Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. was named as the next Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., replacing Gen. Andres Centino, Malacanang announced on Wednesday, July 19.
Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (Photo: Philippine Army)
Brawner is expected to serve for a maximum tour of duty of three years under the new AFP term law or Republic Act No. 11939.
The 55-year-old general is currently serving as the 65th commanding general of the Philippine Army (PA).
The AFP, Department of National Defense (DND), and PA have yet to issue statements on the newest appointment of Brawner as of this writing. Meanwhile, Centino will be appointed as the Presidential Adviser on the West Philippine Sea.
Brawner once described his entire military career as a “Plan of God” as he narrowly escaped numerous near-death experiences.
It’s a known fact that soldiers often risk their lives to keep the public safe from harm, and Brawner is no exception to this.
'Part of God's plan'
On Dec. 10, 2021, Brawner assumed post as the commanding general of the Philippine Army. But five months prior, he almost lost his life from a plane crash in Sulu.
Brawner was among the passengers of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force (PAF) C-130 transport plane that crashed while attempting to land at the Jolo Airport on July 4, 2021.
He was saved since he alighted from the chopper when it arrived for a stop at the Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City while the rest of the passengers, mostly newly trained soldiers, were transported to Jolo for their first mission. More than 50 soldiers died in the air mishap.
In October 2021, Brawner was also riding a PAF helicopter en route to visit one of the Army’s forward operating detachments in Pantaron Range in Mindanao when they were fired upon by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
One of the choppers accompanying Brawner was hit multiple times, forcing them to make an emergency landing. Fortunately, Brawner and his team escaped unscathed.
In his assumption speech as the then newly installed Army chief, Brawner said he could not help but think that it was God's plan for him to be where he was while recalling his near-death experiences.
“I stand before you as the 65th Commanding General of the Philippine Army not with pride in my heart but with gratitude and humility, knowing that this was all part of God’s plan,” he said.
Who is ‘Omet’?
Brawner, nicknamed “Omet” to family, close friends, and the media, is an academic achiever and held major military positions in the Army.
He entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1985 and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree. He graduated Top 2 from the PMA “Makatao” Class of 1989.
He also graduated at the top of his class in the Special Forces Operations Course, Intelligence Officer Course, and the AFP Comptrollership Course.
In 2011, Brawner became the representative of the Philippine Army during the United States Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Foreign Policy. Two years later, he also represented the Philippine Army during the IVLP on Cyber Security.
According to the Army, he “demonstrated the finest ideals of military professionalism and discipline” in his previous designations such as battalion commander of the 2nd Special Forces Battalion; operations officer of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne); and chief of staff of the 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division (6ID).
The eloquent military man also served as the chief of the public affairs office of the Philippine Army; and spokesperson of the AFP. During the Marawi siege in 2017, he served as the spokesperson and deputy commander of Task Force Ranao, the primary military unit that operated during the five-month long battle with the terrorists.
He was then assigned as regiment commander of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment; and the brigade commander of the Marawi-based 103rd Infantry Brigade in the aftermath of the siege.
In 2019, Brawner was named as the Commandant of the Cadet Corps in the PMA along with Rear Adm. Allan Ferdinand Cusi as its Superintendent officer-in-charge when their predecessors resigned due to the hazing death of freshman cadet Darwin Dormitorio. Under his tenure as PMA Commandant of the Cadet Corps, Brawner institutionalized the total eradication of hazing and maltreatment in the premier military training institution.
Prior to becoming the Army chief, Brawner also served as the first deputy chief of staff for financial management of AFP; commander of 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division (4ID) where he supervised the operations that led to the neutralization of alleged NPA National Operations Command chief Jorge Madlos or “Ka Oris” in October 2021.
He has acquired three Master’s Degrees — Masters in Information Management from the Ateneo de Manila University; Masters in Business Administration from the Asian Institute of Management and from the European School of Management in Oxford University, United Kingdom; and Masters in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. He also attended the Advance Security Cooperation Course at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii.
He was also among those awarded in The Top Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) in 2013 by the Metrobank Foundation and Rotary Club of Makati, and was a recipient of the Lapu-Lapu Award by former president Rodrigo Duterte for his "invaluable contributions and dedicated leadership" in the neutralization of Owayda Marohombsar, the last commander of the Maute-ISIS faction, in 2018 following the Marawi siege.
Brawner was born on March 18, 1968 in Baguio City, and is married to Melody Valeros. They have three children.