ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 68 -
PROVIDING FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
COORDINATING AGENCY (NICA) TO DIRECT, COORDINATE AND INTEGRATE ALL
GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES INVOLVING NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
WHEREAS, owing to challenges posed by
terrorism, there is a need to streamline the Intelligence Community to
make it responsive to the new environment.
WHEREAS, for purposes of providing timely, relevant and useful
intelligence for the use of various government agencies, there is a
need to properly coordinate, direct and integrate the national
intelligence gathering activities of the government at all levels;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic
of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby order that:
Section 1. Strengthening NICA's Role and Authority. —
The NICA shall have principal authority to direct, coordinate and
integrate all government activities involving national intelligence and
continue to serve as the focal point for the preparation of
intelligence estimates of local and foreign situations for the
formulation of national policies by the President. As lead intelligence
collection agency of the national government it shall operate directly
under the Office of the President and shall be accountable to the
President of the Republic of the Philippines.
The Director General (DG), NICA shall serve as the principal adviser to
the President on intelligence. He shall undertake measures to
streamline and strengthen the intelligence community in general and the
Agency in particular in addressing broader national intelligence
concerns, including, but not limited to counter-intelligence,
counter-terrorism, foreign intelligence and economic intelligence. In
this regard, he shall establish the Directorate for
Counter-intelligence which shall serve as the focal point for the
national government's counter-intelligence activities and
operations.
For the above purpose, the NICA is authorized to request for secondment
to the Agency of personnel from other government offices. It may detail
NICA liaison officers to other government departments, agencies and
offices as needed.
Sec. 2. National Intelligence Committee. — There
shall be organized a National Intelligence Committee (NIC) to serve as
the advisory body to the DG, NICA for the coordination, integration and
fusion of all intelligence activities relating to the preparation of
the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) and in addressing other issues
of national intelligence concern. It shall act as a collegial body for
the purpose of promoting unity and cohesion of the national
intelligence community as well as for prescribing policy guidelines and
directives to various national government units, agencies and offices
engaged in activities involving national intelligence.
Membership. The NIC, to be chaired by the DG, NICA, shall have the
following as members: the Undersecretary for Policy, Department of
Foreign Affairs; the Director, National Bureau of Investigation; the
Commissioner, Bureau of Customs; the Commissioner, Bureau of
Immigration; the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, J2, Armed
Forces of the Philippines; the Director for Intelligence, Philippine
National Police; and the Commanding Officer, Presidential Security
Group. The DG, NICA may designate resource persons who shall be invited
to participate in the NIC meetings as the need arises.
Standing Committees. The NIC shall create inter-agency standing
committees that will be tasked to prepare national intelligence
reports, assessments and plans for its approval and dissemination.
These committees shall also ensure that appropriate inputs are received
from other agencies which have allocated intelligence tasks.
Secretariat. The NIC shall have a Secretariat responsible for all
technical and administrative matters affecting the Committee. The
Director, Office for Policies, Plans and Programs of the NICA shall
supervise the NIC Secretariat.
Regional Intelligence Committees. The NIC shall be assisted by the
Regional Intelligence Committees (RICs) in all regions of the country.
In consonance with appropriate guidelines from the NIC, the RICs shall
direct and coordinate intelligence efforts of the Government at the
regional and local levels to ensure efficient and effective coverage of
all threats to national security. For this purpose, the RICs shall
coordinate the efforts of all government intelligence units and
agencies at the regional and local levels to ensure the integration and
fusion of all information of national intelligence concern gathered at
these levels.
Each RIC shall be chaired by the Director of the NICA Regional Office
and shall have as members the regional counterparts of the NIC members.
The RICs shall periodically submit to the NIC reports on their
accomplishments, special intelligence reports and other intelligence
concerns thru the DG, NICA, furnishing the concerned Area CTICs copies
thereof.
Reportorial Requirements. Likewise, as Chairman of the NIC, the DG,
NICA shall prescribe the Committee's reportorial requirements,
including the system for integrating at the national level the various
reports generated by the civilian, police and military intelligence
agencies at the regional and local levels.
Source Control System. The NIC shall establish a source control system
to cover all intelligence gaps, preclude and eliminate intelligence
peddling and deter the unrestricted dissemination of misleading
information.
Security Clearance. The NIC shall prescribe and promulgate a national
security clearance system for the government service.
Sec. 3. Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Center. —
The Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center (CTIC) shall be
institutionalized as a multi-agency body under the direction and
control of the DG, NICA tasked with the mission of providing over-all
coordination in the conduct of intelligence operations to facilitate
gathering, processing, disseminating and sharing of intelligence on
terrorism, especially on international terrorism.
There shall likewise be established Area Counter-Terrorism Intelligence
Centers (Area CTICs) in the various area unified commands of the AFP
that shall be tasked principally to capture and fuse at the operational
and tactical levels the intelligence outputs, with emphasis on domestic
and international terrorism, of all intelligence agencies — civil,
military and police — in their respective areas of
operations.
Sec. 4. Foreign Intelligence Organizations and
Intelligence Sharing. — The DG, NICA shall establish and strengthen
liaison work between the Agency and its foreign counterpart
intelligence and security organizations/services. He shall designate
the points of contact of these foreign counterpart intelligence
organizations within the Intelligence Community and other government
Departments/Agencies. For this purpose, he shall also be the approving
authority for the grant of official accreditation of these foreign
counterpart intelligence organizations with the police, military or
other intelligence units of the government. He shall also review the
working arrangements of local intelligence organizations and agencies
with foreign intelligence organizations in order to maximize the
country's benefit from a more manageable and effective intelligence
sharing system.
Foreign Liaison Program. The NICA shall coordinate its Foreign Liaison
Program with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine
National Police, the Department of Foreign Affairs and other agencies
regularly posting representatives overseas, i.e., the Department of
Trade and Industry, the Department of Tourism and the Department of
Labor and Employment, to rationalize the deployment of NICA liaison
officers in priority states.
Sec. 5. Relationship with the NSA/NSC/NIB. — The
NICA and the NIC shall provide support services to the National
Security Adviser/the National Security Council and the National
Intelligence Board. The NIC shall act as the principal arm of the Board
for purposes of providing direction and control of intelligence
operations and activities of NIB members, departments, agencies and
offices. The NICA shall remain under the administrative supervision of
the National Security Adviser, as provided for in E.O. 69, s. of
2002.
Sec. 6. Funding. — The requirements for additional
funding for the expanded responsibilities and tasks of the Agency shall
be sourced from the Office of the President for the current year and
included in succeeding appropriations of the Agency.
Sec. 7. Repealing Clause. — All executive orders
(except E.O. 246, s. of 1987) and other presidential issuances, or part
thereof relating to activities of national intelligence concern that
are inconsistent with the provisions of this Administrative Order are
hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly.
Sec. 8. Effectivity. — This Administrative Order
shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila,
this 8th day of April in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Three.
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