Col. Francel Padilla is accustomed to being a pioneer. She was among the first women to graduate from the Philippine Military Academy. Now as the armed forces' first woman spokesperson, she has seen many barriers fall as women soldiers are now serving even in combat roles.
Col. Padilla has become the most visible face of the Philippine military at a crucial time, when the country is pivoting from the insurgency to the external threat of China. As an expert on cybersecurity, she brings an uncommon skill set to her new role.
She talks to Howie Severino about the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated institution. She opens up about having to start a sensitive mission guarding a visiting head of state just after losing her husband, a fellow PMA graduate, in a helicopter crash. "Grieving is a lifelong journey," she says in a candid moment, sharing how she raised two young sons in the wake of their loss.
Soon after assuming her position as spokesperson, Col. Padilla had to field questions about former President Duterte's effort to rile up the military against the current administration. "We are professional, united, and non-partisan," she assures. "We do not want to break the trust of the people."
Col. Padilla has become the most visible face of the Philippine military at a crucial time, when the country is pivoting from the insurgency to the external threat of China. As an expert on cybersecurity, she brings an uncommon skill set to her new role.
She talks to Howie Severino about the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated institution. She opens up about having to start a sensitive mission guarding a visiting head of state just after losing her husband, a fellow PMA graduate, in a helicopter crash. "Grieving is a lifelong journey," she says in a candid moment, sharing how she raised two young sons in the wake of their loss.
Soon after assuming her position as spokesperson, Col. Padilla had to field questions about former President Duterte's effort to rile up the military against the current administration. "We are professional, united, and non-partisan," she assures. "We do not want to break the trust of the people."
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00:00 Good day, Podmates!
00:02 Howie Severino again, reminding you that long attention spans are smart.
00:08 Our guest today is an active service pioneer in the Philippine military,
00:13 Colonel Franzel Padilla, the first woman spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
00:20 Good day to you, Colonel Padilla, and congratulations on your new position.
00:25 Thank you, and good day to you too, Sir Howie.
00:29 We know that so far, your main distinction is you're the first woman spokesperson of the AFP,
00:37 the Armed Forces of the Philippines, so you're a pioneer.
00:41 But of course, you're very qualified for this very visible role.
00:45 As General Zagala said, who was instrumental in selecting you,
00:51 you were chosen because of your specialized skills in the cyber domain,
00:56 which is of course a new theater of warfare these days.
01:01 We know that our military orientation is shifting.
01:06 But I want to get that gender question out of the way,
01:09 because that's always part of the conversation when talking about you.
01:17 So, Colonel Padilla, what made you choose the military?
01:21 When did this ambition begin?
01:25 Particularly, Sir, it wasn't an ambition to begin with.
01:29 I think I would like to believe that the stars aligned for me to get here.
01:36 There is nobody in the military in my family except my brother that went ahead of me.
01:43 He was a former member of PMA Class 97.
01:47 So, he was the one who encouraged me to just take an exam.
01:52 Because when you take an exam, you get a certificate.
01:55 So, that's it.
01:56 And then after that, he encouraged me to take the medical exams,
02:01 to get a full medical, free medical check-up, so to speak.
02:07 And then, it just went on, Sir.
02:09 There was no turning back from there.
02:12 So, when did you realize that it could be a career for you?
02:16 Basically, Sir, it's personality-based.
02:20 I'm more inclined to do something that has more impact to the society.
02:25 So, it's very fulfilling, Sir, that what you do would have a significant impact to the greater majority.
02:34 In PMA, we were taught to be leaders in our own fields.
02:40 So, with that, you feel how you handle men, how you get influence,
02:48 and how you will have significant accomplishments by leading certain people to do significant work.
02:57 Of course, there are many ways to have an impact on society.
03:02 And a woman joining the military, entering the PMA, is not a common journey.
03:10 I read somewhere that you have only eight women in your PMA graduating class.
03:16 Is that right?
03:17 So, you're a really tiny minority in the PMA.
03:20 Yes, Sir. We entered PMA, 18,000 applicants, 1,100 females passed, and then 100 plus around medical.
03:31 And we entered, we were 400, 380 men, 20 females.
03:38 And when we graduated, we were 10 women in my class.
03:42 But two of them are former members of 99 and joining our class.
03:46 So, the original 2000, Sir, we were eight.
03:50 So, how is life in PMA?
03:54 Because it's a very male-dominated institution.
03:58 Did you have any worries? How has it changed since then?
04:02 Sir, as we said, when you transition from civilian to military, from blue jeans to army green,
04:11 it was very, very rigid training on our part.
04:16 So, actually, Sir, when you're a plebeian, in your first year, you really don't have time to think.
04:23 So, what we did was live by the day.
04:25 So, now, I survived this day, tomorrow is another day.
04:29 Until we finally finished that one whole rigid year of training.
04:34 Because they have to erase our civilian antics.
04:37 So, we have to learn to handle stress, pressure.
04:42 So, it's always shouting here and there.
04:45 Even if the situation is chaotic, we can still think straight.
04:50 That's something that was taught to us.
04:53 And we have to learn to appreciate the regimented life.
04:57 When you embrace the regimented life, Sir, everything is measured.
05:03 So, even the swing of our arms, Sir, 30 degrees at the back, 60 degrees in front, all of that is measured.
05:10 You cannot walk by yourself, you have to be by two, keep in step, all of those things.
05:16 So, we were conditioned to be very orderly.
05:22 And we have learned to manage our time well and all those things.
05:26 Those are parameters for you to survive the rigid training.
05:30 Did they have a special program for women? Were you treated any differently?
05:36 I would like to say, Sir, that we were part of the learning curve in PMA.
05:41 The first batch, Sir, was PMA Class 97.
05:45 So, they were the guinea pigs of sorts.
05:48 They were treated as equal with the males.
05:50 So, what the males do, you have to do this.
05:52 But we are the first batch, we are in Class 2000, is the first batch to complete the four years in the academy with females.
06:00 So, 97, 98, 99, and 2000.
06:02 So, four years, Sir, from first class to fourth class, there are females already.
06:06 So, there was a learning curve in PMA, Sir.
06:09 So, when we were completed, Sir, they also looked at other institutions, like the US Army.
06:21 So, they also looked at the fact that women have different standards in physical fitness tests.
06:29 So, the Philippines adopted those.
06:32 We are like a testing phase.
06:35 So, on one hand, there's a plus and a minus side to it, a negative side to it.
06:43 The challenge is really there.
06:45 We are really pushed to the limits because we are very limited, Sir.
06:50 We will have competitions that are required by females.
06:53 So, if you are a female, all activities, Sir, you will be joining.
06:57 So, I would be playing for the core squad.
07:03 We will be fighting for the Baguio Educational Athletic League of Athletics.
07:08 Athletics, Sir, has a lot of events.
07:10 So, there's a javelin, disc cash, shot put, 100m dash, 800m dash, 300, 3km run.
07:17 It's all yours, Sir, because you have no alternative.
07:20 So, we are pushed to the limits, but being PMAer, you're like Superman, Sir.
07:26 You just say, "I'm a PMAer, I can do this."
07:29 That's the brute force and you shouldn't be ashamed of the name of your institution.
07:34 So, that's what kept us going.
07:37 And of course, it was the peak of our youth then.
07:40 So, you're young, Sir, you joined in the 17, 18, 19 range.
07:45 So, we are very adventurous.
07:47 Your body can do it, Sir, the rigorous training.
07:50 So, I guess all of those factors came into play, Sir.
07:53 Were you required to have a sport?
07:55 And were you sports-minded?
07:57 No, Sir.
07:59 Before going in, I was the only girl among my siblings.
08:05 So, I was a bit of a "kikay-kikay" of sorts when I came in.
08:08 But I was in engineering, so I was male-dominated.
08:11 But really, when you go into PMA, you're one of the boys.
08:15 There might be distinctions on the parameters of the scoring system,
08:19 but sometimes, Sir, we are the ones who push the boys.
08:23 Because if there's a boy who's a bit of a bugger,
08:26 I'll be the one to run first, Sir.
08:28 And what will happen?
08:29 Of course, the boy will be challenged, "Oh, I'll go first."
08:33 But Sir, there's a tendency, right?
08:35 He's also pushed to perform at their utmost.
08:39 So, maybe, Sir, it's more encouraging for the others to perform well.
08:46 I'll just share, because you mentioned Baguio.
08:49 I was one of the ones who covered the 1990 earthquake in Baguio.
08:52 That's how old I am as a journalist.
08:55 But I remember seeing the cadets of PMA helping in the rescue.
09:01 They were wearing white T-shirts.
09:03 They were very regimented, even though they were going through the ruins,
09:09 the collapsed houses, to get some of the victims out.
09:13 So, that was one of my first exposures, actually, to PMA cadets.
09:18 Yes, Sir. That was one of the highest in PMA.
09:23 We were more of a workforce, so anything that needed help in Baguio City.
09:30 I remember, Sir, I didn't reach the earthquake.
09:33 So, our seniors, the 90s generation.
09:37 But in our case, we had also a test of fire, so to speak,
09:41 when we had the bushfires in Baguio City.
09:44 So, us cadets would line up and pass bucket to bucket until the wee hours of the morning
09:51 in order for us to eliminate the fire.
09:53 So, that's how it was, Sir.
09:55 The push and the drive as cadets was there.
09:58 Because your solidarity as a cadet, you can do anything, Sir,
10:04 as long as you're with together.
10:06 So, it's sort of our cadetship, Sir, we push each other to our limits in whatever we do,
10:13 be it in sports, be it in rescue missions, because you're all adventurous.
10:18 Did you ever have to endure any sexism or discrimination in the service?
10:24 I think, Sir, it's not something that can be lost.
10:28 We cannot control the minds of our seniors, our counterparts, and all.
10:33 So, there will come a point, Sir, where there will still be comparisons.
10:37 They might feel that you're pampered because you're separated.
10:42 You're separated from the barracks and all those.
10:45 But, of course, it's also in the individual, Sir, how you will cope,
10:49 how you will be together, how do you belong,
10:52 how do you prove that you are not a liability,
10:55 that you are part of the team and you are there to contribute,
10:58 and you have something different to offer to the table.
11:01 Well, speaking of which, did you ever feel that there is a ceiling for female soldiers in the Philippines?
11:10 Basically, Sir, first, the discussion there,
11:14 because Filipinos are maternal, Sir.
11:19 So, our mother is dear to us, she's the light of our home, right?
11:23 So, we take care of the women.
11:26 So, at first, Sir, during our time, we took the training for the Scout Ranger Orientation Course.
11:32 But we were not allowed to join the regular Scout Rangers
11:36 because there were no time facilities for females.
11:41 Of course, when we operated in the field, Sir,
11:43 the tendency of the men who were with the three troops, they will look out for the females.
11:49 Because that is our culture, Sir, we take care of the mother of the family.
11:55 But, of course, now, through the years, we have very young lieutenants
12:01 who have proven that they can also be one of the boys in terms of operations.
12:09 So, we have awardees now, females, Sir, who have a score in the field.
12:14 They were able to handle the rigorous operations conditions in the field.
12:20 They also have very, very significant accomplishments.
12:24 So, it's good, Sir, now, that the inclusivity and diversity is now being greatly embraced by the Army.
12:31 So, they have also given the females the opportunity to be a battalion commander in the infantry
12:37 and to operate in the field duty.
12:39 And like before, Sir, we have, up to this point, artillery, the ones who are more support, we are support.
12:46 So, that's why I'm in the Signal Corps.
12:48 I have female soldiers in the artillery, in different fields, logistics, but not really infantry.
12:56 But now, Sir, it's open now.
12:58 So, there are no units in the military where female soldiers cannot serve?
13:06 Now, Sir, there are none.
13:08 So, even in combat roles, there are females in the front line?
13:12 Yes, Sir, there are now.
13:14 Okay, interesting.
13:15 I searched for militaries with women in combat roles.
13:20 The Philippines is not listed there yet, but of course, many countries are already listed there,
13:24 Scandinavian countries, mostly Western, developed countries.
13:28 But you're saying that the Philippines should also be there,
13:31 that women can serve in combat roles in the military.
13:36 You mentioned that our military is inclusive.
13:39 What is the policy now when it comes to LGBTQ in our armed forces in the Philippines?
13:45 There is nothing really that's out there yet.
13:49 But we cannot say that they're not part of us now.
13:54 So, we feel that they're already part of our ranks, but we accept them as they are.
14:00 They perform accordingly.
14:02 As long as we follow the set rules and regulations and standards,
14:07 unless, of course, we have certain cases that will happen, then we handle it accordingly.
14:14 But on a regular day, we treat them as co-equals regardless.
14:20 Because in the US military, of course, in the US, it became a big issue.
14:25 And then finally, there was legislation there.
14:28 And a policy which is called the "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it comes to sexual orientation.
14:37 So, the military cannot ask what your sexual orientation is.
14:44 We don't have that kind of policy, the "don't ask, don't tell".
14:48 I mean, does anyone ask the applicant,
14:53 "Are you gay? Are you lesbian? Are you bisexual?" etc.
14:58 Or do we have that kind of attitude or practice or even policy about recruitment of LGBT community members?
15:08 In terms of policies, SOPs and all that, we don't have anything outrightly stated about these different genders.
15:15 So, in terms of recruitment, our gender roles are still male, this height, and female, this, that.
15:25 So, male and female are still the same.
15:28 But of course, we do not explicitly ask their sexual orientation.
15:33 As long as they said they can perform and they are qualified in those roles, then we give them the equal opportunity.
15:41 You have a unique life journey as the first woman spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
15:48 But you also have a journey that many women can identify with.
15:53 You've had to balance career with family like so many others.
15:59 You married a batchmate in PMA. You're both Class 2000 in PMA.
16:08 But you were widowed in 2015. Your husband passed away in a helicopter crash.
16:16 But you talked about not having much time to grieve because of your military duties.
16:23 May I ask how difficult that was and why couldn't you take more time off to grieve then?
16:32 For me, sir, it was like a balancing act.
16:36 On one hand, I tried to work because if I grieve, my children will see that my mom cannot keep it together.
16:50 So, what do we do? Because I'm the only one they have.
16:53 But after what happened to my husband, my sons went directly back to school.
17:01 So, it's not fair for my part to take time off and then grieve while my sons already went back to whatever regular thing they do.
17:13 So, I have to keep it together and show them that we can do it.
17:21 So, my coping mechanism is to do my job accordingly.
17:28 But that was very challenging because during the time that that happened to my husband, it was the APEC Summit.
17:34 And in the APEC Summit, I was given the task to handle Park Yun-Hye, the President of Korea.
17:43 And that time, there were 21 or 22 leaders in the Philippines for the APEC Summit.
17:48 We were the hosts. And there were only two females then.
17:52 So, there were only two of us. And so, I was the one selected for Park Yun-Hye.
17:56 But the thing is, she had a threat to her when she was here.
18:00 So, the pressure was very heavy on my part.
18:03 So, I had to be really, really professional and deal with it.
18:07 So, their NSA from Korea came to the Philippines and talked to me, asking to speak to my commander because they found out that there was a threat to her life.
18:18 And when there's a VIP and they're in your country, the task to protect them and secure them will be in the host country.
18:28 So, the role that was given to me was very big and heavy.
18:32 And while at the time, I should have been grieving. It was just a few days after that happened.
18:38 So, I had to really keep it together.
18:41 But the thing is, my counterparts understood.
18:45 And up to this day, I'm really very close to my counterparts in the Secret Service of Korea at that time.
18:50 So, we were very professional and they saw how professional I was also in terms of handling the different requirements of their VIP.
19:00 After a few months, there's also the election. So, we were already campaigning in PSG.
19:05 So, we traveled a lot and did a lot of activities.
19:08 So, my focus shifted from grieving.
19:12 And during that time, my husband came from the US from schooling.
19:17 So, our mindset was that he's just still in school.
19:23 It's like that. Because he'll just come back when that happens.
19:26 It's like just a weekend after he came back.
19:29 And when it was time for me because grieving is a lifelong journey.
19:33 You cannot really say when you end grief.
19:36 So, I decided to apply for a scholarship in Australia.
19:40 So, I took my master's in Australia.
19:42 It's the country that offers a scholarship with your family.
19:47 So, that was where we had a fresh start with my sons.
19:51 So, they said it is a very good way for you to move forward when you change everything.
20:00 Like your living conditions.
20:02 So, it was a totally new environment.
20:04 Like living the Australian dream.
20:06 That is where you had a breather.
20:08 And that's where I tried to heal.
20:10 I just want to inform our listeners and viewers that you were assigned to be security of the South Korean president
20:20 because you're with the PESG for years.
20:23 That's why you were assigned to be the security of the VIP.
20:27 But I just want to say that hearing your story,
20:31 it's quite admirable that you're able to meet that challenge.
20:37 Guarding such an important person with threats.
20:42 Facing that person just after enduring or suffering this tragedy.
20:50 It's hard enough for most people to handle the challenge of the job.
20:56 Yes, sir. Korea is also very challenging.
20:59 Because they are very meticulous.
21:03 They would really challenge me.
21:05 I don't speak Korean. They don't speak English.
21:08 But we understand each other in terms of the language of security.
21:12 So, their head security would just come to me and say, "Major, fire."
21:20 So, this is just one word.
21:22 I tried to show him what I would do in case there is a fire in the hotel.
21:29 I would explain everything from the moment they got down from their plane.
21:35 There was also a language barrier to it.
21:38 But for some reason, we ate together.
21:41 I guess they're really very happy because after the event,
21:44 they even invited me and my family to go visit the Blue House.
21:48 And we did one time. They showed us the whole palace.
21:52 And it was something very light after the fact that we performed the duty.
21:58 And it's not every day that that happens.
22:01 Usually, sir, it's just a duty.
22:03 You just meet your counterpart. "Yes, you're working."
22:06 But after that, there's no more connection.
22:08 It's good, sir, that I asked them,
22:10 "To this day, sir, we remain in contact with one another, say hello."
22:16 Speaking of baptism of fire, much more recently,
22:21 because you're just sitting in your position as the public face of the armed forces,
22:27 a couple of weeks ago, former President Rodrigo Duterte
22:34 gave a speech at a rally in Dabao where he addressed the military and even the police.
22:40 He told the soldiers that if they're too slow,
22:47 and he was talking about charter change, he opposed it.
22:53 And he was calling on the military to stop it.
22:58 What was your first reaction when you heard this?
23:01 Were you worried that someone might follow him?
23:06 Were you concerned at all?
23:08 For me, I'm the voice of the chief of staff.
23:10 And so I have to learn how the chief of staff would address this kind of situation.
23:16 I cannot speak my own mind.
23:18 I would have to, you know, I'm his alter ego.
23:21 So looking at this situation, sir,
23:24 the chief of staff already said that the armed forces, the soldiers,
23:30 don't need to do a loyalty check
23:33 because the chief of staff trusts each soldier
23:38 that they will remain professional, united, and non-partisan.
23:43 So with this pronouncement, and looking at it at the angle of how we view,
23:48 how each shoulder would accept it,
23:51 it serves as a reminder that we all know our duty,
23:58 that we will protect the security of the country.
24:02 So with that, the statement of the former president serves as a reminder for us.
24:09 So we take it as, we were taught that
24:12 "Don't forget your duty."
24:16 So, yes, sir, it's actually not a call to action,
24:20 class or whatever,
24:22 but it's more like reminding each and everyone,
24:25 we still have to have that patriotism,
24:29 individually, you know, love our country,
24:32 and protect the sovereignty of our land, no matter what.
24:37 We will do this mission to any threat, internally or externally.
24:42 You know, listening to talk like that from a former president,
24:48 hovering over everything is our history of coup attempts by the military,
24:54 and we're all aware of this.
24:57 I interviewed a political scientist from UP.
25:00 I asked him about this,
25:02 what is the risk, what is the danger if there are words like that coming from a former president Duterte?
25:08 And he said, well, you know, some military people might think they owe something to former president Duterte.
25:17 But the other side of this is,
25:20 he said, the political scientist said,
25:22 "Our military has never been as professional or non-partisan as now."
25:28 So, he said, because of the lessons from the past,
25:32 our military is really very professional now.
25:35 I'm sure you'd agree with that.
25:37 Yes, sir.
25:39 The trust rating of our AFP, sir, is very high now.
25:45 And we take that really to heart,
25:47 that we're really very grateful that the people trusted us.
25:51 And we do not want to break that trust, sir.
25:54 Thank you. That's very reassuring.
25:56 Okay, I want to ask you now about your specialty.
25:59 You spent many years studying cybersecurity,
26:02 and when you went to Australia to study, it was to study what?
26:08 I'm already a graduate of Masters in Information Systems in UP.
26:14 So, when I went to Australia, sir, I had to take a different course,
26:18 and I had a heart to serve in.
26:21 So, I took a Masters of International Development Practice.
26:25 Okay, so you have an international perspective as well.
26:28 General Zagala said, when you were appointed,
26:35 one reason why you were chosen is because of that specialty in cybersecurity.
26:39 You've had many years in that.
26:41 You have a Masters in Information Systems.
26:44 And cyber warfare, of course, is a new theater of warfare.
26:49 I was just reading an article about US war planning.
26:55 Because the US and the Philippines are allies,
27:00 and a common adversary is China.
27:02 So, they're planning.
27:04 So, war planning, you're imagining how war will go against your principal adversaries.
27:10 The FBI said in the US that they believe that state-sponsored Chinese hackers
27:19 are preparing to disrupt civilian infrastructure in the US.
27:23 That's how they will fight, in addition to the hardware kind of fighting with infantry and all of that.
27:30 So, they will disrupt the communication systems in America,
27:37 the supply systems, transportation systems, airports, etc.
27:41 They're preparing the US for that.
27:43 And I thought, well, we have a problem with China,
27:48 and I suppose the Philippines is just as vulnerable as the US, if not more so.
27:55 But I don't see that kind of conversation happening in the Philippines
28:00 about the possibility that China will try to disrupt civilian infrastructure.
28:08 But you, as military, what should we be preparing for in these kinds of scenarios?
28:14 If you look at the Philippines, sir, it's two things.
28:19 First, we're not yet that integrated.
28:23 So, we're not like smart cities.
28:25 When you go to Australia, you're on the app.
28:29 You can see the bus coming in.
28:30 It's connected to the trains.
28:32 They're a cashless society, sir.
28:33 They just pay by their cards, their phones.
28:37 So, there are a lot of such cells.
28:38 So, their vector of attack in terms of technology is bigger compared to ours, sir,
28:45 that we're not yet like that.
28:46 We're still so much into cash and all that.
28:49 But now, our payment system, we can see that we have a lot of issues there, right?
28:55 With scamming in terms of our new payment system.
28:59 But the plus there is that we're not yet that connected.
29:05 So, we're holding the attack in certain clustered premises.
29:10 It's like that, sir.
29:11 Unlike them, sir, when their system penetrates, you're already in the banking system.
29:16 So, you can actually affect their economy, right?
29:20 For us, sir, the attack vector is in silos because our systems are like that.
29:27 And then another thing is that we are very, very heavily involved in social media.
29:34 We used to be the text capital of the world.
29:38 Just text.
29:39 So, so much more now that we're so much in social media.
29:43 And because we have a very big social presence,
29:45 our vectors of attacks in terms of social engineering attacks are huge, sir.
29:52 That's why we're targeted there, right?
29:55 So, we look at all of these things.
29:56 And now, since the AFP, in the DND survey, it was declared that cyber is the fourth domain of operations around land, air, and sea.
30:06 Now, we created this unit that will handle cyber operations.
30:10 Cyber operations, sir, is very broad.
30:13 It's not just in the cyber domain, but it also transcends to the physical domain.
30:18 So, our premise is we do not reinvent the wheel.
30:22 What the other countries have experienced and learned from, we can use that to leverage and not really start from scratch.
30:30 So, if you look at Estonia and the attack that was done in Estonia, they created a talent manual out of that.
30:37 So, because in Estonia, everything is automated.
30:40 So, somewhat like the e-government that we are envisioning now.
30:43 So, because they were attacked and they recovered from that, that's what we are also going to look into.
30:50 That will be our foundation on how to move forward with our technology and digitalization in the Philippines.
30:59 Okay. Colonel Padillo, you mentioned that the Philippines is a very big social media country.
31:05 We're so immersed in it. All of us are doing social media.
31:10 I want to ask you about TikTok because that's among the more controversial platforms.
31:15 As you know, TikTok has been banned in some countries.
31:19 India banned the platform altogether back in 2020.
31:23 And we know why.
31:24 Because it's owned by China, although TikTok executives tend to deny that.
31:33 But a lot of governments around the world believe that it's owned and even controlled by China through a company called ByteDance.
31:42 And some other countries have not banned the platform in their countries, but they banned it on government devices.
31:53 Like the United States, the US has banned the use of TikTok on devices in their military.
32:01 Should we be worried about TikTok in the Philippines?
32:08 Even government agencies post on TikTok.
32:11 Media organizations like ours have a big TikTok presence.
32:15 Should we be worried about TikTok?
32:18 It's banned by the AFP.
32:19 So, we are not allowed to use TikTok.
32:22 For one, because it's an application made by China, but it's not used by China.
32:30 So that in itself, we say, "Go figure."
32:33 I also have this advocacy of teaching about cybersecurity.
32:41 I would go to the schools, I would go to embassies, cooperativas, and everything.
32:48 Because you do not know how. That's what we need.
32:53 If we know how to prepare to protect ourselves, then collectively we will have barriers towards having a cybersecured domain.
33:05 When we download applications, not just TikTok, when we download applications, the question is,
33:11 "Why does this application ask for certain permissions?"
33:19 Case in point, sir, for example, you download a flashlight app.
33:25 Why would a flashlight app ask for permission to use your microphone, to view your contacts, to open your camera, to access it?
33:35 But because it's free, and we want the service, we just say yes to everything without actually reading the fine print.
33:45 So because of that, not just TikTok, but the three apps that we have in our gadgets,
33:51 they have the capability to turn on our microphones, to look at us and watch us while we sleep, and turn on our cameras.
33:59 Access our SMS, send messages to our contacts because we gave them permission when we downloaded these applications.
34:06 So if you notice there, sir, your phone is now next to you.
34:11 You will be speaking certain words, and later when you open your Facebook, there will be sponsored ads that connects to something that you have said.
34:20 So it's triggered, sir, to keywords.
34:23 So that is one of the ways of TikTok. So we educate people about it.
34:30 The same goes for Alexa, Siri.
34:33 Just simply having that device in your home, and you speak with someone, a guest that came into your house,
34:39 and then lo and behold, your phone will be giving you ads that are related to topics and conversations that you had.
34:46 So that's how it is, sir. So we have to be wary of what we download and what permissions we do allow.
34:53 Okay, that's good advice, Colonel. But I want to go back to what you said.
34:57 Just to clarify, you said you don't allow the use of TikTok in the military.
35:02 I mean, specifically on military devices only because I know you probably get like officially issued mobile phones,
35:11 but everyone has a personal phone as well, or they use their official phones also for personal reasons.
35:17 I mean, is this a policy, or is this something that you're just advocating, that TikTok should not be used?
35:24 Because in other countries, there is a policy that is strictly enforced.
35:29 But in our military, is it really prohibited? And how is it implemented?
35:34 Yes, sir. We have a directive that we are not allowed to use TikTok, sir.
35:38 So we follow it to the letter, and we caution every individual on that.
35:45 So that applies to even personal mobile phones?
35:50 Yes, sir.
35:51 I can imagine it's hard to monitor that, right? So this is just an honesty system, right?
35:58 Yes, sir. So it should not be, sir.
36:01 Sometimes, sir, we have commanders whose purpose is to really give the troops the idea of this directive to cascade it down to the lower units.
36:17 We have those, sir.
36:19 Every morning, even our line units, our master sergeants, our SMs in each unit, they give talks to our troops on these directives that are coming out.
36:32 So to remind them of what is allowed, what is not allowed, what are the new directives that are out there.
36:39 So those are included, sir.
36:41 Okay. I know you've studied hacking, and then I read somewhere you're a certified ethical hacker.
36:48 Related to that, I read an article in a tech website kind of pointing out, even criticizing the practice of many government agencies to use Gmail accounts as their contact email addresses
37:04 rather than the official Philippine government domain accounts.
37:11 And I checked the AFP website, and even the AFP, the Public Affairs Office, uses a Gmail account as its main contact email address.
37:25 And I'm wondering how you see the risk of doing this, if there's any risk at all in terms of spear phishing, phishing, social engineering, and all of these other hacking methodologies.
37:40 Yes, sir. To put it into perspective, sir, we have different networks in the AFP.
37:46 So I cannot divulge operational details, but we have an official AFP account, and anything we transact officially, we use our AFP mail.
38:00 So from government to government mail, again, our counterparts, US military counterparts, all other counterparts in terms of controllership and all those things.
38:11 Our Gmail, sir, is for ease of use, to connect to the general public.
38:18 So it's easier to exchange mail to that if it is not classified.
38:25 So anything that is classified, sir, we have certain networks that we are using, and we have a policy for that as well.
38:32 So there's no risk, for example, of inserting an extra letter there in the PAOAFP@gmail.com, because that's usually one method of doing that,
38:43 just someone pretending to be your office and then trying to get information, let's say, from journalists or whatever.
38:51 I mean, you don't think there's a big risk of that happening?
38:55 We cannot remove the risk, sir. So what we always say is, there is no impenetrable system to a dedicated hacker.
39:05 So if someone really wants to do something illegal in the cyber domain, they can do it. It is just a matter of time.
39:14 So even our networks that we fortify, it's just on how we really put so much security measures in place.
39:23 But to a dedicated hacker, sir, it will just take more time. We have to really fortify our defenses at the utmost.
39:30 So foremost is education. So we really teach them that if the email is malicious, if you don't know the person, don't click the link, don't open the link.
39:40 And really, really be wary of links because actually, sir, the link is really the key.
39:47 That's why we have already talked to our telcos, we have really good partnerships with them.
39:53 And now, sir, if you can notice, the link is no longer accessed through SMS.
40:00 So those are the securities that we are taking into play.
40:04 So in one of the profiles about you, you were called a certified ethical hacker. That's among your credentials.
40:13 Is it true, Colonel, you're certified as an ethical hacker? I mean, what does this mean?
40:19 It's a training, sir. It's a training of how to hack systems.
40:25 But you are certified that you passed the requirements of that.
40:30 So there's an examination after the training, and it's internationally accredited.
40:35 But actually, sir, honestly, it's a misnomer because there's nothing ethical in hacking.
40:40 It's termed ethical because we, the hackers, they wear three hats.
40:46 So there's a black hat hacker.
40:49 That's the ones we call the bad guys.
40:53 They'll hack you, take your credit card details or anything to that effect and sell it.
41:01 And then the white hat hackers, that's the ethical hackers.
41:04 I mean, if you're a bank, you would hire me and say, oh, this is my banking system.
41:09 Can you please try to hack it any way you can?
41:12 And then you tell them how you did it.
41:15 And because of that, because there's always a hole, sir, there's always a way to a dedicated hacker.
41:22 So that you really would dedicate all of the necessary ways you can do it and try to hack their system.
41:29 And then you tell the bank, oh, hey, I did it somewhat like this and this.
41:33 So you are weak in this sort of your ports are open, something like that.
41:38 So when we do that and tell them how to fortify themselves, that's the role of an ethical hacker.
41:45 Okay. I mean, it makes sense.
41:48 Because of course, it's like you're testing the system.
41:51 Somebody has to be qualified, has to have the competence to do that.
41:55 So I get it.
41:57 I get it.
41:58 Because hacking skills can be used for both bad and good.
42:02 And in your case, I mean, you're trained to make sure that systems are secure so that the bad guys aren't able to trespass.
42:15 So I want to thank you, Colonel, for this enlightening conversation and your time, for sharing your time.
42:23 And most of all, thank you for your service.
42:25 Colonel Franzel Padilla, first woman spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
42:31 Long live. Thank you very much.
42:33 Thank you very much, Sir Howie. Thank you for having me.
42:37 Hi, I'm Howie Severino. Check out the Howie Severino Podcast.
42:41 New episodes will stream every Thursday.
42:43 Listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms.
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