Given that they will behave properly, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that they will welcome members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community who wish to apply in the military.
“We were being asked kung ang recruitment ba namin will include members of the so-called LGBT community. Are we not going to discriminate against them? Ang sagot po namin, no. The AFP is not going to discriminate against them. Malaya po silang makapag-apply at pumasok sa Armed Forces,” Colonel Edgard Arevalo, AFP chief of public affairs, told ABS-CBN News.
“Subalit ang amin pong tagubilin ay iisa lamang. Sa sandaling sila po ay mag-apply at tanggapin na po sa Armed Forces of the Philippines, atin po silang pinapa-alalahanan na kailangan po nilang mag-act at kumilos nang may dignidad at pag-iingat sa kanilang unipormang isusuot. Sapagkat an AFP is a uniformed service. It is a noble profession of arms,” he added.
He stressed that anyone who could fulfill the application requirements would be welcomed into the AFP, regardless of their gender.
“They are welcome. Pwede po silang mag-apply, atanggapin po natin sila sa AFP, but of course they have to pass all the examinations, all the tests,” he said.
Arevalo expressed his belief that the LGBT community would be able to contribute greatly to the Armed Forces, but again ended with the warning that military discipline is required under the articles of war.
The public affairs chief however did not explain why he felt the need to issue such reminders in discussing the prospect of recruiting members of the LGBT community.
