The Philippine Legion of

Honor Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

( fil, Lehiyong Pandangal ng Pilipinas; es, Legion de Honor Filipino) was established by President

Manuel Roxas Manuel Acuña Roxas (born Manuel Roxas y Acuña; ; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of the Philippines, who served from 1946 until his death due to heart attacks in 19 ...

, through

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) (Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...

Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947. The Philippine Legion of

was patterned after the Legion of Merit of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, and was meant to

honor Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

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.

Criteria

Today, the Philippine Legion of

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 The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. To signify the importance of the civil service in military affairs in the preservation of the

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

may be

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

ed by the Secretary of National Defense in the name and by authority of the

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Ranks

The civilian division of the Philippine Legion of

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 The Quezon Service Cross ( fil, Krus ng Serbisyo ni Quezon) is the highest national recognition of the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to only a handful of Filipinos since its creation in 1946. Background The award ...

; or upon a former or incumbent head of state and/or of government *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 The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...

has its own regulations governing the conferment of the Philippine Legion of

Notable recipients

Chief Commander (CCLH)

PHI Legion of Honor 2003 Chief Commander BAR

* Emilio Aguinaldo, 1957, former President of the Philippines *

Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. B ...

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, 2002 * Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, 1998 *

Gregorio Pio Catapang Gregorio Pio Punzalan Catapang, Jr., CCLH (born 11 July 1959) is a retired Filipino general who served as the 45th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He was the Vice Chief of Staff prior to his appointment as head of the arme ...

, 2015, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. * Emmanuel T. Bautista, 2014, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. * Chiang Kai-shek, 1949, President of the Republic of China *

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

, 2013, former

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, 1961, former President of the United States *

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, 1981, Chief, JUSMAG Philippines * Francisco Franco, 1951, head of the Spanish state * Daniel Inouye, United States Senator * José P. Laurel, 1959, former President of the Philippines *

Chino Roces Joaquin "Chino" Roces (June 29, 1913 – September 30, 1988) was the founder of Associated Broadcasting Corporation (now known as TV5) and a former owner of ''The Manila Times''. Early life Roces was born on June 29, 1913, to Alejandro "Moy" ...

, 1988, founder and owner of Associated Broadcasting Company and the Manila Times * Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, 1992, Archbishop of Manila *

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, 1986, Senator of the Philippines, Post-war Solicitor General, Nationalist and Human Rights advocate * Ferdinand Marcos, 1972, former President of the Philippines *

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictato ...

, First Lady of the Philippines * Douglas MacArthur, 1961, Philippine field marshal *

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; 9 September 1878 – 19 October 1961) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth president of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was vice president under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon Quezon's sudd ...

, 1994, former President of the Philippines *

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

, former President of the Philippines * Jesse Robredo,

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, given posthumously on August 28, 2012. *

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, 1947, former President of the United States (posthumous) *

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, 1951,

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* Maxwell D. Taylor, 1955, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff *

Eduardo Año Eduardo Manahan Año (; born October 26, 1961) is a Filipino public official and retired general of the Philippine Army who served as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2018 to 20 ...

- 48th

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Grand Commander (GCLH)

PHI Legion of Honor 2003 Grand Commander BAR

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala Jaime Augusto Miranda Zóbel de Ayala II (born March 6, 1959), also known as Jaime Augusto Zóbel, is a Filipino businessman from the prominent Zóbel de Ayala family. He currently serves as the chairman of Ayala Corporation. He succeeded his f ...

, 2010 *

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, 2010 * Jaime Zobel de Ayala, 2009 *

Gilbert Teodoro Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro Jr. (born June 14, 1964), nicknamed Gilbert or Gibo (), is a Filipino lawyer, politician and business executive who served as the Secretary of National Defense (Philippines), Secretary of National Def ...

, 2009, former Secretary of National Defense *

Emilio Yap Emilio T. Yap Sr., GCLH (September 24, 1925 – April 7, 2014) was a Chinese Filipino business tycoon and philanthropist. He was the chairman of the board of the ''Manila Bulletin''. Biography Emilio Yap, who was of Chinese descent, was born on ...

, 2006 * Napoleon G. Rama, 2011, Constitutional Commissioner

Grand Officer (GOLH)

PHI Legion of Honor 2003 Grand Officer BAR

* Teodoro Locsin, Jr., 2002 * Roman Kintanar - 2007, for his work in various international cooperations for tropical cyclone and earthquake disaster mitigation programs

Commander (CLH)

Try Sutrisno Try Sutrisno (; born 15 November 1935) is an Indonesian politician and retired army general who served as the country's sixth vice president. He held the office from 11 March 1993 to 11 March 1998. Previously, he served as the Commander of th ...

* R.E. Martadinata * Wismoyo Arismunandar * L. B. Moerdani *

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* Sudomo *

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, 1954 *

Eulogio Balao Eulogio Balao (March 11, 1907 – August 22, 1977) was a Filipino soldier and politician. Career Balao joined the Philippine Constabulary as a young man and rose through its ranks. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Forces Far East. ...

* Sotero B. Cabahug, 1959 *

Joseph J. Cappucci Joseph J. Cappucci (1913-1992) was a U.S. Air Force brigadier general ( Special Agent) who served as the first director of the Defense Investigative Service and the 6th Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI or OSI). ...

Tomas Confesor Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian su ...

* Carlos P. Romulo * Gen. Alfredo M. Santos * Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna * Bernard W. Kearney, 1959 * Jorge B. Vargas, 1960 * Abdul Haris Nasution, 1963 * Juan Ponce Enrile, 1974 and 1986 * Washington SyCip, 1991 *

Moeldoko Moeldoko (pronounced uldoko born 8 July 1957) is an Indonesian government official, businessman, and retired general serving as the current Chief of Staff of Presidency for President Joko Widodo, previously serving as Commander of the Indone ...

, 2014 * Harry B. Harris Jr, 2018

Officer (OLH)

, 1950 *

Florentino Das Florentino R. Das (August 19, 1918 – October 7, 1964) was a Filipino yachtsman and immigrant to the United States who holds the earliest record of Single-handed sailing from Hawaii to the Philippines on a 27-footer homebuilt sailboat. Early ye ...

, 11 May 1956 (for exceptional feat of traveling by sea using his homemade boat from Hawaii to Siargao island *

Manuel P. Manahan Manuel Perez Manahan (January 1, 1916 – May 18, 1994) was a Filipino politician, journalist, businessman, and rural development advocate. He was a key government official during the administration of president Ramon Magsaysay, best known for h ...

, 1950 (for the wartime publication of the underground newspaper ''Liberator'') *

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...

, 2008 (Boxer, Philippine Army reservist) *

Efren Reyes Efren Manalang Reyes (born August 26, 1954), popularly known by the nickname "Bata" (English: "Kid"), is a Filipino professional pool player. Reyes is widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time. A winner of over 100 inte ...

, 1999 (Professional Billiards Player) *

Paeng Nepomuceno Rafael "Paeng" Villareal Nepomuceno (born January 30, 1957 in Quezon City) Filipino bowler and coach who is a six time World bowling champion. He is a World Bowling Hall of Famer and is the first and only bowling athlete to be awarded ...

, 1999 (Tenpin Bowling Athlete)

Legionnaire (LLH)

PHI Legion of Honor 2003 Legionnaire BAR

* Teodoro M. Locsin, 1947, World War II guerilla ''This article incorporates

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

text from the library of the

Philippine Congress The Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Kongreso ng Pilipinas, italic=unset) is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially the te ...

.''

References

Citations

Bibliography

* The AFP Adjutant General, ''AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1995, 1997, 2014 OTAG. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Philippine Legion Of Honor

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

Military awards and decorations of the Philippines