Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vice chief of staff Air Force Lieutenant General. Arthur Cordura said, “cyber operation is part of our national and collective defense means.”
Speaking during the fifth anniversary celebration of the AFP Cyber Group (AFPCyG), he also echoed Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro’s guidance of recognizing the significance of cyber capabilities as a command and leadership tool.
“Those [are] capabilities that provide situational awareness and actionable intelligence for military and decision-makers to guide and execute their command and control directives,” he added.
Cordura also said cyber operations are the heart of the military’s C4ISTAR systems.
C4ISTAR refers to the “Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting Acquisition and Reconnaissance”.
“It is a game changer. The application of cyber fundamental changes the nature of war thereby inevitably shifting the paradigm on how we operate in a continuum of peace, conflict, crisis, and war,” he added.
Cordura also commended the AFPCyG, headed by Army Col. Walter Icaro, for their unwavering service in cyberspace operations.
The AFPCyG also renewed its commitment to the mission of defending cyberspace as one of the AFP’s domains and building its robust cyberspace capabilities.
The AFP meanwhile expressed its gratitude to the Filipino people for their continued trust in the institution, which remains to be among the top three most trusted government agencies in the country.
“The AFP remains thankful for the trust and confidence of the Filipino people as we remain to be among the top-rated government agencies as shown in the PUBLiCUS (Asia) ‘PAHAYAG’ survey,” AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto said in a message to reporters Monday night.
This came after the results of PUBLiCUS Asia’s “PAHAYAG Q2” survey released on Monday showed that the AFP garnered an approval rating of 66 percent and trust rating of 56 percent, sharing second and third place with the Department of Science and Technology.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) emerged as the top ranking agency with an approval rating of 72 percent and trust rating of 58 percent.
The survey attributed TESDA’s good standing to its commitment of providing quality and technical education skills.
“Nonetheless, we will take this as a challenge to further improve in the performance of our mandate as protector of the people and the state. We have gotten in touch with Publicus Asia regarding this to better understand what areas of our services could be further improved to ensure that we remain worthy of the Filipino’s trust and approval,” Ileto said.
The AFP also thanked TESDA for being one of its reliable partners in helping and providing better opportunities to people in areas the military is deployed, including former rebels.
“This shows that their efforts are effective in reaching underprivileged Filipinos and are appreciated by the people they have served,” Ileto said.
The “PAHAYAG 2023” Second Quarter Survey is an independent and non-commissioned survey conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. from June 7 to 12.
It is a nationwide purposive survey with 1,500 respondents randomly drawn from a market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos maintained by PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with a multinational presence with respondents, and distributed across five geographical areas: National Capital Region, North Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Only registered Filipino voters were included in the sample, ensuring that the results accurately represent the sentiments of the voting population.
As this developed, AFP chief General. Andres Centino batted for the restoration of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), citing its high public approval rating, during a dinner with UP Diliman ROTC cadet officers in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City last June 26.
Citing the Pulse Asia survey last March, which showed 78 percent of Filipinos approve of the mandatory training, the AFP chief stressed that it reflects the country’s appreciation of the importance of military training in society.
“As we witness the growing support for mandatory ROTC, we are reminded of the power of the collective voice of the Filipino people. Their approval reflects their trust in the power of military training to shape the character and future of our nation. It is a call to action for all of us to continue championing the values of Duty, Honor, and Country,” Centino said.
The dinner was attended by UP Diliman ROTC training staff, cadet officers, and key officers from the UP Vanguard led by its national commander, Luis Juan Oreta.
“Let tonight’s gathering strengthen our resolve and our commitment to the ROTC program as we work hand in hand to nurture a generation of leaders who will embody the values that our nation holds dear. Together, let us build a stronger, more disciplined, and more united Philippines,” the AFP chief pointed out.