More than 700 professionals, educators, government employees, youth leaders, and barangay officials have recently joined a military reservists group led by 1-Pacman Party-list Rep. Mikee Romero.

Romero, an Air Force reservist holding the rank of lieutenant colonel, oversaw the induction of the 700 new members into the Association of Reservists and Reservist Administrators of the Philippines (ARRAPI) during a mass oath-taking ceremony in Basco, Batanes.

According to Romero, the new inductees, along with existing members, will collaborate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Reserve Command under ARRAPI's guidance to contribute to community defense, resilience-building, and humanitarian efforts.

The recruits have already selected their preferred AFP service commands - Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps, as per Romero.

Romero emphasized that ARRAPI's objective is to organize, unite, and empower reservists nationwide, highlighting Batanes' demonstration of unity between public servants and ordinary citizens in the spirit of service and patriotism.

With a membership exceeding 5,000 individuals, ARRAPI continues to strengthen its position as a crucial partner of the AFP, connecting civilian leadership with military readiness, Romero stated.

He noted that the Basco ceremony marked one of the largest mass inductions of reservists in the country, setting a national standard for grassroots mobilization and civic-military collaboration.

Romero described ARRAPI as a national organization dedicated to recruiting, organizing, and mobilizing reservists throughout the Philippines to support the AFP's initiatives, such as national defense, disaster response, humanitarian aid, and civil-military operations.

The Basco event received support from senior AFP officers, including Major General Danilo Dupiag, acting deputy chief of staff for retirees and retiree affairs.