NATIONAL security and defense agencies in the Philippines need better software and hardware to combat espionage, a senator said on Thursday.
During a public hearing, Senator Erwin T. Tulfo said the chamber may designate a larger budget for agencies like the Department on National Defense (DND) to procure equipment capable of detecting whether the Philippines and its public officials are currently being monitored.
Technology like the Light Detection and Ranging, which creates maps of an area through pulsed laser light, needs to be upgraded. “I am sure there is something newer now that is also high-tech,” he said.
Neil Simon S. Silva, a lecturer at the University of the Philippines’ College of Law, said technology is one of the nation’s defense gaps. Espionage has expanded in scope and form, he added.
If the Senate is really serious about Senate Bill No. 33, the New Anti-Espionage Act, agencies need the funds to buy equipment, Mr. Tulfo said.
Mr. Silva cautioned, however, that purchased hardware and software need to be scrutinized. Companies with offshore production may include backdoors, or modifications to bypass online security measures. — Francessca S. Abalos