Military taps female officers for PR job

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

Major General 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 building up the military’s image through public relations.

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

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

Responding to reporters’ question on why the military  decided to tap female officers when the post of public information officer was traditionally held by male officers, Segovia said: “Women are more convincing and they can easily reach out to the public.”

Achanzar is seven months pregnant and is the first Filipina to graduate from the US Military Academy, better 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.