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 The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

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 Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

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 ...

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 Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...

, 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 ...

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

, 2002 *

Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is on ...

, 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 Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, 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

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

* Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961, former President of the United States *

John W. Foss John William Foss (February 13, 1933 – April 25, 2020) was a United States Army General (United States), general, and commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. Military career Foss was born in Hutchinson, Minnesota o ...

, 1981, Chief, JUSMAG Philippines *

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...

, 1951, head of the Spanish state *

Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken Inouye ( ; September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Beginning in 1959, he was the first U.S. representative ...

, United States Senator *

José P. Laurel José Paciano Laurel y García (; March 9, 1891 – November 6, 1959) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, and judge, who served as the president of the Japanese-occupied Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state during World War II, from 194 ...

, 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 * Lorenzo M. Tañada, 1986, Senator of the Philippines, Post-war Solicitor General, Nationalist and Human Rights advocate *

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

, 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 Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

, 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, former President of the Philippines *

Jesse Robredo Jesse Manalastas Robredo (born Jesus Manalastas Robredo; ; May 27, 1958 – August 18, 2012) was a Filipino politician who served as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in the administration of President Benigno Aquino III from 20 ...

Secretary of the Interior and Local Government The secretary of the interior and local government ( Filipino: ''Kalihim ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal'') is the member of the Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors ...

, given posthumously on August 28, 2012. * Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1947, former President of the United States (posthumous) *

Soekarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of t ...

, 1951,

President of Indonesia The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government an ...

Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell Davenport Taylor (August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987) was a senior United States Army officer and diplomat of the mid-20th century. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Airborne Division, n ...

, 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

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) is the highest-ranking military officer (except for the President of the Philippines, who holds the position of Commander-in-Chief equivalent to a five-star general) and the head ...

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 *

Fernando Zobel de Ayala Fernando Miranda Zóbel de Ayala (born March 14, 1960) is a Filipino businessman. He served as president (2006-2022) and chief executive officer (2021-2022) of Ayala Corporation. Education Zóbel attended Ladycross School for his preparatory ...

, 2010 *

Jaime Zobel de Ayala Jaime Zóbel de Ayala y Pfitz (born 18 July 1934), also known as Jaime Zóbel, is a Filipino businessman who served as the chairman of the Ayala Corporation from 1984 to 2006 and as its president from 1984 to 1994. Presently, he holds the ho ...

, 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 {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

* Emilio Yap, 2006 *

Napoleon G. Rama Napoleon "Nap" Genson Rama, Philippine Legion of Honor, PLH (July 27, 1923 – January 10, 2016) was a Filipinos, Filipino Visayans, Visayan lawyer, journalist, and writer in English language, English and Spanish language, Spanish from Cebu, Phil ...

, 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 * R.E. Martadinata * Wismoyo Arismunandar *

L. B. Moerdani General (Ret.) Leonardus Benjamin Moerdani (also publicly known as LB Moerdani or Benny Moerdani and in foreign media as Murdani; 2 October 1932 – 29 August 2004) was the ABRI Commander from 1983 to 1988 and also served as Indonesia's Mi ...

* Widodo Budidarmo *

Sudomo Muhammad Sudomo, better known as Sudomo (20 September 1926 – 18 April 2012) was a high-ranking Indonesian military official who served in a number of positions during the New Order regime of Indonesian president Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 Jun ...

Benigno Aquino Jr. Benigno "Ninoy" Simeon Aquino Jr., (; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aqui ...

, 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 * Tomas Confesor * Carlos P. Romulo * Gen. Alfredo M. Santos * Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna *

Bernard W. Kearney Bernard William "Pat" Kearney (May 23, 1889 – June 3, 1976) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Kearney served on the U.S. House of Representatives' Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) dur ...

, 1959 *

Jorge B. Vargas Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a Filipino lawyer, diplomat and youth advocate born in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and o ...

, 1960 *

Abdul Haris Nasution General of the Army Abdul Haris Nasution ( Old Spelling: Abdoel Haris Nasution; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000), was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution a ...

, 1963 *

Juan Ponce Enrile Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr., (born Juanito Furagganan; February 14, 1924), also referred to by his initials JPE, or Manong Johnny, is a Filipino politician and lawyer known for his role in the administration of Philippine dicta ...

, 1974 and 1986 *

Washington SyCip Washington Z. SyCip, PLH BOLk RNO1kl (; 30 June 1921 – 7 October 2017) was a Chinese-Filipino- American accountant. He was the founder of the accounting firm EY SGV & Company and the Asian Institute of Management. Early life and educat ...

, 1991 * Moeldoko, 2014 * Harry B. Harris Jr, 2018

Officer (OLH)

, 1950 * Florentino Das, 11 May 1956 (for exceptional feat of traveling by sea using his homemade boat from Hawaii to Siargao island * Manuel P. Manahan, 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, 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.''

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