We continue our series on “Fighting for Marawi: Soldiers Who Dare to Dream” as we honor the life and accomplishments of Captain Naomi Braza, a woman thrust into the inner workings of war as she works to uphold integrity and excellence in the military.

CAPTAIN NAOMI BRAZA: THE SUPPLIER OF HEROES TO MARAWI
Written by Camilo Villanueva Jr.

CAPTAIN NAOMI PROLOGO BRAZA O-140230 (AGS) PA is a hero behind the Liberation of Marawi because it lay upon her shoulders to dispatch only the best and most capable of soldiers to the besieged city. There wouldn’t be any victory to speak of had there been one head less than the expected number of men and women at any given time to protect the ranks.

Captain Naomi Braza

As overall personnel manager, she made sure to replenish the ranks and maintain the required number of soldiers—when necessary and as necessary—to effectively reclaim the city, fight off the terrorists, and defend the people. She ensured that every brave and selfless soul she approved for deployment was functionally effective: made of the stuff heroes are made of.

Hero behind Marawi. As Acting Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel G1, she was behind the decision to send in three battalions to Marawi—421B, 491B, and 651B—to beef up the forces in the city. Bulk of the troops came from Battalion 491B under Commanding Officer of 49IB LTC. Edgar Allan S. Villanueva, who successfully liberated the city from the enemy.

Her command made sure that these soldiers were operationally ready and their ranks closely monitored. Not only did she make sure to keep all those who were wounded alive and the families of those who were killed financially compensated, but she also made sure that the efforts of these war heroes were recognized and immortalized with the appropriate military honors.

Rising from the Ranks. Captain Braza, herself a well-decorated officer, held the rank of OIC, OG1/Deputy G1, Acting G1 for Battalion 9ID, a position she held from 2016 to 2018, when Marawi was liberated in October 2017.

She was stationed at PA Camp Elias Angeles in Pili, Camarines Sur where she was first assigned in 2012. In Pili, she first held the rank of Admin G7 for the 9ID, or 9^th Infantry (Spear) Division, before rising to the rank of Secretary General Staff in 2016. Her continuous promotion was well-deserved, especially since it was in the Bicol Region that she first made her strong and commanding presence felt, particularly in Sorsogon as member of the Special Operations Team.

Supporter of Human Rights. She not only greatly contributed to increased security in the region, but her stint as Officer for Admin, Public Affairs, Civil Affairs, and Human Rights from 2009 to 2013 also resulted in zero human rights violations. Furthermore, her charismatic and purposeful public information campaign and support system resulted in decreased insurgency.

She saw a significant increase in New People’s Army members returning to the folds of the state because of her convincing power and dedication. As Secretary General Staff from 2012 to 2015, she went beyond organizing executive support to VIPs by empowering her 9ID personnel through gender and equality programs as their Gender and Development Chief.

Acknowledging the Person. Her deep understanding for the need to develop the person continued to improve those under her command by extending initiatives in human resource development to character development. She regularly recognized and decorated deserving personnel with military honors, promotions, and more challenging assignments.

This way, she developed her ward’s tactical and strategic skills and encouraged them to become better and be their best. With stronger morale, solid values, and unassailable integrity, they serve the people as they look forward to better careers in the military, welcoming new tasks and accepting greater challenges beyond the call of duty through her example.

Captain Braza is one of three daughters of Ma Losie “Nene” Hontiveros-Prologo+ and Engineer Patricio P Prologo+ of Bacolod City. She graduated with a BS in Commerce degree major in Business Management from De La Salle University, Bacolod, before she went full-time in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Camilo Mendoza Villanueva, Jr,

Camilo Mendoza Villanueva, Jr, is currently a Content Moderator Analyst for QUORA, a premium account of Open Access BPO. Before which he worked as Article Engagement Specialist for Boostability, a different account under the same BPO. He is a freelance writer, editor, and blogger.