5 female military execs, including West Point grad, lead peace drive in war-torn Mindanao

DAVAO CITY—The military in Southern Mindanao has tapped five female officers in its effort to win more support for its so-called peace and development campaign in insurgency-afflicted areas of the region.

Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, said the female officers—lieutenants Joy Damasco; Lakschmi Talidano; Christy Achanzar; Marianette Vinluan and Zaida Vidad—could prove to be more effective in improving the military’s image through public relations.

Segovia said it did not mean that male officers failed in the past, but they always met resistance in their assigned communities, especially from communist supporters.

“Today we are facing a different conflict where public relations become very important,” Segovia said.

He added: “Women are more convincing and they can easily reach out to the public.”

Achanzar is seven-month pregnant and is the first Filipina to graduate from the United States Military Academy (USMA), known as “West Point.”

Achanzar said the task was easy for them because the entire military system was supportive. “All the theories and everything we learned will now be put to a test,” Talidano said. Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao