AFP cites increasing role of women in military

MANILA, Philippines - Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa yesterday cited the contributions of women in the military, saying the role they play in a male-dominated institution is increasing.

In a statement released in time for International Women’s Month, Dellosa said female soldiers are capable of excelling in their respective assignments.

“Our female soldiers’ role in engaging various stakeholders to cooperate and participate in our internal security operations has been very commendable... as well as in our disaster response and relief operations,” Dellosa said.

“We have female soldiers who are performing well in combat operations. They are physically and mentally resilient and can cope with the harsh conditions in their field of duty,” he added.

The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) started accepting female cadets in 1993. However, the participation of women in the military dates back to the time of the Spanish colonial period.

AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the likes of Gabriela Silang and Teresa Magbanua, who joined their male counterparts in the revolt against Spaniards, prove that women can display courage and leadership.

“As of the present, these values were passed on to thousands of female officers and personnel in the AFP,” he said.

Among the women who are making their mark in the AFP is Brig. Gen. Ramona Go, who was labeled as “the face of women empowerment in the military.”

Go, the assistant deputy chief for personnel, is the first female line officer to become a general. She is also the only female general in the active service.

Her first major feat was hurdling the rigid training as a cadet of the Officer Candidate Course at the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps School in 1981. She was called to active duty on Jan. 19, 1982.

Go became the first-ever female officer to be designated as a battalion commander, a post that allowed her to lead hundreds of soldiers.

“I never felt isolated in the military bureaucracy because I was given tasks where I was very effective. In the Army, women are employed according to their capabilities,” she said. “I do things my own way without my male counterparts being threatened.”

Go has received numerous awards but most significant to her is the Ulirang Ina Award given in 2002.

She counts her loving husband and her three “well-disciplined” children as her accomplishments.

Go advised her fellow female soldiers to continue to hone their skills and never stop learning.

Another female soldier who epitomized the resiliency of women is Capt. Concepcion Reaño, who has experienced being in the frontline of battle.

Reaño went through the rigors of military life, engaging not only in office duty but in combat as well.

“I used to think that being in the Army means going to war and staying in the mountains to hunt for insurgents. My first assignments were actually more of desk jobs where I performed my duties in support to my unit’s mission,” she said.

Her baptism of fire came during an intense firefight with communist rebels in Central Luzon, where she sustained a bullet wound. She was then a first lieutenant assigned to the 56th battalion.

“I have shown to my soldiers that a female soldier can fight alongside men and make a difference,” said Reaño, who received the third highest combat award, the Gold Cross Medal, for acts of gallantry.

She believes winning the people’s hearts and minds can stop bloody clashes, like those that almost took her life.

“The bigger battlefield is in the minds of the people supporting and sympathizing with the communist terrorists. We must win the peace for the people,” she said.