Philippine Legion of Honor | |
---|---|
Awarded by Philippines | |
Type | Single Grade Neck Order/Sash/Medal |
Eligibility | Military Personnel, Diplomats, Heads of States & Government |
Awarded for | Meritorious & Valuable Service |
Status | Currently Awarded |
Statistics | |
Established | 1947 |
First awarded | 1947 |
Last awarded | Ongoing |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | civilian: Quezon Service Cross military: Gold Cross |
Equivalent | civilian 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 |
Related | Legion of Merit |
Ribbons of Legionnaire degree |
The Philippine Legion of Honor (Filipino: Lehiyong Pandangal ng Pilipinas) 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 only 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.
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.
The civilian division of the Philippine Legion of Honor is composed of the following ranks:
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has its own regulations governing the conferment of the Philippine Legion of Honor.
This article incorporates public domain text from the library of the Philippine Congress.