Philippine Navy (PN), the chief guardian of the country's territorial waters is enlisting officers to fill vacant positions and will recruit as well fresh naval crews, the head of the PN's Naval Reserve Center in Western Visayas said.

Lt. Commander Venus Bueldaguever made the disclosure amidst proposals to bolster the PN's patrol capabilities, one of the weakest in the ASEAN region and ensure in the process the safety of the nation's long coastlines and sea borders.

For Iloilo City, Bueldaguever said the enlistment dates for this year for both officers and non-officers will be on June 18 and 23, while for Bacolod City, tentative dates have been set on July 16 and 21.

For the officers category, an applicant should be between the ages of 18-28 years old; and for the non-officers class, recruits should be 18-22 years of age.

General requirements as demanded by the Navy state that an applicant should be foremost a Filipino citizen, and has never been charged with criminal and civil cases; single, a college graduate and stands 5 feet tall, no less, having no tattoos elsewhere on the body, and wearing no dentures.

Applicants should be physically and mentally fit, and able to pass the written examinations.*PNA