PH Army steps up online drive to seek recruits
SCREENGRAB from www.jointhearmy.ph
The Philippine Army has stepped up its recruitment drive by going digital, a first of its kind in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The website www.jointhearmy.ph was launched as part of the Army’s goal for an effective recruitment strategy beyond the traditional methods, said Col. Eliglen Villaflor, director of the Army Personnel Management Center (APMC), who initiated the idea of transforming the headhunting campaign into digital.
“Online is the new trend now. Even some visa applications are digital,” Villaflor told INQUIRER.net.
Apart from the website, this new form of recruitment aims to amplify its campaign materials through social media like Instagram and Facebook.
“It’s a two-pronged approach: First is to convince the people through social media. Once convinced, they should go to the website and we have to make sure it’s convenient for them,” said Lt. Bala Tamayo, one of the officers tapped by Villaflor to conceptualize the website.
‘One Army’
The web page also features the Army’s new slogan “One Army,” which calls for “inclusivity” in a bid to appeal to potential soldiers from various backgrounds.
“The key message is ‘One Nation. One People. One Army’…It doesn’t matter where you are, what dialect you speak, or what name you call God. You’re a part of ‘One Army.’ There’s no New People’s Army,” Tamayo explained.
The Philippine Army is currently the biggest branch of service in the military with about 94,000 troops.
Because the APMC also hopes to reach out to professionals, the applicants could choose from different fields like engineers, medical, and intelligence.
Hopeful applicants will now save time going to recruitment centers by registering online and sending the relevant documents. Once these forms are verified and counter-checked, the aspirants will be notified and will be asked to choose an examination date based on the available schedules.
The website also features a chatbox where applicants could ask their questions and receive feedback from the online admin.
While the registration process may have gone online, the written examinations, interviews and other procedures will still be done manually.
“This is one of the innovations of the Philippine Army, a fast and convenient way of recruitment. This has not been done in so many years. With the initiative of director Col. Villaflor and Brig. Gen. Peter Suchianco (RES), na-realize na ang matagal ng na-envision,” said Army chief Lt. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista during the launching of the website on Tuesday at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
“We want to get the best and we can reach out more to them with this recruitment,” he added. /jpv
