FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list first nominee Brian Poe discussed topics of national significance in the National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association Inc. forum with the theme "Equal Voices, Equal Choices: Setting a Robust Security and Development Agenda for the 20th Congress and Beyond" last April 22 in Intramuros, Manila.

CHINA-PH trade

Brian, son of Sen. Grace Poe, said that halting trade with China will hurt the Philippines.

FPJ PANDAY Bayanihan party-list first nominee Brian Poe (third from left), former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, retired Vice Admiral Eduardo Santos, Commodore Jeremiah Simon, and Capt. Rely Jose Jr. discuss national security issues at the National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association Inc. forum in Intramuros, Manila on April 22. (Contributed photo)

“The Philippines is still economically dependent on China. Our largest trading partner is still China. So even if we were to get into conflict with China, our biggest problem is that without even firing a single bullet, halting trade with the Philippines would hurt us. That’s one. Without even firing a single bullet, because our energy portfolio is not yet self-sufficient. We’re still a net importer of energy and fossil fuels; they could easily just block off trade for energy and then cripple our energy portfolio,” Brian said.

“Two, we’re still building our agricultural backbone. Until now, we argue that food security is a major concern. Who is the largest importer of rice in the world? Philippines—not even China—and our population is so much smaller than theirs. My point here is, without even firing a single bullet, economically they could sabotage the country.”

Cyber security

He said that cyber security is also a pressing issue.

“Another major concern, we were talking about having a robust national security is cyber. A big chunk of what we’re missing out on and where everyone else is advancing is cyber security. Ilang beses na tayong na hack? Ilang government agencies ang na hack? Ano ‘yung mga data sets na nakuha ng iba’t-ibang bansa dahil hindi tayo handa? (How many times we’ve been hacked? How many government agencies have been hacked? What are the data sets taken by other countries because we are not ready?)”

Poe said the country should train local cybersecurity experts for a secure future.

“When it comes to cybersecurity, it’s not numbers. You can actually train a decent set of Filipinos to be our cybersecurity experts, and that doesn’t cost as much as buying a fleet of jets. It’s an investment towards our population and the next generation of Filipino leaders in cybersecurity,” he said.

“Meron tayong cybersecurity program sa TESDA that is internationally recognized. That can easily be sponsored by the government to provide us with a cybersecurity portfolio or background. Not everyone has to be a hard military asset. We can also invest in fixing our agricultural backbone, and we could also invest in sustainable energy solutions that we can build here in the Philippines. And we can invest in our people, our best asset,” he added, highlighting the multifaceted approach needed for national development.

Passion

He said that national security has been a longstanding passion and this shaped his aspirations from a young age.

“During the pandemic, I decided to study a little bit about national security. I took an online certificate program with Georgetown on counter-terrorism. It was always my dream to study at the National Defense College of the Philippines,” Brian said.

“I was finally given the opportunity to do so. I just recently completed my Master’s in National Security Senior Executive Program. Immediately after that, I completed my counterintelligence training with NICA to further supplement my defense and security background. I currently serve on the Multi-Sectoral Advisory Board as the co-chairman of Communications for the Army Reserve Command. I also previously served until I had to resign because of the elections as an adviser on the Aviation Security Group Advisory Council,” he added.

Compulsory military service

During the forum, Norberto Gonzales, a former Defense Secretary under the Arroyo administration, proposed compulsory military service for young people.

“My major recommendation is to make military service compulsory over the next five years. I think it’s about time that the Philippines should start thinking kung ano naman ang kanilang plano for self-defense (what is the plan for self-defense),” Gonzales said.

“Supposing we’re attacked, what are our preparations for this? Why am I proposing a compulsory military service for our young people? We have more than 20 million young people of the right age. And I am very sad to say this, this is the only asset we have left. To be able to build the kind of defense we need today,” he added.

Gonzales urged the government to reevaluate its defense strategies.

He said compulsory military service will prepare the youth to contribute to national security, fostering not only military readiness but also a sense of patriotism and responsibility among the younger generation.