Before the events of September 11, the Philippines has fought its own homegrown terrorists-the MILF, MNLF, ASG and the decades old CPP-NPA. Thousands has perished as the Philippine government strove to preserve the nation’s integrity and democratic processes from either disintegration by the Moro separatists or the complete turn about from democracy to communist subversion by the CPP/NPA ideologues.

Since then several changes marked the security threat scenarios in the national, regional as well as international arena. The security environment of today is different and complex. At present, the Philippines find itself confronted by a form of terrorism that transcends borders. This terrorism, has a global reach, is rooted in ideology and employs sophisticated methods to achieve catastrophic outcomes especially when aimed at mass transportation.

Transnational terrorism now has encroached the Philippines society with the linkages between the Al Queda, Jemaah Islamiyah and the local Abu Sayyaf and Rajah Soliman Movement (Balik Islam Elements).

In response PGMA issued Executive Order No. 277 as amended by Executive Order No. 311 creating the Office for Transportation Security (OTS). The OTS as the designated “Single Authority” is responsible for the security of all modes of public transportation systems in the country. To ably and decisively deal with the threat to the security of the country’s air, land and sea transportation systems, the OTS formulates, develops, promulgates and implements countermeasures in the form of comprehensive security plans, policies, measures, strategies and programs, which shall be continually reviewed, assessed and upgraded in order to be responsive to changes/developments or to prevailing and foreseeable threat situation in the dynamic environment.

Those countermeasures, in order to be effective, must be PREEMPTIVE in nature and based on accurate and timely disseminated INTELLIGENCE on the plans of potential threat groups and their capability to carry out such plans. Lest, we shall just be mere REACTIONARIES, managing crises or controlling damages that could have been prevented in the first place.

The productivity and effectiveness of those countermeasures is further enhanced by a well defined and synchronized communication network involving the intermodal transportation system through an OPERATION CENTER. The OPERATION CENTER that serves as the NERVE CENTER of the multi-faceted operations of the different modes of transportation.

The Center is also in constant contact/ interaction with other government agencies and stakeholders such as airports, ports, bus companies/ terminals, the rail transport providers, shipping companies ad others with direct and indirect interest in the transportation industry 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This too ensure that all security incidents that transpire is monitored by OTS for immediate action and future planning.

For OTS, this imperative requirement on INTELLIGENCE and OPERATION CENTER upon which the overall operational thrusts of the office will be based shall be provided by it’s Intelligence and Operations Bureau (IOB).

IOB ROLE IN OTS INTELLIGENCE EFFORT

Intelligence activities of the IOS observe the process commonly known as the “Intelligence Cycle”. This “cycle” includes 1) Planning and Directing (determining requirements, priorities, indication and selection); 2) Collection (Employment of trained troops, Intel specialist, special units and other non-organic sources) of the information; 3) Processing (recording, evaluating and interpretation and collating with other related raw information) making them useful “intelligence”; 4) Dissemination and use (by the recipient). The “Intelligence Cycle” is applied at all levels of the “Intelligence Community”.

The IOB plans, directs, coordinates and supervises the overall intelligence activities of the OTS. The built-in intelligence components of the Civil Aviation Security Bureau (CASB), the Maritime Transportation Security Bureau (MTSB) and the Land Transportation Security Bureau (LTSB) serve as the respective operating arm of each Security Services under the operational guidance of the IOB. These intelligence components collect information concerning their area of interest, process same for immediate use and forward it to the IOB for further processing and collation for future planning and operations and Intelex with the intelligence arms of other government agencies and foreign counterparts. Thus, the IOB serves as INTELLIGENCE FUSION CENTER for the government on matters concerning transportation security.

As the Intelligence Fusion Center, IOB manages a central data base of intelligence information shared by the different transportation security services of OTS.

Subsequently, IOB disseminates processed information to the OTS Security Service or the other agencies concerned for tactical/operational security is forwarded to key government officials on “need-to-know basis” for possible use in decision making, or policy and strategy formulation, on national level. IOB therefore serves as the FOCAL POINT for coordination and integration of the intelligence efforts of the transportation security services and other government agencies/intel units to ensure close, coordinated and sustained intermodal transportation security operations to detect, deter/prevent and neutralize terrorist threats.

For OTS, its own security concerns are handled by the IOB through counterintelligence, which is an essential activity in addressing physical, document/information and personnel security concerns of an organization. This is designed to ensure that the organization and its activities are protected from passive and active enemy hostile action such as sabotage and infiltration against its installation, subversion against its personnel and espionage against its information and communication. For OTS itself, counterintelligence activities are exclusively performed by the IOB, which in effect, makes it the “security auditor” of the security auditors.

Intelligence and Counterintelligence are vital activities in addressing security requirements of an organization. This is more so for an organization involved in security tasks like the Office for Transportation Security which is the “Single Authority” responsible for public transportation sector.

Likewise, the effective management of the OPERATION CENTER that will link the main offices of the OTS with its unit offices in the field is an urgent and vital component to the day to day OTS activities. This role is also within the mandate of the IOB.

In the light of the foregoing, it may be said that the INTELLIGENCE AND OPERATIONS BUREAU is an indispensable and vital component for the OTS to effectively carry out its mandated tasks. It would simply be disturbing, if not alarming, if the OTS is deprived of a service which provides the solid intelligence, a foundation essential in ensuring security of the public transportation sector and the riding public, the very purpose of its creation.