and protection of trade and marine resources against piracy, poaching, illegal intrusion,
terrorism, and human and drug trafficking at sea. In addition, ensure safe and secure airspace by improving
airspace security measures and capabilities in space-based radar systems and satellites.
10. International Security
Maintain an independent foreign policy in the community of nations, and ensure a stable and secure
international environment for the country and people to thrive as a nation, politically, economically, socially
and ecologically.
11. Information and Cyber Security
Safeguard our classified action plans and programs, sensitive government intentions, and state secrets from
espionage, cyber-attacks and other hostile actions to protect and preserve national security interests.
12. Transportation and Port Security
Strengthen the integration and modernization of multi-modal transport systems (i.e. land, sea and air), and
thereby securing the mobility of people, goods, services and commerce.

REFERENCE:

National Security Policy for Change and Well-Being of Filipino People. (n.d). National Security
Challenges. Retrieved from http://www.nsc.gov.ph/attachments/article/NSP/NSP-2017-2022.pdf

National Security Policy for Change and Well-Being of Filipino People. (n.d). The 12-Point National
Security Agenda. Retrieved from http://www.nsc.gov.ph/attachments/article/NSP/NSP-2017-
2022.pdf

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