The
military honored and feted 53 of its outstanding soldiers and civilian
ceremonies during simple ceremonies Friday as part of the the 78th founding
anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday.
These
individuals, consisting of 49 soldiers and four civilians employees, were
honored for their invaluable contributions during the successful defense of Zamboanga City
against rogue Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters last September;
humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations during the earthquake
in Bohol and super typhoon
"Yolanda"; and other combat operations and non-traditional missions.
The
awarding ceremony featured Medal of Valor awardee, Pfc. Ian O. Paquit of the
3rd Scout Ranger Company, 1st Scout Ranger Regiment, who was posthumously cited
for his courage, dedication and sacrifice which greatly contributed to the
clearing and capture of enemy positions in Zamboanga City
His
act of conspicuous courage, gallantry, and intrepidity above and beyond the
call of duty in Barangay Sta. Barbara on Sept. 24, even after being wounded and
hospitalized in an encounter on Sept. 13, earned him the nation's highest
military decoration.
During
the Sept. 24 encounter, Pacquit, exhibiting selfless acts of heroism, was hit
by a bullet in left neck resulting to his death.
The
operations resulted to the capture of 41 MNLF fighters and 15 of the rebels
killed.
By
this display of heroism, Paquit distinguished himself in combat, in keeping
with the finest traditions of Filipino soldiery.
His
award was received by his father, Eduardo Paquit.
Thirteen
soldiers were also awarded with the Distinguished Conduct Star, the second
highest military award, for their conspicuous acts of gallantry; while nine
other soldiers, two of them posthumously, received the Gold Cross Medal.
They
are among 34 soldiers awarded Friday for their role in the successful defense
of Zamboanga City ,
and are among the over 2,000 soldiers already awarded in line with their contributions
in the operations in Zamboanga
City
Other
awards are in the pipeline to ensure that all soldiers involved, either in
combat or administrative capacity, will be recognized.
Also,
around 115 soldiers and seven civilians were awarded during Thursday's
decoration ceremonies.
Leading
the civilian awardees were Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar,
who received the AFP Command Plaque during the AFP Thanksgiving Day ceremony
held at the GHQ Canopy Area Thursday.
A
simultaneous flag-raising ceremony was held Friday to kickstart the 78th
Anniversary Program attended by AFP commander-in-chief and President Benigno S.
Aquino III.
Among
the many highlights of Friday's rites was the President's inspection of three
newly acquired AgustaWestland AW-109 "Power" helicopters of the
Philippine Navy.
These
will be used in various naval operations including economic zone protection,
surface surveillance, search and rescue and maritime security operations.
Worth
around a total of P1.35-billion, the new AW-109s helicopters are ready to be
equipped for territorial defense missions in preparation for future external
defense functions of the AFP.
Two
more of these aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2014 for a contract
price of P850.91 million.
Aquino
also inspected the three helicopters, along with two Sikorsky S-76 air
ambulance units, and other assets on display at the AFP Grandstand.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=598606
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