Armed Forces of the Philippines will setup a Cyber War Room

Cyber warefare command center / Cyber war room. Includes shown detailed full screen data screen radar & other data map animations. Photo sample: turbosquid.com

AFP eyes cybersecurity ops

Although the Supreme Court has decided to temporarily stop the implementation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, the military is scrambling to set up a cybersecurity operations center, according to military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr.

The military dubbed its envisioned cybersecurity war room as the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR), Burgos said in a statement distributed to defense reporters.

"The C4ISTAR project was envisioned by the Department of National Defense and the (Armed Forces of the Philippines) for a comprehensive upgrading and acquisition of modern equipment and solutions under the AFP modernization program for efficient and effective conduct of operations," he said.

Burgos did not specify what kind of "operations" the military hoped to conduct but Col. Wilson Galedo of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Electronics and Information Systems, said the C4ISTAR is focused on protecting highly-secured data from cyberattacks.

"This is a continuing effort to keep the AFP at pace with current trends in cybersecurity in line with the C4ISTAR and the AFP Modernization Program," Galedo said, adding they will also monitor the "changing threat landscape and its implications for defense, security management and building cybersecurity core personnel."

The remarks attributed to AFP chief of staff  General Jessie Dellosa in the statement was equally vague.

"As part of its inherent roles on internal security operations, territorial defense, and disaster response, the AFP has to be prepared and ready as the world shifts its focus on cybersecurity," the statement read. "To do this we have to streamline and secure our communications systems in order to efficiently and effectively perform our mandate in protecting our people." (http://is.gd/f38bOo)

Manila Standard Today

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Rep. Belmonte renews Charter-Change for the Philippines constitution

Belmonte renews Cha-cha push

Philippines - Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has reiterated his advocacy for Charter change (Cha-cha) to relax the Constitution's economic provisions to attract more foreign investments.

"While amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution may not come sooner, I earnestly believe that this should be given priority by the next Congress," Belmonte told a group of foreign and Filipino businessmen this week.

He said opening more areas of the economy to foreign investors would certainly bring in more investments and contribute to the country's economic development.

Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had held initial meetings and agreed on the need for Cha-cha. However, the present Congress has run out of time to discuss the matter of amending the Constitution.

The Speaker's proposal is to introduce an amendment that would allow Congress to relax the Charter's economic provisions.

He told the business group that much still has to be done by the country's leaders to sustain its economic growth, create jobs and promote its overall competitiveness.

"This is no time to be complacent. Much work remains to be done," he said.

Belmonte said the challenges entail "keeping the fiscal house in order, and approving a national budget that is truly responsive to the needs and demands of the people."

"Indeed, we are on the right track toward our fiscal consolidation efforts as the national government managed to post a primary surplus, net of interest payments, amounting to ₱139.2 billion for the period of January to September 2012, while increasing disbursements by 14 percent for the same period," he said.

To boost trade, Belmonte stressed the need to make the country's products more competitive, find new markets, and expand existing ones.

"Small and medium enterprises have to be provided with more support – they are the engines of the national economy. Our economy also has to be more knowledge-based," he added.

In the area of human resource development, Belmonte said, "There is a need to invest more in our people, provide them with better health and education, and make them stakeholders in the country's future."

He noted that under the social services budget of ₱698 billion for 2013, ₱329.4 billion will go to education, culture and manpower development, while ₱169.3 billion is set aside for social security, welfare and employment.

"This only shows that our prudent spending over the past years has now allowed us to invest more on developing our human capital," Belmonte said.

On the crucial issue of peace and order, Belmonte said businessmen have to feel more secure living and doing business in the country.

"This can only happen in a regime where there is greater transparency and accountability. The signing of the framework agreement between the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is therefore a welcome development," he said. (http://is.gd/t1qUDf)

philSTAR

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