AFP sees no threat from PH terror groups amid Hamas' attack calls

From the Philippine News  Agency (Oct 19, 2023): AFP sees no threat from PH terror groups amid Hamas' attack calls (By Priam Nepomuceno)

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (PNA file photo)

MANILA – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Thursday said no local terrorist groups in the country seem to be supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas' calls for Muslims all over the world to join them in their cause.

"(Initially) this is concerning for us because of the experiences that we have when it comes to terrorism but as we monitor the situation in the country we are happy to note that so far there are no indications of any terrorist groups (in the Philippines) heeding the calls of jihad (by Hamas)," Brawner said in a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.

Earlier, Hamas called on all Muslims worldwide to protest in support of Palestinians and for those in neighboring countries to join in the ongoing fight against Israel.

The AFP chief said ground commanders and local government officials, whom he met during his visit to Marawi City last Oct. 17 to mark the 6th year anniversary of its liberation from ISIS-inspired terrorists, assured that they have yet to detect any terrorist activity arising from this call.

"They assured us that they have not monitored any terrorist groups or even individuals attempting to wreck havoc or do any terrorist activity. We have alerted our commanders nationwide for the AFP and the Philippine National Police to be alert, to be on the lookout for any of these possible spillovers of the events that’s happening in Gaza," he added.

Brawner said they have yet to receive any intelligence reports regarding entry of foreign terrorists in the Philippines.

"As of the last report that we have there are no more foreign terrorists in the country," he added.

Expanding cybersecurity

Meanwhile, Brawner said he is looking to enhance the existing AFP Cyber Group also known as the AFPCyG, by recruiting more personnel and acquiring more equipment, to allow it to be named as Cyber Security Command or Cyber Command.

"In the US for instance they have their Cyber Command so we are looking at also increasing that unit, (AFPCyG), into a Cyber Command that would include more capabilities, more personnel of course, and more equipment, this will allow us to defend our networks better in terms of cyber security," he added.

Brawner also said that they will try to recruit more IT personnel from the youth sector, especially those interested in serving or joining the AFP.

"Again we are opening up our doors to these individuals who are highly skilled in terms of cyber, and we are relaxing some of the requirements. For instance, (the) physical and medical aspects of the requirement procedures, we are going to relax a bit," he added.

Brawner said this due to the realization that these "new breed of warriors" are not required to be physically strong but only intelligent and very skillful in the cyber domain.

He added that studies for expanding the AFPCyG are now ongoing, noting that he expects the report to be completed by the end of the year.

Brawner said the proposed AFP Cyber Command will not have a physical territory but it would be responsible for defending the cyber networks of the military.

He said the creation of such a unit is timely in the wake of hacking incidents affecting government websites.

He also added that all AFP cyber units have been warned to be vigilant and on the lookout for possible hacking attacks.

While there have been attempts to hack into AFP cyber systems, Brawner is pleased to report that they have been very successful in warding this off.

"But we're happy to note na so far hindi naman naging (are not) successful, we have been very successful in warding off, in defending our network(s)," he added.

Brawner said the attempts to attack the military systems are made by both foreign and local hackers.

"I'm not sure but what I could say is that almost everyday we experience attempts to attack our, the entire networks of the AFP," he added.

Brawner said the AFP will be defended against these threats once the proposed Cyber Command is activated.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212151