NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

National Security Council (NSC) is the Philippine President's principal forum for
considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national
security advisors and cabinet officials.

FUNCTIONS
The NSC's function is to advise the President with respect to the integration of
domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to the national security. It is also
said that it serves as the President's principal arm for coordinating these policies
among various government departments and agencies in matters involving the
national security.

HISTORY
Commonwealth Act No. 1 is the original policy basis of the national security
program of the Republic of the Philippines. That act mandated the establishment
of a Council of National Defense to advise with the President on all matters of
national defense policy, with membership consisting of the President, all living
former Presidents, the Vice President, the head of each executive department,
the Chief of Staff, and six other members to be designated by the President.[1][2]

Subsequent to World War II, which included a period during which the
Commonwealth government operated as a government in exile, and subsequent
to the recognition of the Republic of the Philippines as a sovereign nation,
President Elpidio Quirino established the National Security Council as a body so
named.[3]

The 1987 Constitution mandates civilian control of the military and establishes
the president as commander in chief of the armed forces. The President also
heads the National Security Council, ostensibly the policy-making and advisory
body for matters connected with national defense. Former President Corazon
Aquino reestablished the council in 1986 through an executive order that
provided for a National Security Council director to advise the president on
national security matters and for a National Security Council Secretariat. The
council itself is composed of the president and at least nine others: the Vice
President; the AFP chief of staff; National Security Council director; the Executive
Secretary; and the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Interior and
Local Government, Justice, and Labor and Employment (called ministers before
1987). By the end of 1990, however, the National Security Council had only
convened twice.[4]

Responsibility for national security was vested in the Department of National

Defense. The principal functions of the department in 1991 were to defend the
state against internal and external threats and, through the Philippine National
Police, to maintain law and order. The Secretary of National Defense, by law a
civilian, was charged with advising the president on defense matters and
developing defense policy.

In 2002, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won crucial backing from

her cabinet and the Congress for the deployment of US soldiers in the country as
part of the war on terrorism. The President convened a meeting of the country's
National Security Council during that time, in a bid to pull wavering officials,
including her vice-president into line and smooth over differences in her
administration over the issue. Arroyo insisted her oppositions to marshal support
for her stance to back a U.S.-led campaign against terrorism, not only to
implement a unanimous UN Security Council resolution calling on U.N. members
to bring the perpetrators to justice but also the Philippines' strategic alliance with
the United States and to assist the global campaign to end the scourge of
terrorism.

National Security Advisor (NSA) and Director-General serve as Chief of Staff and
adviser for Special Concerns in National Security to the President. The NSA has a
Cabinet rank in the government. The current Director-General and National
Security Adviser is Sec. Hermogenes Esperon.

NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY FOR 2018

The government recently published a National Security Strategy (NSS) for the first
time, prepared by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Hermogenes
Esperon and quarterbacked by Undersecretary Vic Agdamag. President Rodrigo
Duterte signed the document on May 16, which outlines the administration’s
plans for a “secure, peaceful, modern, and prosperous Philippines.

In his message, President Duterte stressed that “We will bolster our position in
the community of nations by strengthening diplomatic relations with our
traditional allies, engaging non-traditional partners and pursuing an independent
foreign policy that gives primacy to our national interest.”

The NSS flows through from the 2017-2022 National Security Policy (NSP) of the
Duterte administration. The NSP is a comprehensive document that addresses
national security concerns by calling for improvements in defense, intelligence,
and law enforcement capabilities to address the communist insurgency,
terrorism, violent extremism and protecting the country’s sovereign rights in the
South China Sea (SCS).

We’ve named our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as the West Philippine Sea
(WPS) as a protective measure by delineating its boundaries apart and distinct
from the rest of the SCS in conformity with UNCLOS. This was acknowledged in
the July 2016 landmark ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague,
which China refuses to acknowledge as it continues to claim the SCS in its
entirety. President Duterte has pledged to raise the arbitral ruling with China at
the right time.

NSS 2018 integrates the country’s major security policies, goals, responsibilities,
and courses of action into a roadmap to attain the vision of a better Philippines in
all respects for all Filipinos. It’s also a blueprint that points the way to better
coordination, cohesion, and synchronization of government functions to improve
efficiency and maximize the use of limited resources.

NSS 2018 articulates the national interest, conveys the State’s intentions, and
rallies public support for government’s policies and programs. Congressional
backing is crucial to its success in terms of enacting necessary legislation in a
timely manner and provide appropriate funding.
The landmark document has 7 parts.

Chapter 1 introduces the concept of national security and the overarching

national security framework that shows the NSP and NSS as inseparable
components.

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the current strategic environment and

highlights our national security priorities to address internal and security threats
and challenges.

Chapter 3 discusses the national security framework, core values, and national
interests underpinning the NSS. It begins with the definition of national security
as “the state or condition wherein the country’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity; the people’s wellbeing; core values and way of life; and the State and its
institutions are protected and enhanced.”

NSS 2018 mandates that the fulfillment of the following specific action areas will
help attain the above national vision. This chapter cites 12 national security goals
as the bases for government action:

1. Guarantee Public Safety and Achieve Good Governance. The strategy begins
with the determination to protect the nation against the range of threats that
directly impact on the safety and welfare of the Filipino people. These are
terrorism, insurgency, and subversion; transnational crimes; criminality and illegal
drugs; and graft and corruption.

2. Mitigate the Impact of Health-Related Threats. Health security today demands

greater attention than before. New diseases are emerging and spreading; virus
and bacteria are developing drug-resistant strains. The ease of global travel has
increased the risk of rapid spread and contamination, as well as challenged
existing containment protocols.

3. Develop a Dynamic, Inclusive, and Sustainable Economy. The prevailing

challenge is how to achieve the competitive advantage. The issues of globalization
such as economic integration and increasing competition have called for the
development of strategic industries in the country’s pursuit of rapid economic
development and comprehensive national security.

4. Achieve Food and Water Security. Food is the most important commodity in
populous Philippines. Together with our military weaponry – which is now among
the weakest in Asia – food is a major element of Philippine national power or lack
of it….. Despite the abundance of water in the country, there has still been a
decline of fresh water supply in many parts of the country due to decades of
resource mismanagement, inadequate investments in infrastructure, and the
growing threat of climate change.

5. Safeguard and Preserve National Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity. The

Philippines shall implement a strong independent foreign policy. In particular, the
dispute in the West Philippine Sea depicts the immense historical, economic,
legal, diplomatic and environmental complexities among the Philippines with
other claimant-countries. Actions to address the WPS issues should look into the
interplay of these dynamics and how Government efforts should be prioritized.

6. Heighten Consciousness and Pride on Filipino Heritage, Culture and Values.

Prior to colonization, our indigenous peoples already had their distinct justice and
governance systems, customs and traditions, arts, literature, music, dance and
values. This was later influenced by the introduction of Islam, the coming of the
Chinese, the Spaniards, the Americans, and the Japanese. Culture also varies
according to age group, gender, spirituality and socio-economic class.

7. Promote Human and Ecological Security. Climate change, as well as natural

and human-induced emergencies and disasters, have become significant human
security concerns of our time. The Philippines is susceptible to both geological
and hydro-meteorological hazards. In fact, the World Risk Report 2016 puts the
country at third place among the countries with the highest disaster risk, next to
Vanuatu (first) and Tonga (second).

8. Achieve Energy Security. Energy security is the uninterrupted availability of

energy sources to all households and economic sectors throughout the country at
an affordable price. The Philippines is committed to secure and protect energy
supply throughout the country; sustain and develop existing energy sources; and
develop alternative, sustainable and clean sources of energy for the survival of
our country and people.

9. Ensure Maritime and Airspace Security. The Philippines has the third longest
coastline in the world after Indonesia and Canada. The sea is extremely significant
from an international navigational, economic, geopolitical and strategic
perspective. There is an urgent need to develop a modern and adequately-
equipped border security force capable of ensuring maritime and air space
security.

10. Strengthen International Relations. An independent foreign policy shall be

geared to bolstering cooperative and harmonious relations with all countries at
the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels, promoting development through
international cooperation and economic diplomacy, protecting the rights and
welfare of overseas Filipinos, and advancing Philippine global stature through
commitment to international obligations.

11. Provide Strong Cyber Infrastructure and Cyber Security. With advances in
technology and innovations in the computer and mobile industry surging at a very
fast pace, protecting its citizens and institutions from falling victims to
cybercrimes has become a major challenge for the Government. Moreover, the
easy access to the Internet has also been used by subversives, terrorists and other
groups to promote their cause or practice their nefarious activities.

12. Improve Vital Transportation Infrastructure and Port Security. Developing an

integrated and sustainable transport network to move goods, people, and
services more efficiently and safely is an urgent concern of the government.

Chapter 4 introduces two important components that will guide the strategy’s
successful and sustained implementation.

First is the combined, balanced, and effective use of the instruments of national
power, namely: political and legal; diplomatic; informational; intelligence;
economic; military; and law enforcement. It aims to promote comprehensive and
shared efforts in addressing current and future threats and challenges. Second is
wealth creation and resource generation through: intensified human capital
development, passage of national security legislation, appropriate funding for
national security and the development of strategic industries.

The attainment of the 12-point national security agenda hinges on the successful
execution of the strategic lines of action enumerated in Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 The action lines are designed to improve our defenses, capabilities,
technologies, processes, partnerships and resources. A total of 109 strategic lines
of action were identified following careful analysis of the strengths, weaknesses,
threats and opportunities of the nation.

Chapter 6 tackles the necessity for an enhanced national security organization to

successfully execute the lines of action. As such, the NSS endeavors to
reinvigorate and streamline the existing national security structure for effective
command and control and utilization of limited human and other government
resources, by reorganizing the National Security Council (NSC); its Secretariat; the
Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice and Peace; the National Intelligence Board
and the National Intelligence Committee.

The NSS concludes with Chapter 7 with a call for national unity because national
security is everyone’s responsibility.

Chapter 7 The Executive Summary ends on this note: “The NSS is still in its
nascent stage and should be treated as a work-in-progress. Hopefully, this NSS
will set the stage for the formation of a national consensus and national will
toward the attainment of peace and prosperity across the country. To this end,
the support and cooperation of the Filipino people are paramount.”

The Committee on National Security — Babes Flores, Ed Adan, Chuck Agustin, the
late Fr. Archie Intengan, Art Lomibao, Vidal Querol, Enrique Galang — of the
Philippine Council for Foreign Relations chaired by Ambassador Joe Romero,
assisted the Office of the National Security Adviser in formulating NSS 2018.
The past years has been “credible deterrence” that aims to strengthen our
country’s internal and external defenses. President Duterte has to-date approved
defense spending to almost P300 billion, or four times more than the previous
administration. He’s rolled up his sleeves to ensure that the elements needed to
achieve the national security vision are met.

Unity and execution are crucial to success and NSS 2018 points the way forward.
It requires from us a keen sense of nationhood; clear sense of common purpose;
and a compelling sense of urgency to secure ourselves far into the future. Kayang-
kaya kung sama-sama!

NSS 2018 Source: Rafael Alunan, Committee on National Security of the Philippine Council for Foreign
Relations

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