By Gabriela Baron
A total of 38 Filipino World War II veterans were conferred with the United States (US) Congressional Medal (CGM), the Department of National Defense (DND) announced.
Of the awardees, 23 of them received their medals, while 15 were awarded posthumously. Four of the awardees were also centenarians.
DND Secretary Carlito Galvez hailed the conduct of the US CGM Awarding Ceremony for Filipino war veterans, noting that it was a “testament to the shared history and enduring partnership” between the US and the Philippines.
“Our veterans are heroes in the truest sense. They deserve the highest form of recognition for serving in various capacities and fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with our American soldiers during the Second World War,” Galvez added.
“It is remarkable and even more inspiring that despite their advanced age, some even stood up and walked to receive their CGM, including Private Arturo F. Coronel of the Mariano Ponce’s Regiment, who is now 100 years old,” Galvez noted.
Giving veterans their due
Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) Undersecretary and Administrator Reynaldo Mapagu stressed the importance of conferring the awards to as many of the country’s living veterans as possible.
“We, in the PVAO, along with our partners in the Filipino veterans community, various veterans organizations and local government units, will continue to work hard to make this happen,” Mapagu said.
“For years, we have fought for the rightful recognition of our Filipino veterans and we will continue to do so because this is the least we can do for them,” he added.
A total of 628 veterans have been recipients of the US CGM awards, according to PVAO. -ag