She entered a PH Army trainer's course built for men. She aced it.

Herstory has been made after the Philippine Army (PA) produced its first ever female trainer who can now produce training programs for the military’s elite Scout Rangers.

Private Amaleth Joyce Caoyong successfully hurdled the Physical Training Trainer Course (PTTC) offered by the First Scout Ranger Regiment’s Scout Ranger School at Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan.

She is the only female member of the 71-strong PTCC Class 35-2022 which held its joint closing ceremony last Friday, July 22. They graduated alongside 61 more soldiers who hurdled the Combat Tracking Course also offered by the training school of the elite Army unit.

After passing the course, Caoyong now wears the Physical Trainers Badge and is now a qualified trainer who is deemed “knowledgeable in crafting a physical program and facilitating military obstacles apparatus, military exercises and physical fitness tests for the Army’s elite unit.”

Caoyong said that it was her strong faith that pushed her beyond her physical limits and made her achieve what her male batchmates could also do during their training.

"Noong una kinabahan ako. Kailangan kong abutin ang standard ng course which is ‘yung program of instruction for male (At first, I was nervous. I need to reach the standard of the course which is the program of instruction for male),” she said.

But Caoyong did not consider her gender as a hindrance to be accomplished in the field that she has chosen. Instead, she used it as a fuel to achieve her dreams of excelling in a male-dominated career.

“Ginamit kong motivation ‘yun para malampasan lahat ng requirements ng course (I used it as a motivation to surpass all the requirements of the course),” she noted.

The Philippine Army has produced numerous noble men who fought in wars, responded in calamities and disasters, and helped maintain peace and security for many years already.

But female Army warriors are slowly etching their names in the history of the organization, and Private Caoyong is one of them, providing hope that others like her will also follow suit.

“The Philippine Army is a people-centric organization that puts an emphasis on gender equality. The Army’s female personnel receive equal opportunities in the organization consistent with the requisites of military service,” said Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson.