The Armed Forces of the Philippines has lowered their height requirement in order to attract more recruits with technical skills, the military said on Saturday.

The minimum height has been reduced to five feet (1.52 metres) for both genders from five feet, four inches for men and five feet, two inches for women, it said in a statement.

The move was part of "an effort to accommodate soldier-applicants who are not blessed with height but are skilled and qualified (in) carpentry, masonry, computer technicians/programmers, electricians, mechanics, heavy equipment specialists, etc.," it said.

Philippine troops are battling communist guerrillas in the hinterlands of the country and various Muslim armed groups in the south.