Cognitive defense and the strength of a nation: Protecting the Filipino mind in the age of information warfare

(This was the author’s speech given at the 90^th Founding Anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Nov. 24.)

It is an honor to stand here today, celebrating nine decades of courage, service, and sacrifice. But it is also a moment to confront a reality: that the battlefield has fundamentally changed.

For decades, we defended our shores, our skies, and our sovereignty. But today, another front has emerged — one without borders, without uniforms, without warning.

The new battlefield is the Filipino mind.

And on this battlefield, our adversaries do not need to fire a shot. It is enough to sow doubt, spread disinformation, erode trust in institutions, fracture our unity, and make us question one another.

This is the essence of cognitive warfare… and defending against it is now one of the AFP’s (Armed Forces of the Philippines) most urgent missions.

What is Cognitive Defense?

Cognitive defense means protecting how our people think, what they believe, and whom they trust.

It means defending:

• the Filipino’s capacity for discernment;

• the integrity of public discourse;

• the unity of our democratic identity; and,

• the collective will upon which our security depends.

Today, cognitive warfare is waged through coordinated influence operations, distortion of facts, algorithmic manipulation, foreign political warfare, and targeted disinformation.

You can weaken a society not by attacking its armies, but by attacking its confidence, its memory, its sense of identity, and its national purpose.

And in the AFP’s emerging framework of Archipelagic Defense through Multi-Domain Operations — where our forces operate jointly across maritime, land, air, cyber, space, and the electromagnetic spectrum — the cognitive domain becomes the connective tissue of all domains. It shapes how we understand threats, how we coordinate, how we respond, and ultimately, how we prevail.

For even the most advanced platforms and the most sophisticated technologies rely on the clarity, unity, and resilience of the Filipino mind. This is why cognitive defense is no longer optional. It is essential to national survival.

THE AFP’S ROLE
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is no stranger to evolving threats. From sea to air, from land to cyberspace, the AFP has always adapted.

But cognitive warfare demands something deeper.

It demands:

• strategic communication that earns public trust;

• collaboration with media, academe, and the private sector;

• strong internal and external information security;

• unity of message and purpose; and,

• a whole-of-nation effort to protect truth.

As a member of the Multi-Sector Governance Council, I have seen firsthand how committed the AFP is to this transformation. The AFP recognizes that the defense of the cognitive domain is not merely a military task. It is a national task.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Let me now speak wearing another hat: as Head of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

In MPIC, we operate critical infrastructure: power, water, transportation, healthcare, and digital connectivity. These sectors form the backbone of our daily national life.

And because they are critical, they are also targets of cognitive and information attacks.

A single falsehood about water, power outages, toll operations, or public health can cause panic, erode confidence, or paralyze essential services. This is why corporate institutions must step into the cognitive defense mission.

Under the leadership of our Chairman, Manuel V. Pangilinan, we believe that defending the Filipino mind is part of nation-building. We believe that:

• transparency is security;

• truth is infrastructure; and,

• trust is stability.

This is where the AFP and the private sector become allies — not only in physical defense, but in protecting the information environment that allows society to function with coherence and purpose.

MINING AS CASE STUDY
Allow me to give an example from a sector I know so well: the mining industry. As many of you know, among the many hats I wear is the chairmanship of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.

Mining in the Philippines has long been contested not only on the ground but also in the cognitive space. The battles of perception have often overshadowed the facts.

For years, responsible mining suffered from:

• misinformation;

• outdated images;

• ideologically driven narratives; and,

• foreign-influenced campaigns.

But today, responsible miners are learning what the AFP already knows: If we do not tell our story, someone else will… and not always truthfully.

Through transparency, community engagement, environmental stewardship, and initiatives like Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the sector is rebuilding trust by anchoring truth in the minds of the Filipino people.

What is happening in mining is a microcosm of cognitive defense: the fight for the narrative, the defense of truth, the rebuilding of public trust.

NATIONAL COGNITIVE RESILIENCE
Cognitive defense is not about propaganda. It is about resilience.

A resilient nation is one where:

• citizens think critically;

• the media verifies responsibly;

• institutions communicate truthfully;

• communities stand together; and,

• no adversary can divide us with lies.

This is the level of resilience we must build — in our Armed Forces, in our industries, in our schools, and in every Filipino family. Because a people united in truth cannot be defeated.

THE ULTIMATE HIGH GROUND
As we celebrate 90 years of the AFP, let us honor the bravery of our soldiers by strengthening the battlefield that lies beyond terrain and territory.

Let us defend the cognitive domain.

Let us defend the Filipino mind.

And let us commit to a future where no foreign actor, no hostile organization, no malicious network can divide us, deceive us, or weaken our resolve.

In the end, the greatest weapon of a nation is the unity of its people. And the greatest victory is a people who believe in one truth — the truth that the Philippines is worth defending.

Michael “Mike” T. Toledo is vice-president for 2025 of Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), a member of the Multi-Sector Governance Council of AFP, and director of Government and Public Affairs of MPIC.

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