Philippine Liberation Medal

Philippine Liberation Medal
Service ribbon
Awarded by Republic of the Philippines
Type	Medal
Eligibility	participation in the liberation of the Philippine Islands between the dates of 17 October 1944 and 2 September 1945
Streamer

The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth Army of the Philippines Headquarters on December 20, 1944. The award was presented to any service member, of both Philippine Commonwealth and allied militaries, who participated in the liberation of the Philippine Islands between the dates of October 17, 1944 and September 2, 1945.

The Philippine Liberation Medal is intended to recognize military service in the last days of World War II when the military of Japan was driven from the Philippines and then to eventually surrender in September 1945.

Criteria

To be awarded the medal, a service member must have participated in one of the following actions:

• Participation in the initial landing operation of Leyte and adjoining islands from October 7 to October 20, 1944. An individual is considered to have participated in such operations if he landed on Leyte or adjoining islands, was on a ship in Philippine waters, or was a crewmember of an airplane, which flew over Philippine territory during the period.
• Participation in any engagement against hostile Japanese forces on Leyte and adjoining islands during the Philippine Liberation Campaign of October 17, 1944 to September 2, 1945.
• Participation in any engagement against hostile Japanese forces on islands other than those mentioned above during the Philippine Liberation Campaign of October 17, 1944 to September 2, 1945.
• Served in the Philippine Islands or on ships in Philippine waters for not less than 30 days during the period.

Personnel who are awarded the medal for participation in any of the above-mentioned operations are authorized a service star to the Philippine Liberation Medal for each additional qualifying action.

Members of the United States Armed Forces entitled to the Philippine Liberation Medal were always also eligible to receive the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, often with a service star, for participation in the liberation of the Philippines.

Other information

Upon its creation, the Philippine Liberation Medal was awarded as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon and it was not until July 1945 that a full-sized medal was established. The Philippine Liberation Medal was awarded to allied militaries, primarily the forces of the Philippine Commonwealth, United States Armed Forces and the military of the British Commonwealth.

In the UK in 2003, 3 ex-servicemen: Glyndwr Thomas Evan Collins, who fought in the World War II liberation of the Philippines; Constantine Shiels and Frank Broomhead, were awarded with the special honor by the Filipino ambassador Edgardo B. Espiritu, under General Orders Number 1090.

Other similar Philippine military awards of the Second World War include the Philippine Independence Medal and the Philippine Defense Medal.

See also

• Awards and decorations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

References

Bibliography

• The AFP Adjutant General, AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook, 1995, 1997, OTAG.