Philippine Defense Agencies Need Better Equipment to Counter Espionage, Senator Says
Key Takeaways
- •Senator Erwin T. Tulfo said at a Thursday public hearing that Philippine national security and defense agencies need upgraded software and hardware to combat espionage.
- •He indicated the Senate may set a larger budget for agencies such as the Department of National Defense to acquire equipment that can detect whether the country and its officials are being monitored.
- •Tulfo cited LiDAR, a laser-based remote-sensing technology used in mapping, surveying, and infrastructure work, as an example of a tool requiring modernization.
- •He tied funding to the proposed New Anti-Espionage Act, Senate Bill No. 33, saying agencies must be given money to buy the necessary equipment if the Senate pursues the measure seriously.
- •University of the Philippines law lecturer Neil Simon S. Silva described technology as a national defense gap and cautioned that procured hardware and software must be scrutinized, as offshore-produced products could contain backdoors.
National security and defense agencies in the Philippines require upgraded software and hardware to combat espionage, Senator Erwin T. Tulfo said on Thursday.
Speaking at a public hearing, Mr. Tulfo said the Senate may designate a larger budget for agencies such as the Department of National Defense (DND) to procure equipment capable of detecting whether the Philippines and its public officials are currently being monitored. Because major government purchases depend on congressional appropriations, any upgrade push would hinge on how those allocations are written into the national budget.
He cited Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), a remote-sensing technology that creates maps of an area using pulsed laser light, as an example of a tool that needs to be upgraded. LiDAR is widely used in mapping, surveying, and infrastructure work. "I am sure there is something newer now that is also high-tech," he said.
Neil Simon S. Silva, a lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law, said technology is one of the nation's defense gaps, adding that espionage has expanded in both scope and form. His characterization underscores the practical question raised at the hearing: whether existing equipment can keep pace with surveillance methods that continue to change.
Mr. Tulfo said that if the Senate is serious about Senate Bill No. 33, the proposed New Anti-Espionage Act, agencies must be provided the funds to purchase the necessary equipment. How lawmakers pair the proposed statute with funding could shape the practical reach of any new espionage law.
Mr. Silva cautioned, however, that any hardware and software procured would need to be scrutinized, as companies with offshore production may include backdoors — modifications designed to bypass online security measures. For agencies, that means vetting not only what a tool can detect, but who built it and where.
Attention now turns to how Senate Bill No. 33 advances and whether budget deliberations translate the funding discussion into actual appropriations.
— Francessca S. Abos, BusinessWorld Online
