Army gets first female brigade commander

Colonel Joselyn Bandarlipe (left, foreground) is the first female brigade commander of the Philippine Army. ARMY PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE

MANILA, Philippines — Col. Joselyn Bandarlipe made history on Tuesday by becoming the first female officer to lead a brigade in the Philippine Army.

She assumed command of the 53rd Engineer (Visayas Builders) Brigade in a ceremony led by Army commanding general Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto at Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu City.

“Her extensive academic background in engineering combined with her leadership stints in several army engineer units including the 53rd Engineer Brigade where she last served as chief of staff make her an excellent choice to lead and guide the Visayas Builders,” Alberto said in a statement.

A brigade is composed of three battalions in size or over a thousand troops.

Her unit will be on top of the construction projects in support of the Army’s base development programs, as well as assist in relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

Before she was commissioned from the Officer Candidate School in 1990, Bandarlipe was a degree holder in Civil Engineering. She went further training by taking the Engineer Officer Advance Course at the Combat Support School and the Command and General Staff Course at the AFP Command and General Staff College.

She was also one of the female tactical officers who trained the first batch of female cadets at the Philippine Military Academy starting in 1993.

She previously served as a commanding officer of two battalions — 546th Engineer Construction Battalion in Borongan, Eastern Samar, and 514th Engineer Construction Battalion in Nasugbu, Batangas.

In 2006, she was recognized by her brigade as best battalion commander.

Bandarlipe is also a recipient of four Distinguished Service Stars and Outstanding Achievement Medal.

Out of the 97,000-strong Army, there are about 800 officers of the 4,200 females working alongside men. /cbb