New PMA commandant puts premium on mental health

Brig. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. will replace Brig. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro as PMA commandant of cadets. (Francis T. Wakefield)

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City—Brig. Gen. Romeo Brawner, the newly-installed Commandant of Cadets of the Philippine Military Academy, said he will strengthen the PMA’s counseling to be able to deal better with the mental health issues of their cadets.

Brawner said on Saturday that one of the key measures he intends to implement is ensuring that the mental and psychological health of all cadets, especially the plebes, are taken care of.

“First thing we have to do is to strengthen the office and then we’ll try to come up with the programs that will address the trauma so before they become upperclassmen,” Brawner said.

“They have to go under guidance conseling para yung nagkaroon ng trauma, kailangan nating i-addess it’s very important dadagdagan natin ang mga tao doon. We will try to come up with programs that would address let’s say ‘yung trauma na mararanasan ng first year cadets.”

The former chief of the Army’s 103rd Brigade base in Marawi City also plans to strengthen the authority of first class men.

“We will empower the first class men so they themselves will be the ones administering, managing and taking care of the core,” Brawner said. “Medyo nawala ‘yun, nakafocus kasi sa tactical officers. If you empower the First Class men and they themselves are in charge, then more or less, we will be able to monitor the progress of each cadets.”

Part of the Philippine Military Academy celebrations on Saturday is a testimonial parade in honor of outgoing Philippine National Police chief Gen. Oscar Alabyalde. A member of the PMA Sinagtala Class of 1986, Albayalde is set to leave the PNP on 8 November when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56. (Francis T. Wakefield)

The three cadets confined at the V. Luna Hospital in Quezon City due to alleged hazing are recovering, Brawner reported, while the physical examinations of close to 300 plebes are continuing to see if there are body marks that will indicate maltreatment.

“Not just because there are marks, that is already hazing]. If we see markings, we have to do an investigation,” Brawner said.

Brawner earlier declared a war on hazing as part of efforts to weed out those who maltreat fellow cadets. He expect everyone under his jurisdiction, especially the Cadet Corps, to tow the line or leave the academy.

Brawner, a 1989 PMA graduate, replaced Brig. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Baccaro who relinquished his on 24 September amid the hazing-related death of plebe Darwin Dormitorio.

“If you are not willing to wage a war against hazing, then you better leave. There is no place for you in this organization. And I mean business,” Brawner said during the change of command ceremony at the PMA here.

At the same time, Brawner assured parents not to worry for their children because they will be taken care of.

“We will do more that just take care of them. We will mold them to become servant leaders, leaders who will serve God and country first before serving themselves,” he said.