Philippine

National
Security
Prepared by: Coleen B. Nantong, LPT
WARNI
NG!
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.
Philippine National Security
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
01 Security
Interests
The National Security Interests
1. Public Safety, 2. Socio- 3. Economic
4. Territorial
Solidarity
Law and Political and Sustainable Integrity
This condition ensures
Order and Justice
The most ThisStability
is a condition Development
Reducing poverty
that the territory of the
country is intact and
fundamental duties of where peace prevails and income gaps, inviolable, and under the
the State are to ensure even in diversity and creating equal effective control and
public safety, where cooperation and
economic jurisdiction of the
maintain law and support exists between Philippine Government.
opportunities for all,
order, and dispense the Government and the This includes the right of
people under an
and distributing the
social justice within the Philippine
atmosphere of mutual fruits of government to protect
the purview of the development to the
respect and empathy, and defend all land,
constitutionally bound by a strong broadest segments of marine and sub-marine
enshrined principles notion of nationhood society are key features and resources
of democracy, rule of and a sense of duty to objectives of the within its territory from
law, and respect for respect the rule of law desired economic invasion and illegal
human rights. incursions and resource
and serve the common growth and national exploitation.
good. security outcomes.
The National Security Interests
5. Ecological 7. Moral and 8. International
6. Cultural
Balance Spiritual Peace and
Cohesiveness Consensus
The Philippines It speaks of moral and
Cooperation
National unity is an
must be able to essential cornerstone spiritual consensus among The security of the
maximize the Filipinos on the wisdom
of nationhood and and righteousness of the
state is best enhanced
rewards of its rich national survival. national vision, as through the pursuit of
natural resources The Government enunciated by the amity cooperation
while at the same must continue to country’s leadership. It with all nations and
presupposes the people’s partnership with like-
time conserving fully harness these trust and confidence in the minded countries and
and protecting these attributes and values Government’s
commitment and strategic partners.
finite resources for system in order to
capability to lead the
the sake of the strengthen the
nation toward this desired
future generation. Filipino family national vision.
 The
National
Security
Challenge
s
02
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.
The National Security Challenges

1 Internal Environment

2 External Environment
The National Security Challenges

Internal Environment
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.
Internal Environment
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.
Internal Environment
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.
Internal Environment
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)
The National Security Challenges

External Environment
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.
 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
External Environment
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.
External Environment
2. Global and Regional Geopolitical Issues
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.
External Environment
2. Global and Regional Geopolitical Issues
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.
External Environment
2. Global and Regional Geopolitical Issues
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.
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.

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.
External Environment
3. Global Uncertainties and Proliferation of Weapons of
Mass Destruction
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.

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.
External Environment
3. Global Uncertainties and Proliferation of Weapons of
Mass Destruction
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.
External Environment
4. Other Strategic Issues and Challenges
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.
External Environment
4. Other Strategic Issues and Challenges
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.
External Environment
4. Other Strategic Issues and Challenges
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
03 Security
Agenda
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:
01
Human and
02
Health Security
03
Economic and
04
Food and Water
Political Security Financial Security Security

05
Military and
06
Socio-Cultural
07
Environment and
08
Energy Security
Border Security Security Disaster Security

09
Maritime and
10
International
11
Information and
12
Transportation and
Airspace Security Security Cyber Security Port Security
The 12-Point National Security Agenda
0 Human and Political Security
1Effectively 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.

0 Health Security
2Enhance 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.
The 12-Point National Security Agenda
0 Economic and Financial Security
3Harness 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.
The 12-Point National Security Agenda
0 Food and Water Security
4 food security in the country by addressing the causes of food shortage and
Promote
inaccessibility to food supply (e.g. low production due to natural calamities and
conversion of agricultural lands to subdivisions and 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.
The 12-Point National Security Agenda
0 Military and Border Security
5Achieve 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

0 Socio-Cultural Security
6 consciousness and pride in the Filipino heritage and values.
Heighten
The 12-Point National Security Agenda
Environment and Disaster
0 Security
7Guarantee 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.
The 12-Point National Security Agenda
0 Energy Security
8Secure 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.

0 Maritime and Airspace Security

9
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.
The 12-Point National Security Agenda
1 International Security
0
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.

1 Information and Cyber Security

1 from espionage, cyber-attacks and other hostile actions to protect and preserve national
Safeguard our classified action plans and programs, sensitive government intentions, and state
secrets
security interests

1 Transportation and Port Security

Strengthen the integration and modernization of multi-modal transport systems (i.e. land, sea and
2 and thereby securing the mobility of people, goods, services and commerce.
air),
 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