College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

International Studies

Document Type

Book Chapter

Source Title

Security sector reform: Modern Defense force

First Page

76

Last Page

86

Publication Date

2014

Place of Publication

Quezon City

Publisher

Ateneo de Manila University, Department of Political Science

Abstract

The continuously evolving global security landscape has prompted states across the world to establish intelligence agencies to effectively protect national sovereignty and security from prevailing and emerging security challenges and threats. Anchored on Western ideas, a general notion of intelligence is that it is “stolen information” acquired through espionage or clandestine activities. This information normally pertains to matters critical to aspects of national security and threats from actual or potential adversaries. Thus, secrecy of intelligence information, processes, and organization is absolutely necessary to prevent any damage to the prestige and national security of a state.

Despite the need to ensure secrecy across all aspects of intelligence, the article argues that the prevailing tradition or practice of security restrictions should not impede public understanding or awareness of basic intelligence information in the Philippines. The article provides an in-depth examination of the Philippine Intelligence Community (IC) by focusing on the following critical junctures of analysis: 1) identiication of the notions of the intelligence; 2) implications of secrecy of intelligence activities; 3) structure and organization of the Philippine IC; and, 4) mechanisms for intelligence oversight.

Furthermore, the article offers some recommendations in developing and ensuring intelligence transparency in the Philippines. These include 1) maintaining public transparency through the dissemination of basic information on intelligence agencies (i.e. use of media platforms and linkages with academic and civilian research entities), and 2) developing intelligence oversight mechanisms, either through executive or congressional oversight mechanisms, which will ensure that intelligence agencies operate in accordance with democratic principles and controls.

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Disciplines

Asian Studies

Keywords

Intelligence service--Philippines

Shelf Location

Archives, The Learning Commons, 12F, Henry Sy Sr. Hall

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