Magiting na sundalo, #BabaeKasi: She made her dreams come true by joining the army

Meet Captain Jennylyn Tamacay, Chief of the Gender and Development Office of the Philippine Army. In 2017, Tamacay was among the soldiers deployed to reclaim Marawi from the hands of terrorists.

Tamacay admits she gets a lot of surprised reactions about her chosen career. But she shoots back: “Wala namang pinipili ang pagsusundalo. Basta kaya mong gampanan ang mga ibinigay sa 'yong responsibilities,” Tamacay says.

Entering the PMA was the only way for Tamacay to realize her dream of finishing her studies. The sweet promise of securing a job after graduation was a little too hard to ignore, too. And so she set out to become a soldier.

With the mindset of “kung ano ang kaya ng lalaki, kaya din ng babae,” she prodded on, not letting periods, dysmenorrhea, and mockery get in the way of her dreams.

“'Mag-resign ka na, hindi mo naman kaya eh'," she recalls the teasing she's received. "Pero hindi ako magpapatalo sa kanila.”

After graduation, Tamacay was deployed to Mindanao and Visayas, and when the Marawi siege broke out, she was sent along with the rest of her platoon for reinforcement.

Tamacay during Army training

While the welfare and safety of her troops is Tamacay’s biggest concern, during times of peace, Tamacay doesn’t forget to enjoy being a woman. She invites her troops out for socials, goes out to the mall during weekends, and gets the necessary facials when pimples start to show up on her face.

Says Tamacay, being in a male-dominated profession isn’t all that difficult. “Heto ako, nagpapatunay na kaya ko.” — LA, GMA News

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