MANILA, Philippines—The nation’s modern-day heroes are not limited to boxing idol Manny Pacquiao(right photo) and overseas foreign workers, the military would like to remind Filipinos.The Armed Forces called attention to its heroes by inaugurating a museum gallery to immortalize the deeds of about three dozen soldiers who represent the ideals of “personal bravery at the risk of their life above and beyond the call of duty.”
An entire wall of the AFP Museum in Camp Aguinaldo is devoted to the photos and the heroic deeds of the 39 awardees of the Medal for Valor, the highest award to be bestowed by the military, called the “Wall of Heroes: The Medal for [sic] Valor Awardees.”- Of the 39 Medal of Valor awards (the first was given out in 1917), 12 were given posthumously to soldiers recognized for their supreme sacrifice in combat against overwhelming odds. One, purportedly awarded to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has been described as bogus.
In a message he issued for the exhibit opening, AFP Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. said news and advertisements about Filipino heroes tended to focus on civilians.- “We see Manny Pacquiao on television hailed as a hero for bringing pride to our country. We give due respect to our OFWs (overseas foreign workers), our bagong bayani (new heroes),” he said.
- “But we tend to forget the heroes who everyday put their lives on the line in the name of the country and the people,” Oban said.
The exhibit was opened as the country commemorates Araw ng Kagitingan on April 9 to pay tribute to those who fought during World War II.- Oban said he hoped the people would not forget the sacrifices made by the country’s soldiers.
- Former President Fidel Ramos, a general and Korean War veteran, headed the list of ex-soldiers, awardees and dignitaries at the inauguration of the exhibit.
Marcos projected himself as the country’s most decorated soldier who received 27 medals, including the Medal of Valor, for his supposedly heroic wartime exploits, including having supposedly formed a Maharlika group of guerrillas which operated in Luzon. These claims were later exposed to be “fraudulent and absurd” by the United States Army and the medals bogus.
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