Just giving recognition to this distinct branch of service in the AFP:

History:

Looking back into the past, military nursing in the Philippines may be said to have existed as early as 1896 when the legendary Tandang Sora took care of the sick and wounded "revolucionarios" of the Katipunan, the military arm of the Philippine Revolutionary Government of that time.

Time tended to obscure the heroic beginnings of military nursing in the Philippines. In 1937, the Philippine Army General Hospital was organized at Camp Murphy, Quezon City with an initial capacity of 60 beds which was later expanded to 250 beds. Professional nursing in this hospital was performed by male nurses who were called to active duty as enlistedmen. Although there was a need for female military nurses, no female nurse was called to active duty. It was on September 5, 1938 that the Nurse Corps became a distinct AFP branch of service by virtue of Commonwealth Act No 385. Implementation was however not immediate, as the complementary Executive Order No 267 implementing the Commonwealth Act was issued only on 15 April 1940. This Act prescribed the Nurse Corps Reserve rules and regulations on the procurement, qualifications, appointment, promotion, classification, compensation, assignment and responsibilities during the mobilization.

On June 1940, Congress passed CA No 569 confining military nurses to female nurses. This Act changed the designation of " Nurse Corps" to " Female Nurses" , purposely to emphasize the female composition of the Corps. It also placed into the category civilian nurses who were commissioned in the Reserve Force. Despite the corresponding rank extended to military nurses, they were not entitled to a salute. They were neither given the pay and allowances due to other military officers holding the same grade. Their scale of pay and allowances were similar to those of other government employees of the same grade. The only additional training they received was an extension course with the General Service School at Camp Henry T Allen in Baguio. There were no army regulations governing the orientation or refresher training of female nurses from which guidance on army life could be derived. The only regulation was with reference to the kind of uniform and insignias worn by the commissioned nurses embodied in Bulletin No 101 on 27 July 1940. Unfortunately, the wearing of uniforms and insignias went only as far as the picture-taking for identification purposes.

LT PAULINA S PASCUAL, in an article "The Saga of a Gallant Fight", published in the June 1948 issue of The Filipino Nurse, wrote:


On what fundamental principle of law this change has been promised and towards what objective it has been aimed is also a question mark up to the present time. The Army Nurse Corps had suffered an unceremonious death in the unwarranted change ... the nurses who were in the service falling naturally into "civilian" category, a lamentable and discouraging experience in all its scope.


The late President Manuel L Quezon must have somehow realized the gross injustices suffered by military nurses thus on 30 July 1940, he issued General Order No 138. This Order commissioned the first group of nurses into the Reserve Force with relative ranks. Relative rank is a comparative rank or position of authority designated to officers holding the same grade.

A series of orders commissioning female nurses followed. Thirty five nurses were commissioned as third lieutenants on 2 October 1940, pursuant to General Order N0 180 in the Nurse Corps Reserve Force. On 6 June 1941, another batch of 30 nurses were commissioned in the Nurse Corps Reserve under General No 941. There were other female officers commissioned during the period but their records could no longer be reconstituted. Majority of nurses in the Nurse Corps Reserve were eventually called to active duty. As of December 1969, four of these nurses (circa 1940-1941) were still around such as LT COL FRANCISCA JOSUE VERGARA, LT COL CORAZON RIVERA, MAJ REMEDIOS AQUINO and MAJ PAT ALINEA. The events showed that the Nurse Corps was eventually organized and professional nurses were commissioned in the Nurse Corps Reserve.

When the Pacific War broke out on 8 December 1941, no female nurses were called to active service. Aware of the existing inactive Nurse Corps, commanders of the different military districts of the Philippine Army all over the country issued orders for commissioned nurses to be called to active duty. The United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) recruited nurses and brought them along to Bataan and later Corregidor under the barrage of bombs and shells. In recognition of their untold sacrifices, tested loyalty and patriotism, the volunteer nurses were commissioned and called to active duty as early as April 9, 1942 by virtue of Special Order No. 27 as members of the Philippine Army, then integral part of the USAFFE. The nurses were extended the rank and privilege of a third lieutenant. Among those who responded to the call were some Filipino nurses from the staff of US Army Hospitals and from other agencies in the Philippines. Among those who joined the volunteer groups were nurses working at the Sternberg General Hospital in Manila and the Army General Hospital at Fort Mckinley, Rizal (now Fort Bonifacio) and Fort Stotsenberg, Pampanga. At this point in time, the Army nurses were scattered in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. After liberation these nurses including those with the Guerilla Commission reported to various military centers and were duly processed for integration into the Philippine Army. CAPT DOLORES C BEJEC, inactive, relates her guerrilla activities:

Fear, tension, anxiety and lack of food were haunting them in the evacuation area early as the beginning of the war in our evacuation area. For a while, they were helping those evacuees who got sick due to inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation and exposure to the elements.

The news that the Japanese were near their area made conditions more unbearable. This was compounded when on the eve of October 31, 1944, they were made to leave the Bambang General Hospital because the Japanese would come to occupy it. It was a whole night and whole day hike before they reached the 3rd Battalion of the 14th Infantry, United States Armed Forces in the Philippines (better known as the USAFIP-NL).

Since then, they were always on the alert. Food was running low. The sick soldiers were becoming weaker. They also increased in number. They had to move from one hideout to another whenever their defense line was broken.

But the most frightful experience was when their hospital camp was surrounded by the Japanese. They had to leave the place in a hurry through heavily-guarded trails. It was a matter of fast action, courage, and perseverance, for had they procrastinated, they could have been overtaken by the Japanese.

The camp was occupied by the Japanese in a matter of hours after their departure.

In Bataan, they suffered just like their brothers-in-arms. Before Bataan fell to enemy hands, these nurses joined the military forces in Corregidor and continued to serve under very trying circumstances. Long after Corregidor had fallen, COMMANDER ROSITA LEDESMA (now Mrs. Makaling) wrote an article about the plight of the guerrilla forces in South Negros:

Due to frequent enemy encounters, exposure to the elements, sickness and malnutrition, the need for nurses became evident. Pending definite policies, nurses rendered voluntary service to guerrillas and civilians , wherever and whenever there was a need for them, without thought of financial remuneration or recognition.

In Negros, the 7th Military District Nursing Service was formally organized on 15 March 1943 with the commission of a few nurses to compose the 7th Military District Nursing Service.

A graduate of Mary Johnston Hospital School of Nursing, 1LT FILOMENA BRAZIL, guerrilla-commissioned nurse, was appointed District Chief Nurse. LT ROSITA J LEDESMA had many varied duties and responsibilities. She acted as Commanding Officer when her CO was absent, in addition to being the Supply Officer, doctor and nurse of the outfit.

As part of the guerrilla service support, the nurses hiked for days, at times for seven continuous days, resting only for meal. and at night to sleep. When liberation was near, the nurses were always behind the vicinity where combat was expected."

In far flung regions of Northern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, similar activities took place. Nurse volunteers were also commissioned and called to active duty under the USAFFE as early as January 13, 1942, with headquarters in Bukidnon. By virtue of Special Order No 4 dated January 9, 1942, there was a commissioning and calling to active duty of members of the Medical, Dental, Medical Administrative, Nurses and Infantry reserves.

There was no formal organizational set-up of military nursing service during this period. Nurses rendered nursing activities wherever they were, guided only by their full and unstilted desire to serve. In most instances, they had no formal security . The untold sacrifices and risks that military nurses took during the war years, as typified by the foregoing accounts, were duplicated a hundred times elsewhere in the Philippines. Perhaps, other gallant sacrifices will forever remain unchronicled.

It is interesting to mention that three military nurses received the Florence Nightingale International Award for outstanding services during this period. This award was under the auspices of the International Council of Nurses in Geneva, Switzerland. They were HONORATA LEGASPI, retired Major and now deceased; LT COL ANGELINA CASTRO, retired; and MS FELIPA JAVELERA, inactive.

World War II ended in February 1945 with the unconditional surrender of Japan. Henceforth, there were changes, challenges and adjustments to existing conditions; There were new attitudes and new horizons.

The Medical Service called to active duty the nurses of the Nurse Corps Reserve. Those with guerrilla commissions were duly processed. Other nurses were called to active duty by direct commission. Most of the nurses were attached to the 227th Station Hospital in Camp Murphy, Quezon City. Other nurses were assigned to the station hospitals such as those in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur and Camp Makabulos, Tarlac.

On 4 July 1946, the Philippines gained its independence. The Philippine Army was putting a close to its reserve activities while the Philippine Constabulary (then the Military Police Command) took care of the peace and order problems. At this point the services of the medical officers and nurses were all the more needed. Military nursing was to stay until the last wounded or disabled veteran was released.

The biggest medical installation at that time was the first Philippine Army General Hospital in Camp Murphy which was later transferred to Mandaluyong, Rizal. There was a great number of nurses assigned to this installation. On 3 September 1947, the hospital was named Victoriano Luna General Hospital in honor of its first Surgeon General who died in line of duty in Bataan. The hospital was moved to its present site in Kamias Road, Quezon city in January 1950. The first Chief Nurse of the V. Luna General Hospital was CAPT GREGORIA ESPINOSA (now Mrs Paul K Madarang). As early as 1946, CAPT ESPINOSA prepared a petition for the President of the Philippines defining the status of the nurses. On 6 March 1947, Secretary Emilio Abello opined that the government was not in position to favorably consider the nurses� request. This opinion spurred the nurses into more vigorous action.

When CAPT FLORA FLORES succeeded CAPT ESPINOSA, another resolution to press for the status of the military nurses was presented in a meeting at VLGH attended by some members of the Filipino Nurses Association. The petition was forwarded to President Manuel A Roxas. Through the leadership of the PNA President, Mrs Genara S de Guzman, the Army Nurse Corps succeeded in securing a legal basis for its existence. Senator Geronima T Pecson and Congressman Remedios Fortich were among those who aided the Corps in its efforts.

On 12 May 1948, President Quirino signed Republic Act No 203, known as the "Nurse Corps Bill". This Act granted to the members of the NC the same pay allowances right and privilege afforded to the other member of the Medical Service Corps. The term "The Female Nurses" was also redesigned to "Army Nurse Corps". It was also during this period when the position of Superintendent of the Nurse Corps was created in the Office of the Surgeon General to represent the nurses. CAPT FLORA B FLORES was appointed and she held the position from 8 March 1949 until February 1952.

On 10 June 1950, the late Pres. Elpidio Quirino amended RA 203 by virtue of RA 479. This was to recognize and compensate for the exemplary members of the military services, giving ample compensation commensurate to the number of years, months and days rendered while on actual military duty. It also paved a foundation for determining the grade, rank, seniority and retirement of NC officers.

The enactment of RA 203 and RA 479 were great strides in the history of military nursing, where nurses sought recognition. Although initial efforts were not too successful, military nurses persisted and put the Corps in its rightful place in the military organization.

Conditions in the country during the early fifties were affected by the Huk resurgence in the south. This affected the Medical Service because military nurses were killed when Camp Makabulos was raided. Doctors and nurses worked on extended shifts served selflessly amidst dwindling supplies and threat of death. For these, they were commended and were awarded military merit medals.

On 12 June 1951, RA 645 was enacted which provided that reserve officers (not exceeding 150) would be selected and integrated into the Regular Force in three batches of fifty per year beginning fiscal year 1953-54. Executive Order No 601 was issued by the President to implement this particular integration. In August 1952, the title, "Army Nurse Corps, Medical Service" was changed to "Nurse Corps, AFP" with the abbreviated branch of service as NC. Thus, the Nurse Corps of the AFP was born and finally recognized. Membership in the Nurse Corps, previously an all reserve officers Corps, expanded to include regular officers. Since then, several Republic Acts, circulars and AFP regulations were passed, approved and published to upgrade the standards of the Nurse Corps. Through these Acts, twelve military nurses were integrated namely:

RUSTICA SANCHEZ, Colonel (retired), former Chief Nurse Corps , AFP.

CORAZON RIVERA , Lt Col (Retired), former Chief Nurse, Philippine Constabulary

JUANA RANA, Colonel (Retired)

SALOME ALFORTE, Colonel (Retired)

WINNIE LUZON, Colonel (Retired), former Chief Nurse Corps, AFP

OFELIA MIRASOL, Colonel (Retired), former Chief Nurse, Philippine Navy

FLORENCIA RAFANAN, Colonel(Retired), former Chief Nurse, Philippine Navy

BASILIA CANTORIA, Lt. Colonel (Retired), former Chief Nurse, Philippine Army

FLORA FLORES, Lt. Colonel (Retired), former Chief Nurse, V Luna General Hospital

FRANCISCA VERGARA, Lt. Colonel (Retired), former Chief Nurse, Philippine Air Force

ANGELINA CASTRO, Lt. Colonel (Retired), former Chief Nurse, Army Station

Hospital, Ft. Bonifacio, Rizal

CONSTANCIA TENZA-CORTEZ, MAJOR (inactive)

In 1961, a personnel study by the Chief, Personnel Division, AFP led to the extension of annual direct commission to all branches of service including the Nurse Corps.

On 10 February 1963, The "Standardization of Military Nursing Positions" was approved which included ranking of military nurses corresponding to Table of Organization (T/O) positions. The ranks of Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel make were attainable. A separate promotion board composed of military nurses was created. The Nurse Corps had a separate declaration of promotional vacancies from the rank of Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel. It was on December 1969, that the Nurse Corps had officers with the rank of the following: full colonel, 13 lieutenant colonel and a number of major.

In 1964, Republic Act No. 4164 was passed, authorizing the sending of a Philippine Contingent or PHILCON South Vietnam every year. Military Nurses were sent as members of the medical teams. In 1966, Republic Act 4664 was passed authorizing the sending of the Philippine Civic Action Group to Vietnam or PHILCAG V which included a hospital complement, medical, dental and rural health teams. The second Philcag returned to the Philippines on December 20, 1969. The nurses in the medical teams acted as nurse supervisors in ward units and helped organized central supply rooms. They involved themselves in the training of Vietnamese nurses, technicians and ward attendants. Some of them went on home visits and taught health education in Vietnamese hamlets and assisted doctors in surgical and medical treatments.

A total of 94 military nurses had served in Vietnam. Some of them had been commended and given medals and awards for heroism and devotion to duty. Reserve officers who were assigned in Vietnam are now covered by RA 6441 exempting them from reversion.

MAJ VIRGINIA SARINO, in her article "Civic Action in Vietnam", had this to say:

The Filipino nurses are quick in establishing rapport with the people. The spirit of "bayanihan" that had gone beyond the realm of Filipino tradition is now being transplanted in Vietnam. The arrival of mass casualties strained our resources to the utmost."

Circular 23, General Headquarters, Camp Aguinaldo dated 8 April 1965 provided the Nurse Corps with a career development program. Military nurses were sent for local and foreign schooling. Concerning higher education, some ranking officers of the Nurse Corps took the Command and General Staff Course. COL OFELIA MIRASOL was the first NC graduate, followed by COL FLORENCIA RAFANAN, former Chief Nurse of the Philippine Navy.

In 1965, military nurses banded themselves to form the Military Nurses Association of the Philippines (MNAP). Today, the official organ of the MNAP is the Philippine Military Nursing Journal.

To improve the working conditions of the military nurses, the former Chief Nurse Corps of the AFP, COL WINNIE LUZON, in cooperation with some sympathizers strove to work for the passage of RA 5538 ( Nurse Incentive Act) on 16 June 1968. This Act provided additional allowances of one hundred pesos (P100) to military nurses.

As of 16 December 1970, military nurses were unofficially allowed to stay in the active service even if they have contracted marriage or had become pregnant. Pursuant to AFPR G 131-351 dated 22 November 1973, military nurses were officially allowed to get married after they had rendered five (5) years of continuous service. However, Circular 7, dated 15 October 1984 amended and reduced the number of years from five (5) to three (3). Such was the length of time needed before military nurses can contract marriage and still remain in the service.

In summary, the period 1951-1972 was a crucial test of the capabilities, courage, endurance, patience and other attributes of the Nurse Corps. The Corps responded with the skill and endurance demanded by the occasion. The period was further characterized by a continuous desire of the Corps to improve itself professionally and to secure the benefits deprived of them for a very long time.

Effective 21 June 1973, the Office of the Chief Nurse, AFP was activated as a Technical Staff of General Headquarters, AFP by virtue of General Order No 510 dated 28 June 1973 and recognized the Nurse Corps as a distinct branch of service in the AFP. This afforded The Chief Nurse, AFP, the prerogative to decide on matters purely affecting the Nurse Corps and the nursing profession in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. However, The Chief Nurse Corps, AFP still remains the consultant of The Surgeon General on the nursing service aspect as it relates to the over-all program of the Medical Service. This marked another milestone in the Nurse Corps history.

On 17 April 1975, a letter directive entitled "Extended Functions of Military Nurses" was passed. It prescribed the policies and procedures on the training assignment and utilization of military nurse anesthetists, as well as other Nurse Corps Officers in the performance of functions normally performed by medical officers.

Making history as the first male nurse to be commissioned in to the Nurse Corps on 21 July 1976 marked the day when a male nurse, 2LT. FERNANDO BALANE, is subsequently called to active duty on 24 November 1976, was commissioned into the Nurse Corps for the first time, he was called to active duty in the Philippine Air Force.

In 1984, the Office of the Chief Nurse, Philippine Army intensified and strengthened the Primary Health Care Community Program at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija. The striking strategy used by this program was it�s focus on massive and continuous community health prevention, restoration and rehabilitation programs which have been successfully implemented operationalized by the different Philippine Army Nursing units. COL EDMUNDA B RILLON, the then Chief Nurse, Philippine Army perceived that care strategies would be best in paving the way for the promotion of the health and well-being of the populace. According to the PA Chief Nurse, the people could be drawn closer to the AFP through sincere effort in promoting their health and could be done through a systematic but immediate delivery of primary health care services to each and every community of the nation. According to "Primary health care as a strategy is meant not only to close the gap between the haves and the have not but also to serve as a means for equitable distribution of health resources to bring about a level of health for all citizens capable of making a socially and economically productive life."

Within these varied network of dimensional functions, the Nurse Corps continues in interpreting itself to the people. Such is the military nurse�s conviction of today, that she is competent, humane and with the profound sense of commitment to duty.

Furthermore, to produce highly professionalized nurses, Circular No 2 entitled Career Development Program for Nurse Corps Officers in the AFP was published on 13 May 1987. It prescribed the procedures involved in the classification of Nurse Corps Officers and the initiation and revision of such classification. Career pattern for the Nurse Corps and guidelines for career management were likewise prescribed. The upgrading of the Table of Organization (TO) of The Chief Nurse, AFP from Colonel to Brigadier General was also embodied in this circular.

This circular was subsequently followed by the approval of Staff Memorandum Number 08 on 09 November 1990. It provided for the upgrading of the organization of the Nurse Corps, AFP to enable it to carry out its functions and responsibilities responsibly and realistically.

The ultimate outcome of Circular No 2 and Staff Memo No 8 was the appointment of COL ELVEGIA R MENDOZA NC (MNSA), The Chief Nurse, AFP to the rank of BRIGADIER GENERAL effective 26 December 1990. BRIGADIER GENERAL MENDOZA holds the distinction of being the "First Woman General in the Armed Forces of the Philippines".

COL EDMUNDA B RILLON NC (GSC) became the second woman general in the AFP when she was again given the rank of BRIGADIER GENERAL in 1993.

On February 1997, COL ELMA C ALDEA NC (GSC) was designated as the first Chief, Health Services of the Philippine Air Force prior to her assumption as The Chief Nurse, AFP upon the retirement of her predecessor.

Today, through the continued and concerted efforts of its past and present leaders the Nurse Corps, AFP, now composed of male and female nurses, has established its own identity.

These developments would have been difficult to imagine, say, five or ten years ago. They underline the dramatic changes that are now quietly taking place in the nursing profession. Perhaps the most important of these changes is the catapulting of the military nurse into leadership roles within the traditional hierarchy of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

http://www.afp.mil.ph/otcn/history.htm

My late Grand-aunt is actually on the list!

good job AFP Nurses! :thumb:

Meet Liza Morata, soldier nurse



By Queena Lee-Chua
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:26:00 07/21/2008

NURSING is in demand today--as a stepping-stone to a good career abroad. Indeed, the caring and competent Filipino nurse is known worldwide, and nursing schools throng with students with visions of foreign shores.

But Capt. Liza Morata was not one of them.

"I want to serve our soldiers and their families," Morata says. "As a nurse educator, I value the importance of continuous training. I want to spread and enhance the knowledge and skills of our military personnel here."

Morata has chosen to remain and serve in the country she loves.

Courage in spades

The youngest child in a brood of seven, Morata was born to a father who worked as a cashier in a government agency and a mother who was an elementary teacher.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Nursing from Capital University in Cagayan de Oro City in 1992, she became a part-time instructor at her alma mater. Two years later, she joined the military. Soon she became head nurse of the surgical ward of the Air Force General Hospital. Then she transferred to the air base hospitals in Lapu-Lapu City and Zamboanga City.

As a member of the Nurse Corps, Morata underwent training here and abroad, taking courses in the Army Medical Department Center and School at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, among others. Now she is chief of the Nursing Administration and Personnel Management branch, and concurrent chief of the Nursing Service Management branch.

Married with a 6-year-old son, Morata has courage in spades.

From different aircraft (C-130, Fokker, S-76, Hueys, Nomads, Islanders), she has performed about 50 air evacuations, saving the lives of some 200 patients, including wounded soldiers during Operation "Final Option" against the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Jolo.

As officer of Sector Alpha, she did not waver during the exchange of heavy gunfire between government and rebel troops in November 2001. For her bravery and resoluteness, she received two Military Merit Medals.

Morata's passion, though, is education. She conducts recruitment campaigns for nurses in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). She helped formulate a teaching manual to standardize health education, and a physical assessment course for flight nurses. She is training coordinator of the Air Force Health Service Mobile Training Team that conducts basic life support and first aid courses among military and civilians.

Last year, she spoke about the AFP Aeromedical Evacuations at an international conference in Hawaii. Through her work, she has strengthened military affiliations with the Philippine National Red Cross.

As mentor to student nurses, Morata joins them in their initial flights to check if they can perform solo on various aircraft. She also speaks to nursing students.

"I tell them about my experiences, the various opportunities, local and foreign training and, especially, the career and development path of a Nurse Corps officer," she says. "After my talk, I also present a documentary on the Nurse Corps."

Morata cites the benefits of becoming a military nurse, starting with the rank of second lieutenant, with commensurate pay. Nurses may also receive combat duty pay, instructor duty pay, flying pay, longevity pay, or overseas pay, depending on their responsibilities. They can avail of medical and dental services at AFP health facilities, with PhilHealth packages, housing benefits, commissary privileges, financial aid, and educational assistance.

Soldier and healer
When I asked Morata how she reconciled being a soldier (killing if she had to) and a nurse (healing at all cost), she said: "When I joined the Profession of Arms, I was made aware of my duties and responsibilities both as a soldier and as a professional nurse. Since our primary mission is to conserve the fighting strength of the AFP, as noncombatants, we act as healthcare providers to our comrades-in-arms as well as their families.

"However, in extreme situations, given a worst-case scenario, we are also taught to defend ourselves against attacks by the enemies and that's the time when we apply the basics in soldiery."

In 2000, she was deemed the AFP Medical Service Most Outstanding Nurse Corps Officer of the Year. She also received the Association of Nursing Service Administrators of the Philippines Annual Award for Exemplary Service in Nursing Practice. Early this year, she was chosen by Metrobank Foundation as one of the Outstanding Soldiers of the Philippines.

Morata is proud of her work as nurse educator. "This means that we do not only teach our patients, but we go out of our way to teach others, soldiers and civilians alike. In the Air Force Nursing Service, most of us are trainers in various courses, so most of the time, we teach in military schools." She teaches Intravenous Therapy, Stress Management, Medical First's Responder Courses, among others.

"Teachers must not only share their knowledge and expertise, they should also learn from their students," she says. "Good teachers don't only do the talking, they listen as well. To be respected, teachers should be role models of excellence. They must possess good principles and must strive to learn more, so that they can be locally and globally competitive."

What does this soldier-healer yearn for? "I dream of lasting peace in the whole world," she says. "I also dream of a more cohesive Armed Forces for nation-building and development."

E-mail the author at blessbook@yahoo.com

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadl...a-soldier-nurse

:ssalute:

Some more trivias...

PEOPLE AND EVENTS THAT SHAPED OUR HISTORY

05 September 1938 - The Nurse Corps came into being by virtue of Commonwealth Act No.385.
15 March 1943 - The 7th Military district Nursing Service has started to commission the few nurses who were then volunteers. This was brought about by nurses' awareness of the need for their services.

July 1946 - The First Nurse Corps Superintendent (Chief Nurse) of the First General Hospital(V Luna General Hospital) was COL FLORA B FLORES, a native of Bangui, Ilocos Norte, assumed her post.

...Aviation Nursing, PAF started with the completion of training of six (6) Military nurses at Randolph Air Force Base, USA.

12 May 1948, while celebrating National Hospital Day and Florence Nightingale Memorial Day, President Elpidio Quirino signed the Nurse Corps Bill (House Bill 1710) into Law, signed at his home at Dewey Boulevard at exactly 6:45 pm.

August 1964, the very first batch of 1st Philippine Contingent to South Vietnam as Medical team left for South Vietnam.

...The Song of the Nurse Corps was done by COL JC FERNANDEZ on music, lyrics was done by COL FF SOLIMAN.

05 September 1965 - The military Nurses Association of the Philippines was organized. The maiden issue of MNAP Journal (then Philippine Military Nursing Journal) was published. It was a semi-annual publication with a subscription fee of P2.00 a year. The first editor was CPT ANACORITA C STA IGLESIA NC PC.The very first MNAP President was LTC CORAZON D RIVERA NC OTSG.

22 January 1966, the very first MNAP Convention was held at the VLGH Officers Club.

16 September 1966, COL WINNIE LUZON became the first NC to attain the full Colonel rank and in 1970 became the first NC to be the PNA President.

February 1969, Maria Clara Women's Post 62, a group of vibrant women who served the World War II was founded by Cristeta Alinsod. They were very active in different Humanitarian Projects. They were commonly referred to as the Golden Girls.

In the early 70's, BGEN EDMUNA B RILLON AFP and COL RACHEL C DELFIN NC (GSC) were among the pioneer members of the Open Heart Surgery Team performed at V. Luna General Hospital.

...Military nurses participated in Santacruzan as Reynas and Sagalas, a glittering event of sequined gowns, pretty faces and needless to say the famous 70's hair do's and make ups.

21 June 1973 - COL LUCIA A LOSTE NC (GSC) of Eastern Samar, former CN, Philippine Army has led the approval of the [b]separation of the Nurse Corps from the Medical Service, AFP administratively.

September 1973, the MNAP Journal was reactivated since the proclamation of the Martial Law when all publications, military or otherwise were either suspended or terminated.

1973, the MNAP Building, also called the Nurse's Dream House, was completed.

1974, several Flight Nursing Students were called upon to act as aides to the state visitors invited to witness the Miss Universe pageant at Folk Arts Theater.

November 1976, [b]2LT FERNANDO V BALANE NC PAF was the first Male Nurse Corps Officer to be called to Active Duty.

1978, the late COL RACHEL B MOLINA, CN AFPMC initiated the construction of Nursing Service Training Hall which was eventually inaugurated on 15 September 1980 with Gen Fidel V Ramos as Guest of Honor.

September 1980 issue of MNAP Journal, a puzzler by Mien Chow AFPMC offered a prize of P 20.00 for those who could answer the puzzle.

13 December 1990, members of the 89 year old PC and 15 year old INP were abolished making way for the creation of the Philippine National Police, thus the birth of the PNP Nursing Sevice. There were 26 NC Officers absorbed and along with 17 INP lateral entry Officers became the core of the new PNP Nursing Service.

...COL ELMA C ALDEA NC (MNSA) was the first NC Officer to occupy the position of Director for Health Services.
...LTC EVELYN S AFDAL NC was the first NC Officer to become the Commanding Officer, Camp Asturias Station Hospital, Jolo, Sulu.

26 December 1990, BGEN ELVEGIA R MENDOZA AFP was the first General of the Nurse Corps, thus the first woman General of the AFP. The second being BGEN EDMUNDA B RILLON AFP.

...2LT FERNANDO V BALANE NC PAF was the first Male Nurse Corps Officer.

04 September 1991, The Heritage Hall of MNAP was inaugurated, with MAJ AGUSTINA R BENAVIDES NC (Ret) as the First Chairman, Heritage Hall Committee.

12 July 1993, BGEN EDMUNDA B RILLON AFP became the 2nd Woman General in the AFP.

February 1997, COL ELMA C ALDEA NC (MNSA)was the first NC Officer to occupy the position of Director for Health Services in the Philippines Air Force.

25 July 2003, BGEN AMELIA E APARRI AFP became the 3rd Woman NC GENERAL in the AFP.

20 October 2005, BGEN MARLENE R PADUA AFP The Chief Nurse, AFP became the 4th Woman NC General in the AFP .

http://www.afp.mil.ph/otcn/about.htm

For those interested to join the Nurse Corps, seems there are requirements

http://www.afp.mil.ph/employment/employment.php

Check on PAF, there are requirements for nurses at NCR, Region III, IV, VII, IX

Contact Person: ELSIE P MAGNAYE
Dir Chief Pers Affairs, A1
PLDT: 8546701 loc 6621

There are some opening as well with the PN.

CONTACT: PRECIOSA R TORRES
Chief Civ Affairs Br, N1 PN
PLDT: 5242061-69 Loc 65336317