100 female soldiers, police to be sent to Marawi for rehabilitation efforts

August 22, 2017

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will send 100   female personnel to support rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery of Marawi City.

“An all-female group comprised of (40) enlisted personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and (60) non-commissioned officers from the Philippine National Police is up for deployment to Marawi as special joint team or joint teams to support the recovery, reconstruction, rehabilitation of Marawi,” Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP Public Affairs chief, told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

“They will be tasked to facilitate psychosocial intervention, peace building and prevention and countering violent extremism,” he added.

Arevalo said the PNP and AFP personnel are training in preparation for their deployment next week.

“As of now they are undergoing training that started on the 21st and will be ending on the 25th of August they are slated to be sent off to Marawi on the 29th of the month,” he said.

Arevalo said the send-off ceremony that will be held in Villamor Air Base  will be led by AFP Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano and PNP Director General Ronald Dela Rosa.

When asked why the AFP and PNP chose to send females, Arevalo noted that the “main battle area is predominantly male  so the Armed Forces and PNP thinks deploying females will have a feminine touch especially that this is for the reconstruction, rehabilitation and psychosocial intervention.”

“The leadership of AFP and PNP sees that it will be easier and approachable if we will deploy our female forces,” he added. Robina Asido/DMS