President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. urged the National Security Council (NSC) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) on Friday to continue to protect the country against “national security threats,” which now include cyber attacks and climate change.
During the joint anniversary celebration of the NSC and the NICA at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Marcos added cyber attacks and climate change to the list of threats the country faces, which includes issues on territorial integrity and sovereignty; terrorism and local communist insurgency.
Also worrisome, he said, are “global developments and shifts,” which can affect the country.
Left unchecked, these threats, the President said, cause public disorder and even chaos.
He urged NSC and NICA to continue addressing the said security concerns to ensure the country’s economic and social transformation.
“We know that you are the silent guardians who protect us against all manner of national threats, the steadfast vanguards who keep our enemies at bay, and the faithful watchers ensuring that we do not veer to disorder and to chaos,” Marcos said.
Established by virtue of Executive Order No. 330 on July 1, 1950, the NSC is the principal advisory body on the proper coordination and integration of plans and policies affecting national security.
Meanwhile, NICA, which was created on July 1, 1949, through Executive Order No. 235, is the central coordinating agency in charge of integrating government activities related to national intelligence.
Image credits: PNA/Alfred Frais/Rolando Mailo
