10 YEARS AND COUNTING

10 YEARS AND COUNTING By: MAJ BCT BACOLCOL PN(M) &  CPT MRB DALMACIO PN(M)

The RA7192 of 1991 is an act promoting the integration of women as full and equal partners of men in development and nation-building and for other purposes. In SECTION 2, it expresses that the State recognizes the role of women in nation-building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men. Furthermore, the State shall provide women rights and opportunities equal to that of men. 

The RA9710 of 2008 is an act providing for the Magna Carta for women. The State affirms the role of women in nation-building and ensures the substantive equality of women and men. It shall promote empowerment of women and pursue equal opportunities for women and men and ensure equal access to resources and develop results and outcome. It is a comprehensive women's human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, respecting, protecting, fulfilling and promoting their rights, especially those in the marginalized sectors. In Chapter IV SEC. 15. Women in the Military, it states that the State shall pursue appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination of women in the military, police, and other similar services, including revising or abolishing policies and practices that restrict women from availing of both combat and noncombat training that are open to men, or from taking on functions other than administrative tasks, such as engaging in combat, security-related, or field operations. 

    There are many more policies about women empowerment that the national government formulated, implemented and advocated. With these laws, the Philippine Marine Corps, considered as tough and hard-hitting organization, opened its doors to recruit female enlisted personnel in its ranks. It started in 2009, when the PMC convened three (3) batches of candidate soldiers and among them are females. After seven (7) months of rigorous training, six (6) females graduated from The Basic School, MBGL, Ternate, Cavite.           Before the PMC accepted female enlisted personnel, in 1997, it started accepting volunteered females as officers. They were mostly assigned at the garrison to do administrative and support tasks. Admittedly, the PMC was not yet ready to deploy females in the frontline units. Further, some senior marines were also hesitant to deploy female officers because of the natural danger of the job. Risking the lives of females is generally not acceptable in the Filipino culture and it is a natural instinct of man to protect them. Some of these female officers are now retired, but others are already senior officers assigned an important position inside and outside the Corps. 

On 27 April 2009, three (3) batches of candidate soldiers were convened-batch 372, 373, and 374. Among them are the first female of the PMC. CS Raindy O Latagan (Camarines Sur), CS Maribel Salva (Camarines Sur), CS Rona N Operio (Albay), CS Romeri Ann F Dagoy (Basilan), CS Ma. Jelli B Bermudo (Makati City) and CS Merayda B Alih (Zamboanga City). They graduated on 27 November 2009, after the seven-month grueling and rigorous training and performing what their male counterparts do. After ten (10) years, these females indoctrinated with Marine culture and tradition, are still in the active military services. These pioneers are now occupying important billets and serving the Corps with honor and pride. Sgt Raindy O Latagan PN(M) is currently the Explosive Detector K9 Handler at the K9 Company of the Combat and Service Support Task Group 5 based in Manila supporting the Headquarters. SSgt Maribel Salva-Taguranao PN(M) is designated as the Class Adviser and Instructor of The Advance School while SSgt Rona Operio-Nasol PN(M) is an Airborne Instructor and Admin Clerk of The Special Operations and Scout Sniper School both of the Marine Corps Force Development Center. Sgt Romeri F Dagoy PN(M) is now working as the Presidential Security Group, Sgt Ma. Jelli Bermudo-Bundal PN(M) is a Corpsman assigned at Marine Battalion Landing Team 4 in Palawan while Sgt Merayda Alih-Castillo PN(M) is working at the office of admin and personnel, S1 at the Inshore Boat Battalion stationed in Zamboanga City. 

The acceptance of female enlisted personnel into the Corps was spearheaded by the then Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, MGEN JUANCHO M SABBAN AFP and was supported by the next CPMC, MGEN RUSTICO O GUERRERO AFP. After graduating from TBS, four of them were deployed in Marine Brigades (MBDe), that time stationed in Basilan and Sulu. Pvt Bermudo and Pvt Alih were assigned at H1MBDe in Basilan with BGEN EUGENIO N CLEMEN AFP as the Commander. Pvt Latagan and Pvt Dagoy were deployed at 3MBDe stationed in Sulu led by BGEN CELESTINO C PEREYRA AFP. While Pvt Salva and Pvt Operio were assigned at TBS. They were trained to be Drill Instructors and be in charge of the training of the next female recruits. The six (6) female Marines were encouraged and guided properly to become full-blooded Marines and to cope up with the standards of the PMC in performing their duties and responsibilities. They became exemplars of the growing strength of female EP on the Corps. 

There are some adjustments made by the organization to accommodate females in its ranks and the facility is one of them. Being a previously male-only organization, the design of its facilities is for males hence PMC has to designate separate barracks and comfort rooms (or head in Naval term). Unlike before, the female Marines are already deployed up the line company level of the Corps and perform their combat duty assignments aside from the office and administrative works. They are also employed in various civil-military operations activities as females are more approachable and more communicative than their counterparts in Marine uniform. This acceptance has made the organization open-minded and accept the possibility of being led by a female marine in a certain level of Command. 

The “masculinity” of the organization was not affected with the coming of the females in the organization. There may be some considerations that we cannot detach from male marines as it is embedded in the Filipino culture such as their tendency to protect and care for their female counterparts as they are naturally gentlemen. Females, on the other hand, make the organization more humane, more compassionate and more caring to its personnel giving emphasis on the morale and welfare of the workforce. The standard of discipline and being a mission-oriented organization have never been bent for the sake of accommodating female marines. The PMC has to have a well-implemented gender integration plan in order to utilize and optimize the talents and skills of every Marine. 

New ideas, new concepts, and new policies have pros and cons. Implementing new policies and working beyond our comfort zones would mean both a challenge and an opportunity. There may be birth pains but as the organization matures, it can certainly adapt to the “new normal”. 

Currently, the PMC has given it rooms for 98 female officers and 341 female enlisted personnel. Accepting them certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, sexual harassment maybe is one of its disadvantages but the Corps has measures in order to guard and protect them from these possible abuses. On the other hand, having enlisted female marines gives the Corps the opportunity to show that the Corps is not only hard-hitting, tough and mission-oriented but also a nurturing and compassionate organization. Females are the balancing power to ensure that the PMC has a heart for every Marine while maintaining discipline and a heart to serve and protect the country and the Filipino people.

 ***This article first appeared in the 69th Marine Birthday Edition 2019 CITEMAR6, the Official Publication of the Philippine Marine Corps

*** I decided to post it here to celebrate the brave women of the Philippine Marine Corps, this Women's Month 2020