Women flying high with PAF

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has evolved, with more women taking seats in almost all its flying units.

PAF spokesperson, Col. Maria Consuelo Nunag-Castillo, shared this in a recent exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE’s Straight Talk program.

Castillo said 140 women are among the more than 1,000 operating pilots in the PAF, one of the major service units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, along with the Philippine Army and Navy.

“Right now, the Philippine Air Force has really evolved, particularly in women empowerment. We have female pilots in almost all PAF flying units, and they all have admirable achievements,” she said.

She noted that four female pilots were recently recognized during the OWLENS Award, organized by the volunteer group Republic Defenders, which honors exceptional women in law enforcement and national security.

“They were awarded with the distinction of being accomplished women for this year,” she said.

Castillo, an alumnus of the Philippine Military Academy, touted that many strong women are now entering the service to become female fighter pilots.

“We already have female fighter pilots, and more of them are being trained at this moment,” she added.

The PAF is keen to recruit more women in the service, Castillo stressed.

On the other hand, Castillo noted the need for the service to recruit more officers as the country’s defense sector continues to ramp up the Philippine defense posture.

She said there is a need to parallel the PAF’s increasing number of air assets with more pilots.

“I believe we have around 30 types of air assets in the Philippine Air Force right now — both rotary and fixed air assets — they come in different forms, sizes, and capabilities. We even have unmanned aerial assets that we fly right now,” she shared.

Castillo admitted that the PAF needs more pilots as the service continues to commission newly acquired air assets.

“So, we are continuously recruiting for officers. Not only for officers but also skilled enlisted personnel who will be tasked to maintain these air assets,” she said.

Castillo said the main challenge of the PAF right now “is really to continuously modernize.”

She recognized that the entire AFP is also confronting many challenges, especially now that the Philippines has shifted towards territorial defense.

“Considering that we are facing many security threats nowadays, particularly that our direction is towards territorial defense — because we have to protect not only our territory, our territorial waters, to include our sovereign rights in our exclusive economic zone,” she said.

Castillo said the PAF is making the best of a limited budget to perform its mandates as best it can.

“We acknowledge that there are many competing priorities, not only within the Armed Forces of the Philippines. We need to acquire new assets for the Philippine Navy and Army. We, in the Philippine Air Force, also have many wish lists to perform our mandate,” she stressed.

“But then we acknowledge that not only within the AFP but also the whole government has other competing priorities, even in the other departments that they have to really balance,” she added.

Castillo said the challenge will remain to maximize the PAF’s current capabilities and deliver the nation’s and Filipino people’s expectations of them, as well as “continuously defend” the Philippine territories.