THREATS TO NATIONAL SECURITY

Concept of National Security

Two school of thoughts for the meaning of National Security

The first school views national security as the protection of the nation’s people and territories from physical assault. In this sense,
national security is equated with national defense, and the threats to a nation’s security are perceived to emanate from outside the country.

The second school, however, maintains that national security has a broader meaning. In addition to national defense, it includes the
protection of vital economic and political interests, the loss of which could threaten fundamental values and the vitality of the state itself. In this
sense, national security is the concern not only of the military, but also of the other departments and agencies as well, and it may be threatened
both from within and externally.

We subscribe to the latter view. For this reason, we look at national security as a state or condition wherein the people’s way of life
and institutions, their welfare and well-being are protected and enhanced.

We can also say that national security fundamentally involves the maintenance and protection of a nation’s sovereignty, the crucial
attribute of which is the right for self-determination – the freedom of a nation to pursue its political, economic and social goals. (CLU Policy
Studies No 2 – “A Question of National Security.” Karrel Inc., QC (1983), p.2.)

Concerns of National Security

Based on the definition, the security of a nation would largely depend on the following elements, which constitute the concerns of
national security:

1. Territorial Integrity - the territory of the country is intact and is under the effective control of the government.
2. Ecological Balance- the environment is able to support sustainable development strategies for the benefit of the nation and
the people who depend on it for their existence.
3. Socio-Political Stability - there is peace and harmony among the divergent groups of people in the country, and mutual
cooperation and support exists between the Government and the people as a whole.
4. Economic Solidarity- the economy is strong, capable of supporting national endeavors, and derives its strength from the
people who have an organic stake in it through participation or ownership.
5. Cultural Cohesiveness- the people share the values and beliefs handed down by their forebears and posses a strong sense
of attachment to the national community despite their religious, ethnic and linguistic differences.
6. Moral-Spiritual Consensus- the people believe on the wisdom and righteousness of the national vision, and they are inspired
by their patriotism and national pride to participate vigorously in the pursuit of the country’s goals and objectives.
7. External Peace- the country and the people enjoy cordial relations with their neighbors, and they are free from any control,
interference or threat of aggression from any of them.

Threats to National Security

Threats to National Security is any expression or intuition to inflict evil, injury or damage to the nation, people, territories, vital
installations, political, economic, and way of life.

Subversion is an act of conspiracy or an attack to a man’s mind to alter an existing system through deceit and treachery.

Communism is a theory, which advocates elimination of private ownership. It tends to make the world stateless and the society
classless. It is a perfect form of government in theory but in practice it is impossible and undoable.

Agitation is the subversive technique to arouse hatred and anger among the people against an institution or a target government.
Propaganda is a line of persuasion to influence the belief, emotion, behavior, attitude and opinion of the target audience.

Infiltration is the deceptive use of legal activities which is used to exert influence and if possible, seize control of the target group.

Politics is an art or science of winning and control over of a government.

Aspects of National Security

There are two aspects of national security. In its internal aspects, national security relates to the defense of the nation’s government
against hostile local elements seeking its replacement with their own government.

In this sense, national security refers to measures aimed at countering domestic or internal challenges to the existing political and
socio-economic order. (Ibid). The PA’s ISO addresses the internal aspect of national security.
 In its external aspects, national security is concerned with safeguarding the state against outside or foreign forces, pressures or
influence designed to conquer it or undermine its sovereignty, for the purpose of placing it under the domination or control of some foreign state
or states.

In this sense, national security embraces the defense arrangements directed at insuring the safety of the state against foreign
intervention or domination.

To protect our national interest, we should consider safeguarding, both the internal and the external aspects of national security
against the existing threats.

Forms of Threats

Political- caused by person or group of person who aspires for power or position into the government.
Economic threat- caused by hoarders, dollar syndicates, smugglers, big time syndicates and businessmen who amass large amount
of money but do not pay due taxes.

Psycho-social threat - caused by activities that could undermine the moral of populace such as indulgence to vices, drug addiction,
prostitution and other criminal act.

Types of Threats to National Security

There are two (2) types of threats. The Internal threat and the External treat. Let us first focus on the internal threat.

A. Internal threats

The internal threats to national security come from the polarized groups in the Philippine society who oppose our present system of
government.

1. LCM (Local Communist Movement)

The most prominent among the internal threat is the Local Communist Movement started by the Partido Komunista ng
Pilipinas (PKP) in the 1950s and followed by the CPP in the later part of the 1960s.

The Local Communist Movement remains the main threat to our national security because it has the intention to seize
political power and has the capability to pursue it to a certain degree.

The LCM is currently divided into two groups, The Mainstream CPP/NPA/NDF of Reaffirmist and the breakaway anti-SISON
Rejectionist faction.

Historically, the rift within the CPP/NPA which brought the division of the LCM has its roots during the early 1980s when the
handful of Party members started criticizing the Marxist Lenenist Mao Zedong ideology advocated by Sison.

a) Reaffirmist

The Reaffirmist Group is headed by Jose Maria Sison with Marxist-Leninist- Mao Tse-tung Thought. It is our
primary concern at the moment because it is far stronger in terms of manpower and firepower than the other faction. It is also better organized
and more widely scattered in various parts of the country.

This group follows three (3) basic principles. The Theory of Classes and Class Struggle, the Theory of the State
and Revolution and the Proletarian Dictatorship, and the Theory of the Protracted People’s War (Encircling the cities from the countryside)

The party utilizes three (3) main weapons in its revolutionary struggle, namely: the Party (CPP), the Army (NPA)
and the United Front (NDF)

1) The CPP – the Communist Party of the Philippines is the brain of the people’s revolution. It provides the
political leadership to the movement and determines the general line and direction of the revolution. It controls the activities of the army and the
united front.

2) The NPA – the New Peoples Army; it is the military arm of the Party tasked with the advancement of the
protracted people’s war through the principal use of the armed struggle.

3) The NDF – National Democratic Front is the shield of the revolution. It provides an umbrella
organization for the CPP/NPA and other militant and “progressive” organization including CPP and CPP-infiltrated groups. It is composed of
various territorial and sectoral non-governmental organizations as well as functional organizations tasked with advancing the legal program of
the communist movement hitherto taking care of propaganda and black propaganda activities.

The Party also maintains an International Department, which takes care of generating support from
other countries or from other communist movement from abroad (e.g., from the communist party in Australia, Netherlands, and from the other
socialist countries in Eastern Europe).

b) Rejectionist

This faction disagrees with the CPP/NPA/NDF’s strict adherence to the Maoist Concept of protracted people’s war
and is instead advocating the Nicaraguan model of insurrectionary strategy and tactics aimed at creating a revolutionary situation by staging
crippling strikes and urban terrorism.

It has been polarized into sub-groups due to personal and policy differences, namely; the PMP (Partido ng
Mangagawang Pilipino), Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Marxista-Leninista (RPM/ML/RPA),

1) PMP (Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino)

The PMP is headed by Filemon Lagman as Chairman. It was established on 30 January 1999.
SANLAKAS (Sandigan ng Kalayaan at Demokrasya para sa Sambayanan; BMP (Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino), KAMALAYAN
composed the front organization and Armadong Partisano ng Paggawa (APP) is its armed group.

This group adheres to the teachings of Lenin. It advocates insurrectionary struggle that calls for a
combination of political and military efforts to create an insurrectionary or revolutionary situation.

2) Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Marxista-Leninista (RPM/ML/RPA)

This group which is based in Western Visayas is headed by Arturo Tabara as Chairman. Its armed
Group is the Revolutionary Proletarian Army. With the government’s call for peace, it has announced its intention of cooperating.

Under the administration of former President ESTRADA; the government and RPA/ABB signed a peace
agreement on 10 December 2000. The agreement was signed Secretary Edgardo Angara and Nilo Dela Cruz of RPM/ABB. The rebels said they
would implement a ceasefire but their followers would remain in the countryside.

2) Sosyalistang Partido ng Paggawa (SPP)

The Sosyalistang Partido ng Paggawa (SPP) is headed by Sonny Melencio and Julio Rafael. The SPP is
a revolutionary party created on 24 Nov 1998 with the merger of two (2) socialist groups, the Liga Sosyalista and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido
Prolitaryo (RPP). Its armed group is the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan.

It has two (2) objectives namely: To build an open socialist formation that will directly intervene in the
political arena and to develop a strong labor political center.

3) Partido Marxista-Leninista ng Pilipinas (PMLP)

This group which is another breakaway faction of the Lagman Group and it is headed by Prudencio
Bation a.k.a. Drigo/Carlo. Its armed group is the Alex Boncayao Brigade. The group has formed three regional committees in the NCR, Central
Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Mindanao.

4) Third Bloc

The group follows the teachings of Karl Marx and aims to gain political power through mass
mobilizations. It has gained momentum when its political party AKBAYAN won a seat as sectoral representative in 1998 elections. The bloc
was reportedly divided into Partido Proletaryo Demokratiko headed by Manjet Lopez and PADAYON headed by Ricardo Reyes.

The ideology is to advocate the popular democratic line, which calls for a political renewal in the Leftist
Movement by unifying the forces from different ideological traditions as well as other forces that accept the National Democratic program but not
armed struggle.

6) Central Mindanao Regional Committee/ Conferential Body

This group which is headed by Ike DELOS REYES is one of the territorial organs that had broken away
from the mainstream party in 1993. It is based in Lanao del Norte. Reports revealed that the CMRC has established tactical linkages with
Tabara’s group.

7) Independent Political Forces

 This group is led by Triumvirate called “Magdangal-Olive-Bill” faction. Its party is The Marxist Leninist
Party of the Philippines (MLPP) with the Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD) as its united front. The Rebolusyunaryong Hukbong
Bayan serves as its armed group.

The group was organized by breakaway personalities from the Central Luzon in 1997. The group was
able to establish alliances with other rejectionist sectoral organizations in many parts of the country.
The KPD has been active in the campaign against the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) issue and has
figured prominently in the protest movements against the Balikatan exercises.

2. Southern Philippines Secessionist Groups (SPSGs)

The threat emanating from the southern Philippines (Mindanao) dates back to the Spanish era. But the main issue then is
the clash of interest between the Christians and the Muslims; however, the present problem drew its root cause from the neglect and total
disregard for the Muslims.

Their ideology is the extremist interpretation of the Islamic faith. The goal is to secede from the Republic of the Philippines
and to establish an Islamic state. The separatists perceive the secular government in Manila as designed only for the Christians. However, the
basic issue is still the land.

The Filipino Muslims wanted the lands that the Christians had slowly accumulated throughout the decades of resettlements
to be returned to them.

The SPSGs are divided into two groups:

a. BIFF

The first group is the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters headed by Ameril Umbra Kato until 2015. Following
Kato’s death, the group into three factions, one which has aligned with Islamic state of Iraq while the other two are less radical.

The BIFF objective is self-determination with the creation of a Mindanao Islamic Republic. The group wants to
carve out portions of the Philippine territory where it intends to establish an Islamic state.

To attain its objective, the BIFF relies on Dawah or Islamic call and Jihad or struggle in the way of Allah. Dawah
calls for the Islamization of the individual.

b. Abu Sayaff Group (ASG)

The ABU SAYAFF, was founded in 1990 as the MUJAHIDEED COMMANDO FREEDOM FIGHTERS, or MCFF by
ABDURAJAK ABUBAKAR JANJALANI,a veteran of the international Islamic Brigade that fought the Soviet Regime in Afghanistan.

The ASG objective is the establishment of an independent theocratic Islamic state in Mindanao through violence
and terror. The group has an extremist view of advancing its objective through armed struggle. For them anyone who does not follow their
brand of Islam, even Muslims, should be terminated. The ASG was renamed to AL HARAKATUL AL-ISLAMIYA in 1994 but the name ABU
SAYYAF GROUP stuck.

It is worthy to note that the ASG is not one cohesive group but it is composed 26 different groups and operates
mainly in the islands of Basilan and Sulu. This intensive government campaign is still on going.

3. Syndicated Crime Groups

Another threat to national security is the existence of syndicated crime groups locally and internationally which continue to
sow terror, panic and wreak havoc to the Philippine economy.

These syndicated crime groups are the local and foreign crime groups who engage in the dealing of prohibited drugs, those
who are engaged in the smuggling of economic goods and arms and other deadly weapons, and those who engage in mercenary works to
liquidate prominent personalities in the public and private sectors.

4. Organizations, Individuals and other groups involved in economic sabotage.

The numerous illegal organizations, private individuals and groups or cartels who engage in economic sabotage also pose a
threat to national security by crippling the Philippine economy by their illicit and illegal activities like piracy and traffic of explosives.
 5. Rightist Groups

These are disgruntled politicians, businessmen, oligarchs, intellectuals, military men and big time criminals who work hand
in hand to restore the old order to pave their way into power and position in the government.

It also includes group organizations and temporary alliances not ideologically identified with LCM but are also concerned
with the overthrow of the government.

6. Religious Radicals

All religious and religious influenced individuals and organizations advocate changes and reforms through legal means.
These are members of the religious sectors who find fault into our system.

They claim to be spokesman of the oppressed. The fact is that they become radical when a number of legitimate religious
organizations were used to undermine our government and denounce the abuses of the military be they real or fictitious.

B. External Threats

External threats pose a big problem to the maintenance of national security. The Philippines’ main concern on this arena is
the maintenance of good ties and relationship with the neighboring countries to avoid disputes that might result to military conflict.

Among the countries in Southeast Asia that pose a threat to Philippine national security are the countries of Malaysia,
Vietnam, Taiwan, and the People’s Republic of China. These countries, together with the Philippines, are contesting jurisdiction over the
Kalayaan (Spratlys) group of islands, located southwest of the Philippines.

Another threat is the intrusion of foreign and unidentified foreign vessels into Philippine territorial seas. The archipelagic
nature of the country hampers the effort of tracking and preventing foreign vessels from intruding into Philippine waters. Local and foreign
enemies of the state utilize this advantage in providing logistics and supplies to their followers like arms cache.

Another menace to national security is the presence of foreign terrorist groups, foreign intelligence agencies, persona non
grata, and other foreign entities which threaten national security like those who are engage in economic sabotage, international conspiracy and
other activities contrary to Philippine vital interest.