From the Business Mirror (Dec 20): Questions raised over the awarding of medals
AN Army enlisted man, who was killed while providing covering fire to his companions who were repositioning in one of the skirmishes during the 21-day siege of Zamboanga City, was awarded on Friday the Medal for Valor, the country’s highest award for gallantry in action.
The posthumous awarding of the Medal for Valor to Pfc. Ian Paquit highlighted the 78th anniversary celebration of the Armed Forces, which was attended by President Aquino and defense and military officials, headed by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
The medal was received by his father, Eduardo Paquit.
Paquit was an automatic rifleman of the command group of the 3rd Scout Ranger Company, First Scout Ranger Regiment.
The awarding of the Medal for Valor and more than 50 other awards that included 13 Distinguished Conduct Star, the second highest award for valor, continued the awarding binge of the Armed Forces for the more than 4,000 soldiers who participated in the clearing of six barangays that were held by members of the Moro National Liberation Front-Nur Misuari faction in Zamboanga City.
More than 2,000 soldiers have already received their awards and medals, which were given by the military leadership in batches.
The awarding of the Medal for Valor and the Distinguished Conduct Star raised questions among some officers, asking whether the military has already lowered the standards for the two awards.
Out of the 14 Distinguished Conduct Stars that were given, six were awarded to battalion commanders, while the remaining eight were given to company commanders, team leaders and enlisted personnel.
“There is no doubt that the company commanders and the rest may have led their men during the battle, but how about the battalion commanders, were they in the front of the battle as their junior subordinates?” one of the officers asked.
As the Distinguished Conduct Star connotes, its recipient must be in the battlefront and must distinguish himself from the rest.
“If the battalion commanders were given with the award, then it follows that all of their men should have received the award too,” said another officer.
In the case of Paquit, the military said that when his team was pinned down by MNLF fighters, he “adjusted his position to a better line of sight to provide cover fire for the repositioning troops, notwithstanding his vulnerability to enemy fire.”
Paquit and a section of the 3rd Scout Ranger Company clashed with more than 100 members of the MNLF during the clearing of Barangay Santa Barbara, Zamboanga City.
“With the courage, dedication and sacrifice of Private First Class Ian Paquit, further casualties were avoided and the neutralization of enemy firing positions greatly contributed to the clearing capture of enemy strongholds,” the citation of the award said.