Push Admin

Weapons modernization prompts intensified Navy recruitment

Article (news)

Chiara Zambrano, ABS-CBN News

The Philippine Navy has begun what it calls an &quot;intensified&quot; recruitment campaign, which aims to nudge technological college graduates to join its ranks as future officers capable of handling advanced weapons systems.Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado, Navy flag officer in command, said the targeted search was in anticipation of new assets that the Navy has and will acquire in the near future.&quot;We need to be ready with our human resources because pagdating nitong mga bagong barko (when the new ships arrive), they are technically more advanced than the ships we are having (sic) right now,&quot; Mercado said. They are very particular in recruiting those with engineering and technical backgrounds, Mercado said, because their new ships will be heavy in electronics, with combat systems that are more advanced than those on their current vessels.&quot;Even iyong mga weapons, hindi na gaya ng mga weapons dati na manually operated. These are all remotely operated…even the Marines, the weapons they are acquiring right now are technologically advanced. May mga aerial surveillance systems na sila. Hindi gaya dati, telescope lang,&quot; Mercado said.He emphasized that the Navy needs to be prepared for further modernization, because “in a few years’ time,” their ships will be outfitted with missiles.“We don&#x27;t want people operating the missile system without the right knowledge,&quot; he said.Officials from Adamson University, Mapua Institute of Technology, and the Technological University of the Philippines, a representative of the city of Manila, and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, who is an Army reservist, signed an agreement with the Navy which will make it easier for it to invite students to be part of the Armed Forces.Aside from searching for future officers, the Navy is also aiming to fill up the backlog of recruits for the entire service, including enlisted personnel.Of the Navy’s authorized troop strength of 23,000, which is made up of 20,000 enlisted personnel and 3,000 officers, 97 percent positions were filled as of this writing.They hope that their intensified, targeted recruitment campaign can attract graduates not only from technical schools, but the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), and the Naval Officer Candidate Course (NOCC) as well.They also hope to get new personnel from a recruitment campaign to be launched by the AFP. The Navy is slated to get 500 out of 10,000 projected recruits from the campaign, which is still on the drawing board. Another 500 are to go to the Air Force, while the rest (9,000) are seen to go to the Army.While Mercado is aware that today’s youth have diverse career options, he hopes that many will be willing to grab a chance to serve the country.“There’s a different feeling when you’re aboard ship, or you’re a Marine, and you go out to the operational area you get to serve our people. Above the pay, the gratitude that the people are extending to our soldiers is something that inspires each and every soldier,” he said.To join the Navy, a person must be a natural-born Filipino citizen of good moral character, unmarried with no child to support, mentally and physically fit for training, and not have any pending civil or criminal cases.Candidates must also meet a minimum height of 5 feet, have complete four front teeth, and at least three molars on both upper and lower jaws. They must also hurdle exams.Those who want to become officers must be between 21 to 28 years old, and have a four-year baccalaureate degree, preferably technology-related.Those who wish to sign up as enlisted personnel must be between 18 to 23 years old, and hold at least 72 units of college credit.

The Philippine Navy has begun what it calls an "intensified" recruitment campaign, which aims to nudge technological college graduates to join their ranks as future officers capable of handling advanced weapons systems.

The Philippine Navy has begun what it calls an "intensified" recruitment campaign, which aims to nudge technological college graduates to join their ranks as future officers capable of handling advanced weapons systems.

Weapons modernization prompts intensified Navy recruitment

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

News

Weapons modernization prompts intensified Navy recruitment

Chiara Zambrano,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 12, 2017 08:37 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippine Navy

Armed Forces

modernization

missile

weapons system

recruitment

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.