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Gay men can enter

Gay men can enter the Army

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abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/04/2009 11:07 AM

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Gay men can go to war with brave Filipino soldiers, a military spokesman said as he announced Wednesday that members of the third sex can apply for enlistment in the Philippine Army.

"We welcome them. We welcome everybody. We don't discriminate [gay] people here," Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., Army spokesman, told ABS-CBN's morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda."

Brawner said as long as an applicant is physically, emotionally and mentally fit, the Army would be proud to enlist them, including gay people.

"They are allowed [and] of course they will have the same assignments. They can also go to war," the Army spokesman added.

Brawner clarified that the Army or any other units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines does not discriminate gay people, including bisexual men.

For this year, the Army needs to enlist 3,900 people. The military as a whole needs 6,700 new recruits this year, he said.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Army applicants lined up at the Army's main recruitment center in Fort Bonifacio in Makati City.

The Army said they are expecting more people to apply this year because of the massive layoff in electronics, garments and furniture factories.

Several factories have closed shop in the country because of the decreasing export demand as an effect of the global economic crisis.

Brawner said a candidate soldier receives P8,700 monthly. Training last from three months to four months, he said.

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