The Medal of Valor (MOV) () is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' highest military decoration awarded for bravery.

The medal is awarded by the President of the Philippines, by approval of the highest officials in the AFP, to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including recognized guerrilla forces.The AFP Adjutant General, Awards and Decorations Handbook, 1997, OTAG, p. 11-12. The award is held in such high regard that the President is required to render a salute to the medal, and to the individual wearing it.

History

The MOV was institutionalized as the highest award of the gendarmerie force in American-occupied Philippines, the Philippine Constabulary, though the exact date of its institution has not been confirmed. Although in 1902, Military Governor Adna Chaffee, and later Governor-General Luke Edward Wright authorized the conferment of the MOV "for extraordinary exploits" of constables, fighting outlaws and bandits in the countryside, as well as rebellious Moro tribesmen.

Given the small number of medals awarded while directly under American control, the MOV is considered as one of the rarest awards authorized by the United States to be worn by American personnel who were part of the PC.

During the Commonwealth era, the MOV was later made as the highest award of the newly established Armed Forces of the Philippines, under the National Defense Act of 1935, which consisted of members reassigned from the PC, and the American-trained Philippine Scouts.

Requirements The MOV is foremost in the order of precedence of awards and decorations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is defined in the Philippine Army Awards and Decorations Reference Material FC 1–0062, itself adapted from the AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook (1997), as an award for "heroism in combat", demanding "actual conflict with armed enemies".

To justify the conferment of the MOV, an officer or enlisted personnel must "perform an action/deed of personal bravery of self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty as conspicuous as to distinguish themselves above their comrades".

The action/deed in question must involve the risk of life, meaning that a complete and utter disregard for the personal safety of the recipient must be proven. It must be understood that no one among the unit in which the recipient is attached to would have normally done the act being cited for the award. Moreover, the recipient should have acted on his own volition/initiative, and that no one, even their commanding officer, have handed them specific orders to do the act being cited for the award.

If a soldier wishes to recommend another soldier of the MOV, the deed should subject the latter to any justified criticism, and the act "directly affect the outcome of the armed engagement" (i.e. made acceptable within the parameters of honorable combat, even if the members of the unit which the recipient is attached to surrendered or retreated without orders, and the recipient has done all that the honor of war requires).

The MOV shall be awarded only for one, and the same act of heroism displayed in a single period of time, thus can only recommended once. The same act cannot be used as basis for another recommendation (i.e. to be awarded two MOVs for the same act). Such is tantamount to grounds to having the MOV revoked.

Pertinent documents are required to prove that a potential recipient of the MOV is worthy of conferment. Anyone who wishes to recommend someone of the award must provide a narrative report including:

the terrain and weather of the area in which the action took place (made through a sketch), enemy condition (including morale, proximity, firepower, casualties, and situations prior, during, and after the action of the enemy), and the actions of the recipient's comrades in the immediate vicinity of the act, and the degree of their participation in the act involving the recipient (so as to make them stand out from the rest) affidavits from two or more witnesses (probably from the same unit the recipient is attached to) may be required to confirm any information from the narrative report

Nomenclature Dispute The phrase For Valor embossed on the bar suspended from the medal has led some sources to call the award as the Medal For Valor (MFV; ); such is how the Philippine Army, and the rest of the AFP establishment refers to it. However, other official Philippine government sources refer to it as the Medal of Valor, which the general public has accustomed to calling it ever since. This may be attributed to the similarity of the nomenclature of the award with its American counterpart, which is officially referred to as the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Valor Awards and Decorations Board The Medal of Valor Awards and Decorations Board, or simply the MOV Board, is the oversight board of the AFP that deliberates recommendations of MOV awards as endorsed by a prior body, the AFP Awards and Decorations Board, to ensure propriety, fitness, and attain the well-being intent of the award. The Board, in the execution of its responsibility, shall preserve the true significance and highlight the value of the MOV as an award.

The Board is composed of:

the Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (as Chairperson), the Chairman of the AFP Awards and Decorations Board (Assistant J1) (as Vice Chairperson), and Members that comprise of: at least two MOV recipients in active service (regardless of branch of service), Executive Officers of J-Staff, Chief, Morale and Welfare Division (OJ-1), the AFP Sergeant Major, and Chief, Morale and Discipline Division, Office of The Adjutant General (OTAG) (as Secretary)

The Secretary of the MOV Board is the one in charge of undertaking the initial screening and processing of recommendations and shall schedule Board deliberations thereof. The Secretary also:

ensures the completeness of the documents and appropriateness of the recommendation, prepares the minutes of Board deliberations and resolutions for the Board members' approval, collate all pertinent documents warranting the recommendation of the recipient with the conferment of the MOV, and transmits the recommendations of the Chairman to the AFP Board of Generals for final deliberation through the Deputy of Staff for Personnel, J1; such recommendations made by the MOV Board must receive no other than "unanimous approval" with no margin of doubt or any possibility of error.

Endorsement, and Approval of MOV Recommendations The recommendation of the MOV Board for a potential recipient of the award is then transmitted to the AFP Board of Generals, a separate and higher oversight body who reviews and confirms said recommendation to obtain their approval "with unanimous recognition" as to the nobility and dignity of the deed/s warranting the award.

The recommendation is then transmitted to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, J1, for preparation for its packaging (including minutes of the meeting of the Board of Generals deliberations) for endorsement to the President, through the Secretary of National Defense, as well as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP).

The CSAFP (as Chairman of the AFP Board of Generals) then approves the recommendation of the endorsement to the President through the Secretary of National Defense. Once approved, the OTAG shall now produce General Orders for the conferment of the MOV and distribute copies of said GOs to the Adjutants of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.

Disapproved MOV Recommendations In the case that an MOV recommendation is disapproved by the CSAFP, it shall be sent back to the concerned board (either the AFP Awards and Decorations Board, the MOV Board, or the Board of Generals) for re-deliberation or possible downgrading of the award (e.g. Distinguished Conduct Star, the Philippine Legion of Honor, or the Gold Cross). A new, revised recommendation shall be resubmitted if new, substantive, and material information is provided within the limits prescribed. The information forming the basis must have been unknown prior to resubmission and must not have been considered by the recommending and disapproving board officials/members.

Appearance

Medal Design History Throughout its history, the MOV has undergone four confirmed design changes, first as an award for the Constabulary during the Insular era, and later for the AFP, both in the Commonwealth, and the Republic eras.

First Version (1901, Insular era) The first incarnation of the award (created in 1901) took the form of a gold-plated bronze bar, oval and undulating, measuring two inches long. The bar bore the phrase "FOR VALOR", and a monogram of the PC inside a shield at the bottom. The reverse contained the name of the recipient, the place of action, and the date of achievement warranting the conferment of the award. A certificate was also awarded for each recipient. These bars were manufactured by the medal making firm of Luis Zamora.

Second Version (1918; Insular era) The second incarnation was created as per Philippine Constabulary General Order 9, in 1918. It saw the same gold-plated bronze bar of the first version now hanging from a 1.5-inch-wide crimson red ribbon. The ribbon has 13 gold stars arranged in a 2-5-6 formation, symbolizing the 13 United States that first revolted against the British (as the Philippines was an American colony at the time, the majority of Filipino military heraldry were borrowed from the Americans). As per PC General Order 11, also in 1918, those who received the first version of the MOV were authorized to have them replaced with this version. A miniature gold bar with a five-pointed star was appurtenant to the ribbon for every succeeding award to the same recipient, such is the case of a particular Constable Malaco, who won his first MOV in 1907 (as a Corporal), and the second in 1911 (as a First Sergeant).

Third Version (1923; Insular era) The third version saw the transformation of the MOV from a mere clasp into an actual medal. It now featured a Maltese cross resting on a laurel wreath. In the middle of the cross is the American bald eagle resting on a four-pointed star and clutching a scroll with the phrase "FOR VALOR". On the horizontal arms (i.e. flanges) of the cross, a star is placed on both sides; the top vertical arm featured the coat of arms of the Insular government, while the bottom vertical arm featured the PC monogram (reminiscent of the first version). The service ribbon saw the arrangement of the 13 stars change into a 6-4-3 formation, forming an inverted triangle. The medals for this version were manufactured by the firm of Filipino metalsmith and sculptor Crispulo Zamora (1871-1922).

All previous incarnations of the MOV were worn on the left breast of the recipient's dress uniform.

Fourth Version (1937; Commonwealth era)