Lorenzana: We're looking at facial recognition software to track down bad guys
By Roel Tibay
Published Jun 5, 2018 06:05 pm
By Francis Wakefield
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that they are looking to acquire facial recognition software, drones, and unmanned aerial vehicles to help improve the country's internal security.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco / MANILA BULLETIN)
In an interview on ANC, Lorenzana said the acquisition forms part of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to help guard the country's border, especially against foreign terrorists.
"We are acquiring some technical capabilities. We are looking at facial recognition software so that we can easily look to track down the bad guys," Lorenzana said.
"Also buying some drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Now, we have acquired some from the United States the Scaneagle and just the Americans in the south the shallows, the small drones that has powerful signal capabilities. Now if our orders for bigger drones comes then it will improve our intel capabilities," he said.
Lorenzana said improvements for intelligence capabilities are as good as people who manage them and interprets data.
"We still need human, intel people who go down and see (the) things on the ground in their own eyes and feel what's happening on the ground so they can report to higher authorities. I think these skills can do more and more people on the ground to human intelligence," he said.
Lorenzana, at the same time, said that intelligence sharing with neighbors such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore improved over the years.
"It has improved a lot. Now we have intel sharing with close neighbors Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and especially Singapore because they have advanced signal communications, cybersecurity. In fact, they were the ones who set up the intelligence fusion in Malaka Strait to the shipping and they were able to stop the piracy there," Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana said he was able to talk to the Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen of the possibility oF replicating in Marawi and Tawi-Tawi.
"Maybe, if we could replicate just a part of that intelligence fusion so we can improve the monitoring of people coming out from Sabah going to the Philippines," he said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco / MANILA BULLETIN)
In an interview on ANC, Lorenzana said the acquisition forms part of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to help guard the country's border, especially against foreign terrorists.
"We are acquiring some technical capabilities. We are looking at facial recognition software so that we can easily look to track down the bad guys," Lorenzana said.
"Also buying some drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Now, we have acquired some from the United States the Scaneagle and just the Americans in the south the shallows, the small drones that has powerful signal capabilities. Now if our orders for bigger drones comes then it will improve our intel capabilities," he said.
Lorenzana said improvements for intelligence capabilities are as good as people who manage them and interprets data.
"We still need human, intel people who go down and see (the) things on the ground in their own eyes and feel what's happening on the ground so they can report to higher authorities. I think these skills can do more and more people on the ground to human intelligence," he said.
Lorenzana, at the same time, said that intelligence sharing with neighbors such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore improved over the years.
"It has improved a lot. Now we have intel sharing with close neighbors Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and especially Singapore because they have advanced signal communications, cybersecurity. In fact, they were the ones who set up the intelligence fusion in Malaka Strait to the shipping and they were able to stop the piracy there," Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana said he was able to talk to the Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen of the possibility oF replicating in Marawi and Tawi-Tawi.
"Maybe, if we could replicate just a part of that intelligence fusion so we can improve the monitoring of people coming out from Sabah going to the Philippines," he said.