Philippine Liberation Medal

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

Philippine Liberation Medal is awarded to a service member who have served in the Philippines for at least thirty days during the eligible time period, or he must have participated in one of the following actions:

1.Participation in the initial landing operation of Leyte and adjoining islands from October 7 to October 20, 1944.
2.Participation in any engagement against hostile Japanese forces during the Philippine Liberation Campaign of October 17, 1944 to September 2, 1945.

In August 1994, as part of the commemorative events of the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, The Philippine Government announced its decision to award the Philippine Liberation Medal to Australian veterans who participated in the liberation of the Philippines during World War II.  Australian ex-servicemen who served with the Australian Armed Forces in the campaign for the liberation of the Philippines and whose record of service in the Philippines can be certified are eligible to receive the medal.  Posthumous awards are also given.

Australian participation in the liberation of the Philippines involved over 4,000 personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force with the majority coming from the Navy.  The Australian Ships identified by the Returned and Services League as having participated in the campaign for the liberation of the Philippines were:

Please click here for the application form.

PROCEDURE IN GRANTING THE PLM AWARD

1. Veterans fill out a prescribed application form which are distributed by the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Consulates and downloadable in this website;
2. The form is sent to the Service Assessments and Awards, Directorate of Honours and Awards, Department of Defence which certifies the applicant’s service in the Philippines during World War II;
3. Certified forms are returned to the Embassy from the Department of Defence;
4. The Embassy prepares letters of grant and transmits the Philippine Liberation Medals to the awardees;
5. The Embassy prepares the list of PLM awardees and forwards it to the Australian Honours and Award Secretariat, Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General, copy furnished to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), for purposes of record-keeping.

Note: Under the new Australian guidelines informed by DFAT, it is no longer a requirement to seek approval from the Australian Government for an Australian to accept and wear the Philippine Liberation Medal. It is also advised that the use of the post nominal or honorary titles by Australians in Australia will not be recognized officially.