Military officers buck Medal of Valor for SAF 44

MANILA, Philippines – Awarding the Medal of Valor to all 44 police commandos killed in the encounter with Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015 would lessen the prestige of the highest military award, some military officers claimed yesterday.

The military officers, who asked not to be identified, called on President Duterte to exercise utmost care in handing out this honor to members of the uniformed services.

Meeting Duterte at Malacañang the other day, relatives of the 44 slain members of the police Special Action Force (SAF) requested the President to honor posthumously the policemen by declaring all of them as Medal of Valor awardees.

“We heard the commander-in-chief is contemplating on giving the Medal of Valor to all the fallen SAF 44. This is not right. The Medal of Valor is only awarded upon the recommendation by awards board forwarded for approval of the AFP chief and the secretary of national defense for endorsement to the President,” one of the officers said.

In the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Medal of Valor is equivalent to the Medalya ng Kagitingan.

The AFP and PNP clashed over the raid, which the police did not coordinate with the military because the planners feared the operation would be compromised.

The SAF lamented the slow AFP response to calls by the trapped commandos for reinforcement.

Awardees are entitled to special benefits and other perks to include monthly renumeration of P75,000 on top of awardees’ regular salaries or pensions.

These special benefits are given to the immediate family of the awardee if this is given posthumously.

Once the President approves the endorsement, the board will then determine by way of thorough deliberations who among the candidates fully satisfies the stringent criteria for the highest military award.

“Medal of Valor is not given wholesale. It is a singular act of exceptional courage and heroism above and beyond the call of duty displayed by a soldier that sets him apart from the rest of the troops,” the official said.

He said that in the AFP history since its foundation in 1935, there are only 40 military valor awardees and giving the Medal of Valor or Medalya ng Kagitingan to all the fallen SAF 44 is not right. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe