NICA-NGCP pact bolsters security of our power transmission system
Published Mar 19, 2023 10:58 pm
With President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. as witnesses, the director-general of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the president of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) signed in Malacañang Palace last week a memorandum of understanding aimed at enhancing the security of NGCP’s assets through the provision by the NICA of timely and relevant intelligence information.
Serving as the primary intelligence gathering arm of the government, NICA directs, coordinates, and integrates all intelligence activities, both foreign and domestic, involving national security. It functions as the focal point for the preparation of intelligence data on local and foreign situations that, in turn, become inputs to the day-to-day decision and policy-making functions of the President and the government.
The NGCP is a privately owned corporation that operates, maintains and develops the country’s state-owned power grid, “an interconnected system that transmits gigawatts of power in thousands of volts from generators to consumers.”
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO): “The NGCP forged the MOU with NICA to effectively deal with attacks from lawless elements after experiencing sabotage and bombing incidents in the past that resulted in injury to its personnel as well as military escorts patrolling the transmission operator’s area of jurisdiction.”
President Marcos welcomed the forging of the agreement, citing its importance in protecting the country’s critical energy infrastructure from physical and virtual attacks. In the past, lawless elements have attempted to disrupt electric power transmission by attacking the NGCP’s installations. To understand the impact of such attacks, this is how the power grid operator defines its responsibility:
“NGCP has the crucial role of linking power generators and distribution utilities to deliver electricity where it is most needed. Its network of interconnected transmission towers and substations serves as the highway where electricity travels from various energy sources to the smaller thoroughfares of distribution utilities and electric cooperatives until it reaches the households.”
Through the MOU, “NICA commits to supply the NGCP with intelligence information to support the protection of power transmission assets that NGCP operates and maintains across the country, while it commits to provide technical assistance to NICA to support and strengthen its cyber security capability.”
President Marcos underscored the significance of the agreement: “Since (the) NGCP is a critical part of our security, of our ability to continue to function as a society, then this is an important day because now we have made more robust the defenses against any possible attacks on our power systems.” The entire chain of transmission infrastructure is most vulnerable in the smaller thoroughfares of distribution utilities and electric cooperatives” that energize households in the countryside. The citizenry can contribute its share in securing the country’s energy transmission assets through continuing vigilance and cooperation with the authorities.
Serving as the primary intelligence gathering arm of the government, NICA directs, coordinates, and integrates all intelligence activities, both foreign and domestic, involving national security. It functions as the focal point for the preparation of intelligence data on local and foreign situations that, in turn, become inputs to the day-to-day decision and policy-making functions of the President and the government.
The NGCP is a privately owned corporation that operates, maintains and develops the country’s state-owned power grid, “an interconnected system that transmits gigawatts of power in thousands of volts from generators to consumers.”
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO): “The NGCP forged the MOU with NICA to effectively deal with attacks from lawless elements after experiencing sabotage and bombing incidents in the past that resulted in injury to its personnel as well as military escorts patrolling the transmission operator’s area of jurisdiction.”
President Marcos welcomed the forging of the agreement, citing its importance in protecting the country’s critical energy infrastructure from physical and virtual attacks. In the past, lawless elements have attempted to disrupt electric power transmission by attacking the NGCP’s installations. To understand the impact of such attacks, this is how the power grid operator defines its responsibility:
“NGCP has the crucial role of linking power generators and distribution utilities to deliver electricity where it is most needed. Its network of interconnected transmission towers and substations serves as the highway where electricity travels from various energy sources to the smaller thoroughfares of distribution utilities and electric cooperatives until it reaches the households.”
Through the MOU, “NICA commits to supply the NGCP with intelligence information to support the protection of power transmission assets that NGCP operates and maintains across the country, while it commits to provide technical assistance to NICA to support and strengthen its cyber security capability.”
President Marcos underscored the significance of the agreement: “Since (the) NGCP is a critical part of our security, of our ability to continue to function as a society, then this is an important day because now we have made more robust the defenses against any possible attacks on our power systems.” The entire chain of transmission infrastructure is most vulnerable in the smaller thoroughfares of distribution utilities and electric cooperatives” that energize households in the countryside. The citizenry can contribute its share in securing the country’s energy transmission assets through continuing vigilance and cooperation with the authorities.