The transition from sports patron to one of the country’s leading advocates of the Reservist Movement was far from difficult.
A decorated multi-sport athlete before becoming an amateur basketball godfather leading up to the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand, sportsman, businessman, and former Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero has since emerged as a key figure in the Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Force. He now serves as chairman of the fast-growing Association of Reservists and Reservist Administrators of the Philippines, Inc.
As an added feather to his cap, Romero—who holds the rank of Brigadier General in the Philippine Air Force Reserve Force—and Col. Floreto Solano became the first reservists authorized to wear the AFP Joint Special Operations Command tan beret, an honor reserved for the country’s premier joint special forces community.
Romero, who serves as commander of the PAF Tactical Operations Wing Reserve–Northern Luzon, became JSOC Reservist No. 01, while Solano—TOWR Southern Luzon Wing Commander—was designated JSOC Reservist No. 02.
The historic donning ceremony was led by AFP-JSOC commander Major General Rosendo Abad at Camp Aguinaldo recently.
Their recognition underscored the trust and confidence of AFP-JSOC in reservists who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, dedication, and commitment to advancing the command’s mission.
Romero, former owner of GlobalPort in the PBA and Harbour Centre in the PBL, and past president of various national sports associations in cycling and shooting, is now also one of Asia’s leading polo players.
His advocacy for the “Total Defense Force” concept—a whole-of-nation approach integrating active-duty forces, reservists, veterans, government agencies, local government units, the private sector, and civilian stakeholders into a unified national defense framework—has earned widespread recognition.
The vision seeks to maximize the capabilities of the country’s reserve force as a strategic force multiplier in defense, disaster resilience, homeland security, and nation-building.
AFP-JSOC serves as the unified special operations command and umbrella organization of the AFP’s seven elite units: the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), Light Reaction Regiment, Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOCOM), Force Reconnaissance Group, 710th Special Operations Wing, and the AFP JSOC K-9 Platoon.
More importantly, this milestone opens the door for qualified reservists nationwide to become an integral part of the AFP-JSOC framework.
As force providers and force multipliers, reservists can serve as subject matter experts, trainers, planners, intelligence support personnel, civil-military operations partners, disaster response coordinators, and strategic support elements—enhancing JSOC’s operational reach and readiness across the country.
Patterned after interoperability principles used by the United States Joint Special Operations Command, the initiative seeks to harness the specialized civilian expertise and military experience of reservists in support of special operations missions.
Through closer integration, reservists can augment active-duty forces during national emergencies, territorial defense operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions, and other special operations support activities requiring specialized skills and rapid mobilization.
