Military names first woman judge advocate general

MANILA, Philippines - For the first time, a woman has been named judge advocate general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Col. Marian Aleido is the new chief legal adviser to the AFP and the Department of National Defense.

Commissioned in 1984, Aleido is the first woman to be called to active duty as a military lawyer.

Aleido succeeds Brig. Gen. Gilberto Roa, who has been named chairman of the government’s ceasefire panel.

She has been handling legal assignments for almost three decades.

In a statement, Aleido said she is overwhelmed and overjoyed with her appointment.

“Not in my wildest imagination did I ever think that I would be able to achieve this position, especially that the JAGS (has been) and still is a male-dominated unit in the AFP,” she said.

Aleido said the recruitment of military lawyers must be intensified through advertisements in law schools and military camps.

“We need to put lawyers in the position where they can best utilize their experience and skills,” she said.

Aleido aims to fast-track the adjudication of claims, contracts related to procurement, and real estate disposition.

Prior to her appointment, Aleido served as Army Judge Advocate, officer-in-charge of the AFP Office of the Provost Marshall General, deputy Judge Advocate General, deputy Naval Judge Advocate, and Marine Corps Staff Judge Advocate.

She was designated chief of the legal branch at the AFP Office of the Inspector General and deputy chief of the AFP Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability in 1993.

Her most notable cases include the 2006 Marine standoff in Fort Bonifacio where she was a law member, and the 2003 Oakwood mutiny in Makati where she was part of the defense panel.

Aleido received her law degree from the University of the East in 1979. She had a short practice at her father’s law office in Jaro, Leyte before entering the military in 1984.

Aleido also shared her experiences as the first female JAGS officer in the AFP.

 “My name would often be spelled with an ‘O’ (Mariano) because there was no female JAGS officer until I came in 1984,” she said.

“I was well-treated and pampered by my colleagues, who were all males. I didn’t feel any discrimination at all,” she added.

Some of the high-ranking public officials had come from the Judge Advocate General Service.

They include Fred Ruiz Castro, the first JAGS officer who became Chief Justice; Aniano Desierto who served as Ombudsman from 1995 to 2002, and Apolinario Bruselas Jr., currently an associate justice of the Court of Appeals.