Not the Medal of Valor, please

President Digong might want to change his mind about awarding the Medal of Valor to 42 police commandos who died at the hands of Moro rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province two years ago because of strong and valid opposition.

The highest military honor was earlier conferred on two of the 44 fallen Special Action Force (SAF) men.

Inquirer columnist Ramon Farolan, a retired Air Force general, hit the nail on the head when he said that giving the highly coveted medal wholesale would “trivialize, abuse, demean or devalue” it.

The Medal of Valor is awarded to a soldier for an uncommon and singular act of heroism in combat.

It is so rarely given that only a handful of its recipients are still alive, among them Lt. Gen. Arturo B. Ortiz of the Army and Col. Ariel Querubin of the Marines.

Even in the United States from which we got the idea of coming up with our own version of the military award, there are only a few living recipients.

The US Medal of Honor is presented by the president in the name of Congress while in the Philippines, choosing a recipient is left to the President’s discretion.

Until recently, it was given very sparingly until Malacañang approved the mass awarding of the medal to the 42 Philippine National Police SAF troopers.

According to Farolan, up until today, there has been only 40 awardees—27 from the Philippine Army, eight from the Philippine Marines, three from the defunct Philippine Constabulary and two from the Philippine Air Force.

If the awarding of the much sought-after medal to the 42 SAF troopers pushes through despite very strong opposition from the military, the number of recipients will jump to 82!

The wholesale awarding of the highest military honor will definitely diminish its value.

The President, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the PNP, might want to listen to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año who have voiced their strong opposition to the idea.

I know where the President is coming from. He feels a strong sympathy for the widows or parents of the fallen SAF troopers.

But he can posthumously confer on the 42 dead heroes the Distinguished Conduct Star, the second highest award for heroism in combat or the Gold Cross, the third highest.

But please, Mr. President, not the Medal of Valor!

A Medal of Valor awardee is given many benefits under Republic Act No. 9049 which was passed on March 22, 2001.

Among the benefits:

Lifetime monthly gratuity of P75,000, tax-free

Exemption from taking the Philippine Military Academy entrance examination for the recipient’s children

Free schooling for the widow and dependents (from preschool to graduate studies)

Free schooling for the medal recipient should he/she also choose to go back to school

Free hospitalization in any of the country’s medical facilities

Priority in the acquisition of public lands

Preferential rights in the use and exploitation of natural resources

P500,000 collateral-free loan from any bank with the government as guarantor