First transgender officer joins Philippine army

MANILA: The Philippine military has welcomed its first transgender officer, the defence department said yesterday, swearing in a prominent member of Congress as a reservist, reports AFP. Geraldine Roman, 50, who became the Catholic-majority nation’s first transgender person elected to Congress in 2016, took her oath on Wednesday. “That indeed makes her the first transgender officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. “Her being part of the (military) underscores the fact that gender is not an issue when it comes to serving the country,” he added. The Philippine military frequently inducts prominent figures like legislators and cabinet members as reserve officers.

First transgender officer joins Philippine army

MANILA: The Philippine military has welcomed its first transgender officer, the defence department said yesterday, swearing in a prominent member of Congress as a reservist, reports AFP. Geraldine Roman, 50, who became the Catholic-majority nations first transgender person elected to Congress in 2016, took her oath on Wednesday. That indeed makes her the first transgender officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. Her being part of the (military) underscores the fact that gender is not an issue when it comes to serving the country, he added. The Philippine military frequently inducts prominent figures like legislators and cabinet members as reserve officers.