Philippines
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Teodoro orders strict vetting for janitorial services at PH Defense department
Teodoro orders strict vetting for janitorial services at PH Defense department
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has ordered a full vetting process for people being sent by manpower agencies to work as janitors and for other jobs to all the offices of the department.
Teodoro cited operational security as the reason when he ordered a secure and strict vetting process, especially for janitorial services.
“We are getting them from manpower agencies, they are not properly motivated, they are part of your secure environment, and yet they are a possible target for espionage and other things," said Teodoro in a forum organized by the Manila Overseas Press Club in Makati City on Tuesday night, Jan. 23.
"We have to tailor even the most basic services to conform to operational security," he added.
Teodoro said that there is an ongoing full security review at the Department of National Defense (DND), adding that the review starts from him and will be implemented down the line.
The Defense Chief emphasized the need for extra caution amid security threats even in the use of communication gadgets.
This is the reason, he said, why he would not always respond to calls and text messages from various people.
"I perhaps have offended some people by not responding to text or calls in unsecured devices because the threat of vulnerability is really there," said Teodoro.
But he explained that there is a need to exercise caution since the DND should always maintain a high level of security being a security sensitive organization.
"Which is why we are transitioning into a highly operationally secure environment," said Teodoro as he emphasized the need for strict vetting of the janitorial services in the DND.
“This is not only for our own protection but also for our ability to interoperate freely through the free exchange of information and capabilities with partners and allied countries,” said Teodoro.
It was recalled that Teodoro ordered all DND and AFP personnel to stop using a digital application that uses artificial intelligence to generate portrait, explaining that application "can be maliciously used to create fake profiles that can lead to identity theft, social engineering, phishing attacks, and other malicious activities."