MANILA - THE Philippine military said Friday it will now accept 'small' soldiers, breaking a long-standing tradition.
Defence Secretary Norberto Gonzales ordered the armed forces to start accepting at boot camps male and female applicants who are as short as five feet (1.52 metres), an army statement said.
'Aspiring soldiers who are not so lucky with their height will now have a greater chance of serving the country through the armed forces,' the statement said.
The new ruling would 'accommodate small but equally competent applicants,' the statement added.
The minimum height requirement was previously five feet four inches for males and five feet two inches for females, it said. But applicants must still satisfy other requirements - they must be single, have had some university education and be aged below 22.
The Philippine military is battling some of the longest-running Muslim separatist and communist insurgencies in the world, but Manila is holding peace talks with the Muslim rebels and says Maoist fighters are nearly defeated.
AFP
The Straits Times
