NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY (4) Strengthen cyber security and develop policies and strategies against the adverse effects of globalization. SAFEGUARD THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND SOVEREIGNTY Safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination are primordial duties of the State. The Philippines must demonstrate to the world that we are capable of protecting and defending what is ours, and that we shall fully assert and exercise our sovereign rights as a truly independent nation -- free from external control and influence. In this way, we can be respected, become world’s reliable friend, and be able to negotiate favorable economic terms and concessions. Strategic Objectives: (1) Develop defense capability to protect the Philippines’ territory, sovereignty and maritime interests; enhance cooperative maritime security and defense arrangements with other countries; and pursue the enactment of laws on defense modernization. (2) Pursue international support for a rules-based regime in the SCS/WPS and respect for the Award of the Permanent Court of Arbitration while engaging claimant-states on the way forward for the management and settlement of disputes. (3) Pursue implementation of the Declaration of Conduct (DOC) and conclusion of a legally-effective Code of Conduct (COC) while engaging in confidence-building measures in the region. (4) Pursue maritime boundary delimitation with adjoining countries and the enactment of laws on Maritime Zones and Archipelagic Sea Lanes as well as on matters pertaining to commitments and obligations under international law, particularly UNCLOS. PROTECT AND PRESERVE ECOLOGICAL BALANCE Protecting and preserving ecological balance is a complex challenge that interacts with many other determinants of national security and people’s well-being. The drivers for protecting and preserving the environment are inter-related with issues of poverty, governance, the pressures of rapid economic and population growth, and the phenomenon of climate change. The environmental impacts of climate change have brought a new normal in Philippine weather and its impacts have been felt on food security, water security, ecological balance, and delivery stability. of social services. These redound to the country’s socio-political 21|Page