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Armed Forces of the Philippines Medal of Valor

Military honor awarded by the Philippine government

Summary

Military honor awarded by the Philippine government

Field	Value
name	Medal of Valor
image	The AFP Medal of Valor.jpg
caption	Service ribbon (top) and Medal of Valor on neck ribbon
presenter	the Republic of the Philippines
type	Philippine military medal with neck ribbon
eligibility	AFP military personnel only
awarded_for	Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
status	Currently awarded
description	The medal is a disc with golden sea-lion and water waves on its face. The disc is resting on a cross and crossed swords.
firstawarded	15 November 1935: Moro Rebellion, Philippine Army recipient
lastawarded	3 September 2020: Brooke's Point Palawan, Philippine Army recipient
total_awarded	41
total_awarded_posthumously	18
total_recipients	41
higher	None
lower	Distinguished Conduct Star
image2	[[Image:Philippine Medal of Valor ribbon.jpg]]
caption2	Service ribbon

The Medal of Valor () is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' highest military honor awarded for a conspicuous deed of personal bravery or self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty that distinguishes the recipient from his comrades. It is defined in the Philippine Army Awards and Decorations reference material FC 1–0062, itself adapted from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Awards and Decorations Handbook, Second Edition published in 1997, as an award for "heroism in combat" and is foremost in the order of precedence of awards and decorations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The medal is awarded by the president of the Philippines to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and allied military personnel, including recognized guerrilla forces. The Medal of Valor is held in such high regard that the President is required to salute the medal and the individual wearing it.

Under Philippine Republic Act No. 9049, a Medal of Valor awardee is entitled to lifetime monthly gratuity of ₱20,000 that is separate and distinct from any salary or pension the awardee is receiving or will receive from the government. The amount of this monthly gratuity was increased to ₱75,000 in 2016 by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Appearance

The medal is described as a disc adorned with a golden sea-lion in relief holding the eight-rayed Philippine sun, and water waves composed of five blue ripples. The disk rests on a red cross with golden borders and crossed golden swords. The top-most flange of the cross contains three golden stars in a triangular pattern. A golden bar embossed with the phrase "For Valor" connects the medal to a sampaguita wreath consisting of ten white buds and twenty-two green leaves. The wreath serves as a link to the neck ribbon, which is crimson with eight golden stars arranged horizontally forming two parallel lines. The service ribbon, worn in lieu of the medal itself, is similarly crimson with eight golden stars arranged horizontally forming two parallel lines, five stars on the top line and three on the bottom.

The phrase For Valor embossed on the bar has led some sources to call the medal the "Medal For Valor", and the Philippine Army itself refers to it this way. However, other official Philippine government sources refer to it as the "Medal of Valor".

Symbolism

The sea-lion represents the office of the president of the Philippines. The eight-rayed sun represents the eight Philippine provinces that revolted against Spain. The blue ripples represent the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The crossed swords represent conflict with the enemy in defense of the nation; the three stars represent Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the three island groups of the Philippines, while the sampaguita wreath symbolizes the highest honor for courage and gallantry. The red coloration signifies bravery.

Recipient's privileges

The Medal for Valor's recipient, his widow, or her dependents are privileged to receive preferential treatment when applying for government work, public housing, loans not exceeding ₱500,000, and lease or acquisition of public land.

In addition, they are exempt from tuition fees in public and private schools and other institutions of learning. Children of the recipient who wish to attend the Philippine Military Academy, if qualified, receive priority for commission into the Armed Forces of the Philippines upon graduation. They also receive free medication from both public and private hospitals.

Other privileges include a 20% discount on hotel bills, transportation services, restaurants, theaters, carnivals, and when purchasing pharmaceutical drugs. Government entities or private companies who deny the recipient these privileges are penalized with up to six years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding ₱300,000.

List of recipients

There have been 41 Medal of Valor recipients since 1935. Of these recipients, 17 are living. , five of them were in active service: Cirilito Sobejana, Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, Noel Buan, Herbert Dilag and Custodio Parcon. Buan retired from active service in 2018.

The portraits of Medal of Valor recipients are displayed in the Hall of Heroes at Camp Aguinaldo, headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Quezon City. The Hall of Valor at the Philippine Military Academy also showcases the portraits of PMA Medal of Valor recipients.

[[Philippine Army]]

Image	Name	Rank	Place and date of action	Unit
	Paulino Santos	Major General	Bayang Cotta, Lanao del Sur
26 July 1917	Philippine Constabulary	1935	Deceased	"He and his men engaged its defenders in a bloody hand-to-hand combat, killing 30 of them, and thus preserving the lives of government soldiers."
"In this gallant act, one PC soldier was killed while five others were wounded. Lieutenant Santos sustained a near-fatal gunshot (wound) at the back of the head."

[[Philippine Navy]] and [[Philippine Marine Corps|Marine Corps]]

Image	Name	Rank	Place and date of action	Unit	Year awarded	Status	Notes
	Nestor Acero	Private First Class	Jolo, Sulu
26-27 November 1972	7th Marine Company, Philippine Marine Corps	1983	Killed in action	"His gallant defense through ferocious fighting attracted heavy volume of enemy fire to concentrate on him, thus relieving the pressure on the withdrawing elements from incurring further casualty. When recovery teams were sent out after the savage battle, they found 30 or more dead outlaws in the periphery of the dead body of Private First Class Acero whose left arm was cradling the neck of Private First Class Buaya. This display of gallantry and heroism at the sacrifice of his beyond and above the call of duty distinguished Private First Class Acero as among the finest in the military service."

[[Philippine Army Air Corps]] and [[Philippine Air Force|Air Force]]

Image	Name	Rank	Place and date of action	Unit	Year awarded	Status	Notes
[[File:Jesus A. Villamor.jpg	100px	alt=Jesus A. Villamor]]	Jesús A. Villamor	Lieutenant Colonel	Japanese-occupied Philippines
27 December 1942 - November 1943	Allied Intelligence Bureau mission to the Philippines	1954	Deceased	"General Douglas MacArthur decided to get in touch with members of the resistance movement in the Philippines, and for this purpose he enlisted the services of Lieutenant Colonel Jesus Antonio Villamor to return to the islands. Notwithstanding the knowledge that such a mission was fought with hardships, difficulties, and risks to his own life, Lieutenant Colonel Villamor nevertheless volunteered to lead the first Allied Intelligence Bureau mission to the Philippines."

[[Philippine Constabulary]]

Image	Name	Rank	Place and date of action	Unit	Year awarded	Status	Notes
	Desiderio Suson	Technical Sergeant	Gamay, Northern Samar
31 October 1980	Philippine Constabulary	1981	Deceased	"Surrounded on all sides and with no way to escape, then Sergeant Suson ordered his men to make every shot count by aiming accurately, and to hold their ground at all cost. Sensing his men were momentarily paralyzed because of shock, he went leapfrogging from one foxhole to another to direct their fire. Despite the blood oozing from his wounds, he never lost composure."

[[United States Army]]

Image	Name	Rank	Place and date of action	Unit	Year awarded	Status	Notes
[[File:MacArthur_Manila.jpg	100px	alt=Douglas MacArthur]]	Douglas MacArthur	General of the Army	Philippine Islands
October 1944 to March 1945	South West Pacific Area	20 October 1944	Deceased	General MacArthur was awarded the Philippine Armed Forces Medal of Valor in October 1944 in recognition of his leadership in liberating the Philippines from the Japanese Army.

Discrepancies in the record

The official number of Philippine Medal of Valor recipients is currently given as 41.

Statistics

{{Pie chart	thumb = right	caption= Composition of recipients, living and deceased	label1 = Living	color1 = white	label2 = Deceased	color2 = black	{{Pie chart	thumb = right	caption= Composition of recipients, officers and enlisted personnel	label1 = Officers	color1 = silver	label2 = Enlisted personnel	color2 = white	{{Pie chart	thumb = right	caption= Composition of recipients by service	label1 = Philippine Army	color1 = green	label2 = Philippine Navy-Marine Corps	color2 = blue	label3 = Philippine Air Force	color3 = #08f	label4 = Philippine Constabulary	color4 = red	{{Pie chart	thumb = right	caption= Composition of recipients by type of conferment	label1 = Posthumous	color1 = black	label2 = Antemortem	color2 = white

Notes

:1.The Philippine Constabulary was merged with the Integrated National Police on 29 January 1991, forming the Philippine National Police.

References

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Fonbuena, Carmela. (20 December 2017). "FAST FACTS: List of Medal of Valor awardees and their privileges". [[Rappler]].
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Soliven, Max. (25 August 2005). "Not all men of valor got a medal: We must honor those who did". [[The Philippine Star]].
Congress of the Philippines Eleventh Congress. (March 22, 2001). "AN ACT GRANTING MONTHLY GRATUITY AND PRIVILEGES TO AN AWARDEE OF THE MEDAL OF VALOR, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES". lawphil.
Aurelio, Julie M.. (May 9, 2015). "Medal of Valor eyed for 30 SAF survivors". inquirer.
(25 December 2016). "AFP hails hike in Medal of Valor cash award". [[Manila Standard]].
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(December 20, 2024). "AFP highlights valor, excellence at 89th Anniversary Celebration".
(December 20, 2024). "AFP highlights valor, excellence at 89th Anniversary Celebration".
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(10 July 2021). "Marine killed in 2017 Marawi siege gets Valor award". Manila Bulletin.
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