The Philippine Coast Guard released photos of its uniform now incorporated with the “hijab” garment for its female Muslim personnel.
The PCG said that the design of the uniform was approved and took effect last January 25.
The photos showed a Muslim woman wearing a hijab, a head covering worn by Muslim women, underneath the PCG cap.
These were released on a Facebook post on February 3.
A photo of the uniform rules was also attached on the post. The hijab was classified under “peculiar uniform.”
It was stated that the hijab should be made of silk or cotton material and must be colored navy blue or black.
“May be worn by female Muslim officers and personnel during formations and other outdoor activities and optional when indoors,” the rules said.
PCG said that members of the Muslim community thanked the organization for supporting their religious beliefs in the service.
They also hoped that this new policy will encourage more Muslim women to join the Coast Guard workforce.
“The Muslim community in the PCG conveyed their sincere gratitude to PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Leopoldo V Laroya; PCG Uniform Board Chairperson, CG Vice Admiral Artemio M Abu; as well as to PCG senior officers and other members of the PCG Uniform Board for supporting the establishment of the identity of the ‘MUSLIM FATIMA’ in the Coast Guard service,” the statement reads.
“Members of the said community hope that the inclusion of hijab in the official PCG uniform will encourage more Muslim women to join the Coast Guard workforce,” it added.
The post circulated online and earned mostly positive reactions.
So far, it garnered 15,000 reactions where 9,100 were heart emojis, 5,400 were likes and 260 were care emojis.
It also earned 5,000 shares on Facebook.
The comments section was also filled with praises for PCG’s new directive.
“Wow! Congrats to the Filipino Muslim Community aspiring to be part of PCG! This is inclusive development in action. Alhamdulillah!” a Facebook said.
“Thank you, PCG for recognizing our religious and cultural rights,” another Facebook user wrote.
An online user hoped that this inclusivity will be applied to all branches of the government.
“Apply it also to other uniformed branch of the government,” the user commented.
The post about hijab uniform was uploaded after World Hijab Day which is commemorated every February 1.
This occasion aims to recognize the millions of Muslim women in the world who choose to wear the head covering to practice their religious beliefs.
