They’ve been saying it wrong the whole time.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) once and for all clarified that the 42 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers who died in the Mamasapano bloodbath will not be receiving the highly coveted “Medal of Valor” award.
Instead, they will receive the PNP’s Medalya ng Kagitingan, the highest award in the police service that is equivalent to the military’s Valor medal.
But in the National Police Commission’s memorandum circular no. 93-018 the Medalya ng Kagitingan is also called the “PNP Medal of Valor.”
Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos issued this clarification after President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to give en masse Valor awards to 42 other SAF commandos drew strong opposition from Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, top military officials and former Valor awardees, saying this diminishes the value of the prestigious medal.
“We give out the Medalya ng Kagitingan. Of course when you say Medal of Valor, it’s the DND (Department of National Defense) that reviews the award for (AFP) Armed Forces of the Philippines. In PNP, we use the term Medalya ng Kagitingan,” Carlos said in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Wednesday.
READ: Palace defends ‘wholesale’ award of Medal of Valor
Carlos stressed that the recipients of the military’s Valor award receive different benefits from those of the PNP’s Kagitingan award.
AFP’s Valor awardees receive P75,000 monetary benefit while PNP awardees get lesser cash benefits at P20,000.
Qualified children of the Valor awardees in the AFP will be given slots at Philippine Military Academy, while children of Kagitingan awardees in the PNP will be qualified for a scholarship at the PNP Academy.
“I hope they stop debating about this already because what the PNP will give to the SAF troopers is different from the Medal of Valor,” Carlos added.
Lorenzana earlier said some of the 44 SAF men who fought it out with Moro rebels to arrest bomb-maker Zulkifli Bin Hir or “Marwan” “may be deserving but definitely not all of them.”
Two of the 44 commandos—Chief Insp. Gednat Tabdi and PO3 Romeo Cempron—have been awarded the Kagitingan medal during the time of former President Benigno Aquino III.
Cempron distracted the enemy and took the bullet for PO2 Christopher Lalan, who became the lone survivor from 55th special action company.
READ: Cempron, Tabdi: SAF 44’s men of valor
Tabdi took over the roles of his heavily-wounded comrades and became the radioman, the navigator, and the lead scout and led his men out of the target area. He was later killed after a bullet hit his helmet. CDG