He is by no means a boor killed for the table as what the free dictionary defines his family name.
In fact, Lt. General Romeo Brawner Jr. comes from a family of military officers who stood out in the performance of their duties.
Romeo Jr., the current Commanding General of the Philippine Army, is the nephew of Brig. Gen. Felix A. Brawner Jr., the son of Romeo Sr., former Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals and former Chairman of the Commission on Elections.
Romeo's uncle, Felix Jr., who died only last month, was one of the generals who remained loyal and stayed by the side of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. at the height of the EDSA People Power Revolution. He, however, advised the executive leadership then that there should not be any bloodshed contrary to the advice of other generals who wanted to attack the civilians barricading Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in February 1986.
Felix Jr.'s only son Lt. Felix Brawner III, a member of the Philippine Military Academy "Maharlika" Class of 1984, was killed in action while conducting operations against New People's Army rebels following a landmine explosion.
The Brawners' military roots came from their old man, Private Lisbon Brawner, an African-American soldier who served in the United States Army and was part of the Buffalo Soldiers who served during the Philippine–American War.
Before you get confused any further, we're here to talk about Romeo Jr. who was the Daily Tribune's guest in last Tuesday's Straight Talk program. Unlike in the neo-noir crime thriller of the same title, this Romeo, however, is not bleeding. He was not only prompt in his scheduled call time, but he was also even way ahead of his appointment, coming in at the Tribune offices about one hour ahead, like a true military man.
Romeo Jr. comes in as a no-nonsense, soft-spoken man in uniform who walks his talk. As a junior officer, Brawner participated in military operations against the communist insurgents and Muslim separatists and terrorists in the Philippines. Throughout his career, Brawner served primarily in both infantry and special operations, before assuming staff positions.
During the Marawi siege in 2017, Brawner was designated Joint Task Force Ranao deputy commander and Task Force Marawi spokesperson who served as one of the key generals during the 5-month long battle. He was later conferred a Commendation Medal and Ribbon for his role.
Brawner took command of the 103rd Infantry Brigade under the 1st Infantry Division in 2018 and was tasked to root out the remnants of the Islamic State-associated militant terrorist organization Maute Group and its allies within Western Mindanao. He was responsible for the death of Owayda Marohombsar, also known as Abu Dar, the successor of Isnilon Hapilon as the head of the Islamic State-linked terrorists. Hapilon was the last remaining leader who escaped the Battle of Marawi and was neutralized after follow-up operations.
Due to his accomplishment, Brawner was awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018.
But while the military is fighting communist insurgents and terrorists, Brawner emphasized the importance of engaging the help of everybody in containing all forms of rebellion and terrorism.
"We all have a stake in the security of the country," he said, pointing out that that is the very essence of Executive Order 17 which former President Rodrigo Duterte signed during his term. The EO stresses the need for a whole-of-nation approach to containing insurgency.
He believes the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict is succeeding in bringing back the insurgents to the fold of the law as well as the localized peace talks which the government is now initiating.
Would he be backing any measure requiring mandatory ROTC training for our youth? Brawner thinks it is a step in the right direction, considering the situation the country is in right now.
"We have to prepare our citizens for any eventuality," he said, citing the experience of Ukraine which allow their citizens to help defend their country against the Russians. "It's a worldwide phenomenon. The youth of today are engrossed so much in social media that they know nothing about service to the country. We have to develop their sense of commitment and patriotism."
For a soldier who knows how it is to be in a state of war, Brawner comes in as one who also knows the importance of service to the country.
We certainly hope it won't be a crying call.
E-mail: mannyangeles27@gmail.com
