Women serve in the
Philippine military including in combat roles since 1993.
Background
Women initially served in the
Philippine military only in the reserve ranks and the technical services as part of the
Women's Auxiliary Corps established in 1963. Women in the WAC to get married. requiring them to serve active duty for five years. This prerequisite was later reduced to three years.
In 1993, women were granted the rights to become trained combat soldiers in the Philippine military when ''Republic Act No. 7192'' was passed,
which granted
Filipino women to become cadets in the
Philippine Military Academy
The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...
in April 1 of that year. The first women PMA cadets graduated in 1997.
As of 2020, Filipino women are allowed to fulfill combat duties within the
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
. There are 795 officers and 3,777 soldiers in the army who are women. The whole
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...
has 2,414 female commissioned officers and 7,843 enlisted personnel.
Notable Filipino women soldiers
The first batch of female cadets to graduate as soldiers in the Philippines was in 1997. Among the notable female cadets was Arlene A. Dela Cruz from the batch of graduates of 1999, who received awards such as the Presidential Saber, the Philippine Navy Award, the Navy Courses Plaque, the Social Sciences Plaque, and the Humanities Plaque. Dela Cruz died in a car crash in 2008.
In 2011, Brigadier General
Ramona Go, from San Dionisio,
Iloilo
Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...
, became the first female general in the
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
after being a regular officer. There had been other female generals in the Philippine military, but unlike Go, those female generals were "technical service" crew, serving in the military as
nurse
Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
s.
In
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...
in October 2013,
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...
Captain
Luzviminda Camacho became the first female officer from the Philippines to lead "the Philippine contingent to a
peacekeeping mission of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. Camacho became the "commander of the 17th Philippine Contingent to
Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
". In addition, Camacho also became the first female "commanding officer of a
Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
ship".
Geraldine Roman became the first transgender woman to become a reserve officer in the Philippine military in 2018. She was conferred the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Brigadier General Fatima Claire Navarro became the first female Surgeon General of the AFP in 2021.
See also
*
Women in the Philippines
Women in the Philippines () may also be known as Filipinas
or Filipino women. Their role includes the context of Filipino culture, standards, and mindsets. The Philippines is known to be a nation of strong women, who directly and indirectly ru ...
*
Women in the military
Women have been serving in the military since the inception of organized warfare, in both combat and non-combat roles. Their inclusion in combat missions has increased in recent decades, often serving as pilots, mechanics, and Infantry, in ...
*
Women in the Philippine National Police
*
Lina Sarmiento
*
Lason Batch
References
External links
*
{{Philippines topics
Philippine Military Academy alumni
Military history of the Philippines
Filipino female military personnel
History of women in the Philippines