Perfect storm brews

Perfect storm brews | Daily Tribune

As the domestic political climate simmers that may be attributed to the approaching political exercise in 2025, the external threat is also becoming a serious concern.

The confrontation between the camps of former President Rodrigo Duterte and the current administration on, of all issues, narcotics — which is the subject of public outrage after a vengeful return following the war on drugs — has crossed the Rubicon.

Duterte let loose his bottled-up criticism of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during, ironically, a prayer rally that resounded with invectives and the patented rants of Digong.

Marcos, on the same day, led a Bagong Pilipinas rally that many associated with the push for Charter change.

Duterte fired away at Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez whom he claimed is spearheading the People’s Initiative campaign to tinker with the Constitution.

The Senate, on the instance of Marcos, agreed to adopt Joint Resolution 6 but it later took back its approval in protest of the PI move.

Duterte vowed to lead protest actions against the PI which, based on the track record of the former President, he is likely to put into action.

While the rivalry heats up, Marcos is also faced with the increasing deviousness of external threats related to the West Philippine Sea conflict.

Even the private sector has noticed the upsurge in insidious acts which have even been categorized as an act of war.

Telecommunications giant PLDT noticed a massive surge in cyberattacks against PLDT and Smart by a whopping 9,000 percent to 16 billion instances in 2023 from 182 million in 2022.

“We are in the middle of a cyber war. We need to secure our country’s vital infrastructure like energy, telecoms, and financial services. If we talk about cyber resiliency, stakeholders — both private and government entities — must collaborate,” a PLDT security executive said.

The PLDT official called on the government to coordinate with the private sector in responding to the alarming assaults which could be likened to missile attacks in cyberspace as they target civilian facilities.

“We need the government to orchestrate our efforts,” Chief Information Security Officer of PLDT, Smart and ePLDT Angel Redoble said.

The fear that the country’s basic services could be manipulated by remote control is becoming a strong possibility with what has been transpiring.

Fortunately, the country has a skills force that can equal or even surpass the capabilities of foreign cyber armies.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP, is actively recruiting individuals to be part of the nation’s cyber troops.

Throughout 2023, the PLDT Group said it successfully thwarted a “staggering number” of cyberattacks, exceeding a billion hits monthly.

Notably, November and December witnessed the most significant onslaught, with each month recording over three billion attacks.

Cyber attacks have also affected several government websites. One notable attack was potentially state-sponsored, according to the PLDT executive. It appeared to have been driven by geopolitical tensions, he added.

Some foreign group that has the digital muscle is testing the waters regarding the preparedness of the country in terms of an all-out attack.

PLDT issued an urgent call for the government to assume a leadership role in shaping the cybersecurity strategy.

The threats Marcos faces are all daunting and will test the administration’s courage to carry on with the programs to protect Filipinos and, in the same breath, offer them a secure future.

The Marcos administration needs to focus its attention and resources, and the PI effort serves only to distract the whole nation into an unnecessary undertaking.

The PI and Cha-cha are not appropriate at this time.