A first: Female military officer to head PHL peacekeeping contingent to Haiti

A female military officer has been designated commander of the Philippine contingent to the troubled Haiti, the first in the country's 50-year history of peacekeeping operations.
 
Navy Capt. Luzviminda Camacho and 156 other men and women of Navy are scheduled to depart for Haiti on Tuesday following a send-off ceremony at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Col. Roberto Ancan, commander of the military's Peacekeeping Operations Center, said Camacho was selected by the Philippine Navy to head the contingent.

"She is the first," said Ancan when asked if Camacho is the first female Filipino officer to head a Philippine peacekeeping force.

Camacho was also the first woman in the Navy to command a ship, Patrol Ship 388 or BRP Manuel Gomez in Davao and General Santos City, in 2008, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Gerald Fabic.

Fabic said Camacho also commanded the Patrol Ship 389 or BRP Teotimo Figuracion, deployed in Misamis Oriental and Surigao provinces, in 2009; and Patrol 32 or BRP Iloilo, deployed in Maguindanao and General Santos City, in 2010. Her latest assignment was as commanding officer of the Patrol Ship 20 or BRP Iloilo in Maguindanao.

Very professional

Ancan, who was part of the board that confirmed Camacho's designation, described her as “responsible and very professional.

"She always keeps her troops physically fit and train with excellence and uphold discipline. She upholds the standard of a Filipino peacekeeper as well," he said.

Fabic said Camacho applied for the peacekeeping job and was subsequently given the assignment. "It only shows that the Navy provides equal opportunity for men and women in the service," he said.
 
Navy chief Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano will lead the send-off ceremony for the contingent, which will replace a similar number of Filipino troops in Haiti after completing their tour of duty.

Fabic said the Philippine contingent is tasked to "provide perimeter security to the Force Headquarters of the UN Mission to Haiti."
 
The military began sending peacekeepers in Congo in 1963. Apart from Haiti, the military currently has peacekeepers in several other countries, including Golan Heights and Liberia. — KBK, GMA News