Who among the Mamasapano survivors will get Medal of Valor? PNP now reviewing

Are the 30 members of the Special Action Force who survived the Mamasapano incident qualified to receive the Medal of Valor or Medalya ng Kagitingan–the highest medal bestowed on members of the Philippine National Police?

This is what the marathon sessions being conducted by the PNP Special Promotion, Awards and Decorations Board (SPADB) will soon determine, according to PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Bartolome Tobias.

Tobias said the board is currently reviewing and evaluating recommendations granting the highly-coveted medal to 29 members of the 84^th Special Action Company and the lone survivor from the 55^th SAC, PO2 Christopher Lalan.

A Medal of Valor awardee is entitled to a lifetime monthly gratuity of P20,000 separate from an officer’s salary or pension. The gratuity is transferrable to their dependents.

But, Tobias said only those SAF troopers who had “direct participation” in the January 25 operation that killed 44 SAF commandos would be qualified to receive the award.

“The officers who wouldn’t qualify for the Medal of Valor will receive the next lower medal,” he said in a press briefing on Friday.

Aside from the survivors, the 44 slain SAF troopers were also recommended to receive the Medal of Valor.

Headed by Police Director Christopher Laxa, the SPADB asked for more time to evaluate the submitted documents of each officer to determine their individual participation in the encounter and their appropriate
recognition.

Laxa said it was the SPADB of SAF that recommended its officers for their “conspicuous gallantry and commitment to duty at the risk of their life” when they fought more or less 700 rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in the covert mission against Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir or Marwan.

He said the housing benefits for the survivors from the National Housing Authority are also being processed alongside their requests for reassignment. AU