HAUNTED by the ghost of Oakwood and facing threats of destabilization, President Arroyo on Thursday met once more with junior military officers and urged them to be “good protectors of the Filipino people.”

In an informal luncheon at the Department of National Defense building in Camp Aguinaldo, President Arroyo informed the junior officers—with ranks from second lieutenant to captain—her goals as concurrent defense chief to bring reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“I am working for reforms to bring resources to the field to give you better capabilities because you are the front liners. In my stint as defense chief, more logistics will be brought to the field for better fighting capability,” the President said.

She also took the opportunity to personally thank the junior officers “for their loyalty to the republic.”

President Arroyo’s visit to Camp Aguinaldo Thursday was her third as concurrent defense chief. She is yet to announce the replacement for Angelo T. Reyes, who resigned earlier this month.

A total of 151 junior officers, all of them field company commanders, attended the meeting. Also present were the AFP chief of staff, Gen. Narciso Abaya; members of the joint staff; and commanders of the three major service commands.

The officers took a break from their two-day symposium being held at the general headquarters, also in Camp Aguinaldo, to be with their commander-in-chief.

Abaya said the symposium aims “to determine the concerns and perception of frontline company level officers and establish in them an understanding of the connection of strategic plans, policies, programs and guidance to tactical situation.”

“We will discuss all sorts of topics: what they are encountering, the problems they are encountering, ways to improve it, how much they are getting in terms of operational support, how much they are spending for their men,” Abaya said.

Besides various announcements and briefings from officials of the three major services and joint staff from the GHQ, an open forum will also be conducted where the company commanders can directly interact with top officials of the Armed Forces.

A similar symposium for battalion commanders is also in the offing, Abaya added.

During the luncheon, Abaya said the President encouraged the junior officers to be very candid during the workshop seminar by bringing out their problems and suggesting solutions “so that we will not have these incidents where grievances can not be aired.”

Capt. Reuben Guinolbay, company commander of the 11th Scout Ranger Regiment, said President Arroyo’s action “enhances the military’s grievance mechanism.”

“If you are in the field and you have problems, there is bureaucratic red tape so the process always takes time. In the end, you’ll start feeling that there is no one listening to you,” Guinolbay said.