Philippine Legion of Honor

The Philippine Legion of Honor[1] (Filipino: Lehiyong Pandangal ng Pilipinas; Spanish: Legión de Honor Filipina) was established by President Manuel Roxas, through Philippine Army Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947. The Philippine Legion of Honor was patterned after the Legion of Merit of the United States of America, and was meant to honor both civilians and members of the military, Filipino or foreign. Originally, like the U.S. Legion of Merit, the Philippine Legion of Honor had four classes, known as degrees, with Legionnaire being the basic rank, and Chief Commander being the highest. With the reform of the Philippine system of orders and decorations in 2003, the Philippine Legion of Honor's classes were renamed "ranks" instead of "degrees", and the ranks expanded.[2][3]

Philippine Legion of Honor
TypeSingle Grade Neck Order/Sash/Medal
Awarded forMeritorious & Valuable Service
Presented by Philippines
EligibilityMilitary Personnel, Diplomats, Heads of States & Governments
StatusCurrently Awarded
Established1947; 77 years ago (1947)
First awarded1947
Last awardedOngoing
Ribbons of Legionnaire degree
Precedence
Next (higher)Civilian: Quezon Service Cross; Military: Medal of Valor
EquivalentCivilian: Order of Lakandula, Order of Sikatuna; Foreign: Legion of Merit
Next (lower)Civilian: Order of National Artists, Order of National Social Scientists, Order of National Scientists, Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan, Order of Lakandula - Special Class of Champion for Life; Military: Outstanding Achievement Medal
RelatedLegion of Merit

Criteria

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Today, the Philippine Legion of Honor is conferred upon a Filipino or foreign citizen in recognition of valuable and meritorious service in relation to the military affairs of the Republic of the Philippines. It is thus the primary order of military merit of the Republic of the Philippines.

To signify the importance of the civil service in military affairs in the preservation of the honor of the Republic of the Philippines and in nation building, the Philippine Legion of Honor is conferred on the anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence.

The Philippine Legion of Honor may be awarded by the Secretary of National Defense in the name and by authority of the President of the Philippines.

Ranks

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The Philippine Legion of Honor in the rank of Commander

The civilian division of the Philippine Legion of Honor is composed of the following ranks:

  • Chief Commander (CCLH) (Punong Komandante) - Conferred upon a civilian for life achievement in public service not otherwise qualifying for the Quezon Service Cross; or upon a former or incumbent head of state and/or of government[4]
  • Grand Commander (GCLH) (Marangal na Komandante) – Conferred upon a civilian for singular acts of service with a tangible impact on the Philippine military sphere; or upon a crown prince, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House, Chief Justice or the equivalent, foreign minister or other official of cabinet rank; or upon an Ambassador, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing for life achievement in the military field
  • Grand Officer (GOLH) (Marangal na Pinuno) – Conferred upon a civilian for acts of exemplary merit benefiting the Republic of the Philippines; or upon a chargé d'affaires, e.p., Minister, Minister Counselor, Consul General heading a consular post, Executive Director, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing
  • Commander (CLH) (Komandante) – Conferred upon a civilian for acts of conspicuous merit benefiting the Republic of the Philippines; or upon a Chargé d'affaires, a.i., Counselor, First Secretary, Consul General in the consular section of an Embassy, Consular officer with a personal rank higher than Second Secretary, Director, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing
  • Officer (OLH) (Pinuno) – Conferred upon a civilian for acts of commendable merit benefiting the Republic of the Philippines; or upon a Second Secretary, Consul, Assistant Director, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing
  • Legionnaire (LLH) (Lehiyonaryo) – Conferred upon a civilian for acts of merit benefiting the Republic of the Philippines; or upon a Third Secretary, Vice Consul, Attaché, Principal Assistant, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has its own regulations governing the conferment of the Philippine Legion of Honor.

Notable recipients

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Chief Commander (CCLH)

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Grand Commander (GCLH)

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Grand Officer (GOLH)

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Commander (CLH)

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Officer (OLH)

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Legionnaire (LLH)

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ The AFP Adjutant General, AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook, 1995, 1997, 2014, OTAG, pp. 18–22.
  2. ^ "Executive Order No. 236, September 19, 2003: Establishing the Honors Code of the Philippines to Create an Order of Precedence of Honors Conferred and For Other Purposes". Supreme Court E-Library. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Briefer on the Philippine Legion of Honor". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Gov.ph. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  4. ^ "Quezon Service Cross". Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  5. ^ Photo
  6. ^ "Hassanal Bolkiah". Wikipedia. July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Sinapit, Jaime (July 18, 2014). "New AFP chief Catapang vows to pursue transformation road map". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  8. ^ "Bulletin No. 11 from the Committee on Funeral Arrangements and Burial of the late Secretary Jesse M. Robredo". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Gov.ph. March 25, 1986. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  9. ^ "Manila Bulletin, Legion of Honor Awarded to Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala". Manila Bulletin.
  10. ^ Oaminal, Clarence Paul (February 20, 2015). "Dr. Roman Lucero Kintanar". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  11. ^ "Dr. Roman Lucero Kintanar". February 20, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2020 – via PressReader.
  12. ^ "Florentino Das: A forgotten Filipino conqueror of the Pacific". Facebook. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022.
  13. ^ Mananghaya, James (December 23, 2008). "Sergeant Pacquiao gets Legion of Honor". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  14. ^ "Briefer on the Philippine Legion of Honor". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  15. ^ "10 Filipino Celebrities Who Have Received the Presidential Medal of Merit".
  16. ^ "Nepomuceno, Rafael "Paeng" V. | De La Salle Alumni Association". www.dlsaa.com. September 21, 2015.
  17. ^ "PHNO: Sports Beat".

Bibliography

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