FPJ Panday Bayanihan’s Brian Poe attends forum on nat’l security

MANILA, Philippines –  The National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association, Inc. held a forum entitled “Equal Voices, Equal Choices: Setting a Robust Security and Development Agenda for the 20th Congress and Beyond” on April 22, 2025, in Intramuros, Manila.

FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list First Nominee Brian Poe was honored to be invited as a panelist, proudly representing the esteemed alumni community of the National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association, Inc.

He expressed that his fascination with national security has been a long-standing passion, one that has shaped his aspirations from a young age.

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

When asked “Ano po ang bagay na robust national security na nababagay po lalung-lalo na sa panahon po ngayon?” Norberto Gonzales, former Defense Secretary and National Defense Adviser said: “My major recommendation sana is to make military service compulsory over the next 5 years. I think it’s about time that the Philippines should start thinking kung ano naman ang kanilang plano for self-defense. 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.”

This perspective emphasizes the urgency for the Philippines to reevaluate its defense strategies.

By advocating for compulsory military service, Gonzales highlights the importance of preparing the youth to contribute to national security, fostering not only military readiness but also a sense of patriotism and responsibility among the younger generation.

Poe meantime also expressed his thoughts on economic security.

“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,” he said.

“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,” he added.

His remarks highlight the critical dependence of the Philippines on economic ties with China.

In addition to economic concerns, cyber security also emerges as 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?” 

“When it comes to cybersecurity, it’s not a numbers game. 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, emphasizing the importance of investing in local talent for a secure future.

“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.