MANILA, Philippines – In a nation the place resilience is a cornerstone, Lt. Col. Jaime Roberto Almario stands as a formidable advocate for change.
A Philippine Military reservist, telecommunications entrepreneur, and the primary nominee of the Laang Kawal Partylist, Almario’s profession bridges the chaos of the Marawi siege with a relentless marketing campaign to uplift the nation’s 1.2 million reservists, revealing a pacesetter formed by expertise and pushed to strengthen nationwide protection.
Almario’s navy journey started with a sociology diploma in 1990, adopted by practically twenty years of service within the Military Reserve Command, the place he dedicated to 60 days of annual coaching.
Impressed by his father, a pioneer of the PAF Blue Diamonds aerobatic workforce, he honed his abilities over years, topping the Common Workers Course for Non-Resident Instruction in 2018, rating among the many prime ten in Psychological Operations and Civil-Army Operations programs, and finishing the Primary Airborne Course.
But, his defining second got here in 2017, when battle thrust him into the highlight.
That Could, as martial legislation enveloped Mindanao, Almario, then 48, was one among solely three reservists from Manila summoned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the Marawi siege.
A businessman with a telecommunications agency, he left his civilian life behind, arriving inside 24 hours to hitch the battle.
Stationed on the entrance traces, he bolstered navy communication indicators—a crucial lifeline amid fight—drawing on his experience to maintain troops linked.
Circumstances had been brutal: he camped in roofless buildings to evade sniper fireplace, went weeks with out bathing, and subsisted on irregular meals of rice and sardines.
Lengthy traces of evacuees fleeing town, carrying solely necessities, underscored the disaster’s scale, whereas Almario and his workforce ducked shrapnel and returned fireplace when pressed.
“Each time I went to the evacuees, they begged us to not bomb their properties,” he later recalled, a glimpse into the human price he witnessed.
Dengue, contracted amid the squalor, lower his deployment quick by September’s finish, sending him again to Manila to get better—a stark testomony to the bodily pressure of service.
His time in Marawi deepened his admiration for normal troops, whose every day sacrifices he noticed up shut, typically with restricted sources.
“They make do with what they’ve,” he famous, a lesson that now fuels his broader mission.
Right this moment, Almario leads Laang Kawal Partylist, representing over 1.2 million reservists—89% of the AFP—who shoulder protection and catastrophe response on a scant 2% of the AFP finances of PHP 256.1 billion.
He targets the Reservist Act of 1991 (RA 7077), which he deems outdated, pointing to Marawi the place reservists introduced their very own weapons and kit as a result of insufficient help.
His platform calls for well being and accident insurance coverage for annual coaching, arguing, “I’ve seen reservists step up with nothing however grit and patriotism; insurance coverage means we’re severe about retaining them within the battle.”
Alongside Col. Noel Detoyato and Lt. Col. Jannette Chavez-Arceo, he additionally requires coaching “cyber warriors” among the many youth to counter digital threats, recognizing the shifting nature of contemporary warfare.
Almario’s civilian profession amplifies his impression.
In telecommunications, he has provided important gear to authorities businesses, a task that proved pivotal after Hurricane Ondoy in 2009.
When the storm struck, he redirected his firm to supply search-and-rescue options, showcasing his potential to adapt underneath stress—a talent he later delivered to Marawi.
This mix of innovation and resolve informs his push for a better-equipped reserve pressure.
His Marawi deployment was uncommon for a reservist, sometimes activated post-conflict for rehabilitation slightly than mid-battle.
Alongside a financial institution vp and an IT skilled, Almario bridged civilian experience with navy want, but confronted the identical dangers as regulars—sniper fireplace, illness, and deprivation.
That have drives his advocacy in the present day, as he seeks to shut the hole between reservists and their common counterparts in sources and recognition.
Almario’s story—from dodging bullets to battling coverage shortfalls—illuminates the unsung position of reservists and the pressing want for reform.
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Prepared to serve once more if known as, he spearheads Laang Kawal’s mission to make sure these 1.2 million citizen-soldiers should not simply prepared, however revered and resourced, forging a legacy of management grounded in motion and objective.