ISAFP to be expanded, not abolished, says chief

MANILA, Philippines - The Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) is not up for deactivation but due for expansion, the commander of the military’s top intelligence unit said yesterday.

“It’s not true. The defense planning guidance is to create one big intelligence organization in the future with ISAFP under a different name, serving as its backbone,” ISAFP chief Brig. Gen. Eduardo Año said.

Año made the clarification to douse talks that the fire that broke out in the ISAFP’s well-guarded compound late Friday could be related to plans to abolish the military intelligence unit.

Año pointed out last Friday’s fire also damaged the message center of the AFP Deputy for Intelligence (J2), whose office is located inside the ISAFP compound.

He added a representative from an insurance firm would be arriving on Monday to determine the actual damage caused by the fire, which he described as very minimal.

According to Año, the ISAFP expansion plan would be patterned after the defense intelligence services of other countries.

He stressed the ISAFP will remain as the intelligence unit of the AFP but this time, once the study is completed, it will be under the Department of National Defense (DND).

Año stressed that everything surrounding the upsizing of ISAFP is still on the drawing board and is not expected to happen this year.