The
ever deteriorating situation in Iraq and Syria and the continued threat posed
by ISIS and its affiliate terrorist groups is probably one of the most pressing
issues and concerns that necessitates more focused attention, action, and
cooperation by the intelligence community both nationally and internationally.
It calls for a consolidated national effort to deny this group in winning vulnerable
sectors of the Muslim Filipino communities to buy into the ISIS’s brand of
jihadist ideology. More so, it demands a more enhanced and intensified international
cooperation to stop the spread of this ISIS menace. Obtaining intelligence and
sharing is one thing. Translating this intelligence into concrete action and
tangible accomplishment is another thing. Hence, the challenge to the regional
and global intelligence community is to translate this shared intelligence into
consolidated actions through uniformed and mutually beneficial responses in the
form of counter terrorism policies and measures. History has never been remiss
in providing us a treasure trove of knowledge that if we idly sit by and let
events takes it course then for sure we will again be haunted by the horrors of
the Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah experience. It shouldn’t take another 9/11 or
Bali bombing before the importance of intelligence is again put in the
pedestal. Intelligence will always be the spearhead in our fight against
terrorism and against ISIS this remains to be true.
From
our end, we recognize that the only way forward to address the threat of ISIS
spreading into the country and the Southeast Asian region is to strengthen our intelligence
efforts. It is only by closely working together with our neighboring nations
and the international intelligence community that we can comprehensively defeat
the threat posed by this group. With this, we are exploiting various regional
and international counterterrorism agencies and forums and other bilateral and
unilateral cooperations to collect and share vital intelligence in order to
recommend timely policies, programs, and measures.
Terrorism
is just one facet of our wide array of problem. Another equally important
problem we are facing is the continuing threat posed by the CPP/NPA/NDF (CNN).
For more than 5 decades now this is another concern that not only challenges
the resolve and ingenuity of the Philippine National Police but has been
dragging the whole country as well into moving forward and progressing. The
communist ideology continues to flourish especially in areas where government
control is weakest or non-present. The group has continue to exploit and
agitate sectors of the society to embrace an anti-government and anti-status
quo sentiment and remain committed to the Maoist-inspired idea that the only
way to change the Philippine society is through a violent and bloody
revolution. Up until today this is perhaps the greatest threat to our internal
security and stability.
From
our end, we continue to collect intelligence to sustain our Counter insurgency
efforts and support different law enforcement operating troops on the ground. We
also recognize that in order to gain the upper hand against the CNN
intelligence will play a pivotal role. We untiringly share and provide
intelligence as basis for a more comprehensive policy and programs against it.
Instead of losses we choose to see
them as challenges that in one way or the other continues to affect our
intelligence gathering capability. The lack of the necessary technical
equipment is one of our foremost challenge. We however negate this by enhancing
our human intelligence capability thru trainings to hone
and improve skills and craft.
