MANILA, Philippines -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines is marking its victories for the year by honoring heroes who saved lives amid a raging storm, fearlessly fought enemies, toiled hard building roads and schools in remote provinces and peacefully enforced martial law in Maguindanao during its 74th anniversary on Thursday.

As the chief of the East Mindanao Command, Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer will be accorded the Philippine Presidential Unit citation badge with second bronze service star for the command's "extraordinary" accomplishment in implementing martial law in Maguindanao early this month.

The citation badge was first created in 1946 and subsequently accorded to any unit of the Philippine or US military, which had served in the defense of the country.

Ferrer was appointed martial law commander to oversee the security for residents in Maguindanao and administer the arrest of suspects in the Nov. 23 massacre that killed 57 people, including journalists.

Even if the declaration of martial law in the province drew protests and inquiries from critics, the Commission on Human Rights reported that the week-long martial law declared in the province on Dec. 5 did not result in human rights violations by the military.

President Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to attend the ceremonies at the Camp Aguinaldo on Dec. 24 (Thursday) with AFP Chief of Staff Victor Ibrado.

"The [decoration] will be awarded to the Eastern Mindanao Command for its extraordinary accomplishment in the field of law implementation of Proclamation 1959 when the province of Maguindanao was placed under martial law," said the AFP on Wednesday.

Col. Romulo Cabantac Jr. is receiving the same award on Thursday in behalf of the 52nd Engineer Brigade of the Philippine Army for carrying out peace and development activities and infrastructure works under the military's "Kalayaan Barangay Program" in Eastern Mindanao.

The Bronze Cross Medal was reserved to posthumously honor Private First Class Venancio Ancheta Jr. and Corporal Adriano Regua, who were killed while saving families as floodwaters spawned by storm Ondoy inundated villages in Laguna in September.

Ancheta rescued 20 people before he was hit by a log and was swept away by rampaging floodwaters. Regua, a detachment commander in Paagahan, Laguna, helped 30 families to safety before he drowned.

Storm Ondoy left around 300 fatalities and more than 500,000 people cramped in evacuation centers as it dumped floodwaters in many parts of Metro Manila and neighboring provinces three months ago.

The AFP allotted the Gold Cross Medal to Second Lt. Franklin Decio, then a section leader of the 71st Infantry Battalion, for valiantly facing communist rebels in an ambush in Galintuja, Aurora, that resulted in the recovery of high-powered firearms and several papers of the rebels.

Col. Arnaldo Fernandez Jr., commander of the 53rd Engineer Brigade, will also be honored on Thursday for completing a six two-classroom school building in Eastern Samar and rehabilitating the National Telecommunications Commission building in Jaro, Iloilo

Technical Sgt. Jesus Fabian of the Philippine Air Force will be accorded the Outstanding Achievement Medal for the manufacture and the prototyping of a unit bomb trailer and 10 sets of disruptor kits, according to the AFP.