Manila  - The Philippine military is open to allowing homosexuals join the service as long as they pass its rigid physical and mental requirements, armed forces officials said Tuesday.

Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan, civil relations service chief, said the armed forces do not discriminate against homosexuals.

"If you are qualified, I guess we are not biased against the third sex," he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, armed forces public affairs chief, said anybody who fulfills the basic requirements will be accepted in the military.

"We don't discriminate against any sector in our society," he said. "We want to reach out to the most number of applicants so there will be a broader base of selection."

The Philippine armed forces is currently recruiting close to 7,000 new soldiers in a bid to boost its fight against communist and Muslim insurgencies that have plagued the country for decades.

Army chief Lieutenant General Victor Ibrado said some homosexuals might have already entered the military but they do not openly display their sexual preferences.

"Maybe, for as long as you do not show outward manifestation, you do not bother anybody and you do not cause any scandal, then there is no problem," he said. (dpa)