5,000-strong Army Unit in Bicol Gets A 'mother'

The firstever lady Sergeant Major in the history of the Philippine Army (PA) has assumed the post to serve as "mother" to the 5,000strong maledominated military contingent in Bicol.

Wearing a shoulder rank of master sergeant, Army enlisted woman Rosa Maria Lanila recently took over the post in the PA's 9th Infantry (Spear) Division (ID) based at Camp Elias Angeles here from a male counterpart Senior Master Sergeant Alex Allejos.

Allejos served the position for six years and retired last Jan. 16 after 36 years in military service.

The latest to be declared as already "peaceful and ready for further development" is Camarines Norte, where the military has claimed a momentous victory in its decades of fight against communist insurgency in Bicol by neutralizing the NPA and restoring peace in the province.

"We want to provide the rest of the region a space where the people can feel safe and grow as progressive communities just like what these two provinces are now enjoying, and Sergeant Major Lanila will play a crucial role in this aspiration," 9th ID commander Maj. Gen. Yerson Depayso said on Tuesday.

The sergeant major is a unique noncommissioned rank in the PA held by a senior enlisted member appointed to serve among other inherent tasks as a spokesperson to address the issues of enlisted soldiers to the higher command.

As such, Lanila would be spending much of her time traveling throughout the units comprising the 9th ID that include three infantry brigades composed of eight infantry battalions and seven support units.

The position would be a big challenge to her being a woman who has to look after the morale, discipline, living conditions in camps and welfare of the about 5,000 Army enlisted personnel or noncommissioned officers (NCOs) mostly men belonging to all these units, according to Depayso.

"She needs to act like a 'mother' and 'guiding light'" to these men in...