Apart from the peace process, the government shall create and sustain an enabling environment conducive to development. This will be done by involving the whole government, other institutions, and the entire citizenry in addressing national integrity, public order and safety, and governance reforms. These mutually-reinforcing strategies are envisioned to secure internal and external peace that will contribute to the development efforts of the government and ensure that Filipinos will be able to take part in the process of economic growth and development.
A. Goal
Throughout the Plan period, the government shall create and sustain a safer and more secured environment conducive to national development.
B. Objectives
In particular, the following objectives shall be pursued:
1. Promotion of sustained internal stability;
2. Full capability to uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state assured;
3. Highest standard of capability and preparedness against natural calamities and disasters achieved; and
4. Security sector reformed and modernized.
C. Specific Strategies
1. To promote and sustain internal stability, the following strategies shall be pursued:
a. Capabilities of armed groups must be reduced at a level where they can no longer threaten the stability of the state. These shall be done through the following:
• End activities of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), Jemiah Islamiyah(JI) and their allied armed groups and other criminal elements; and
• Contribute to the establishment of conditions for civil authorities to take responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of their constituents.
b. Continuous and intensified police and other law enforcement agencies' operations must be implemented to address criminality including organized crime groups. To ensure the safety of the citizenry from becoming victims of unlawful acts, the following shall be carried out:
• Enforce the law effectively and credibly and anticrime strategies in partnership and collaboration with stakeholders and other pillars of the Criminal Justice System;
• Improve performance in solving crimes; and
• Dismantle private armed groups.
2. To assure full capability to uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, the following strategies shall be undertaken:
a. International relations and external security must be sustained and cultivated through the following:
• Strengthen cooperative security arrangements with neighbors and other countries by adopting mechanisms in the regional and global setting in building confidence and promoting consultations and interactions.
• Pursue friendly and peaceful bilateral and multilateral relations with other nations and international agencies to promote cooperative projects in the political, economic and military fields, as well as assuring the security and welfare of Filipinos working and living abroad; and
• Expand and improve participation in UN Peace Operations.
b. Capability on border management, surveillance and detection against lawless elements must be improved through the following:
• Enhancement of border security through the strict enforcement of the Philippine immigration laws and upgrading of surveillance and detection capacity to thwart the entry of foreign terrorists and other lawless elements as well as human trafficking and smuggling of anti-social goods and weapons of mass destruction; and
• Ensuring that maritime assets, maritime practices, territorial integrity and coastal areas are protected in accordance with the Baselines Law (RA 9522) and by upgrading air and maritime capability.
3. To achieve the highest standard of capability and preparedness against natural and man-made calamities and disasters, the following will be undertaken:
• Strengthen the role of the security sector in emergency relief and rescue operations to maintain public order and safety during calamities. Mechanisms to improve alert warning and monitoring before and during disasters will be enhanced to pre-empt loss to lives and properties. The sector will be transformed to become more dynamic, proactive, and responsive to prevent and prepare for disasters through improvement on technical and institutional capacity, and by promoting synergy among stakeholders and building resiliency of communities to disasters; and
• Support national development programs by securing and protecting critical infrastructures and facilities, and other high value projects of the public and private sector.
4. To carry out Security Sector Reform and Modernization initiatives that shall adhere to the principle of transparency and accountability, the following strategies shall be implemented:
a. Pursue reforms in the security sector by adopting policies, programs and activities that contribute to:
• Strengthening the civilian control and oversight of the security sector;
• Orienting the security forces, to include, among others, programs designed to train soldiers, police and other security sector personnel on their respective responsibilities, respect on human rights and international law, and ethnic sensitivity;
• Strengthening the internal security system. Pursue and support the reform efforts in both the AFP and PNP through programs such as the Philippine Defense Transformation Program of the AFP and the Integrated Transformation Program-Performance Governance System of the PNP. The security sector must rebuild themselves as institutions by reorganizing, retooling, and reorienting the approaches to keep up with the constantly changing policy and security strategy environment; and
• Strengthening of the rule of law throughout the country by ensuring a strong, independent judicial system and a better functioning of correctional systems so that justice is applied to all. The Philippine government recognizes the need to strengthen the rule of law to assure the people of the basic protective services with an effective and reliable response mechanism from the law enforcement agencies as well as a functioning and dependable justice system.
b. Pursue the upgrading and modernization of the defense and security establishments to perform the full spectrum of roles and mandates in accordance to the more comprehensive and updated definition of National Security. This entails the following:
• Capability to perform all types and levels of internal and external operations as well as non-traditional and development roles;
• Capability to perform air, land and sea operations, as mandated;
• Capacity building of the security sector particularly on non-traditional skills on conflict resolution and peace-building, democratic accountability, gender and development issues, ethnic sensitivity, and indigenous people's rights; and
• Education, training, and preparation of all officers (including non-commissioned officers) and civilian employees, in accordance with the highest standards of personal integrity and professional competence required in all the leadership, officer, technical and rank and file positions in the armed and other uniformed services.