House panel allows Lorenzana to accept prestigious medal from Indonesia

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (left) (File photo by FRANCES MANGOSING / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — A committee in the House of Representatives has granted Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana permission to accept a prestigious medal from Indonesia.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will award the peace medal to Lorenzana for his “zealous efforts to foster Philippine-Indonesia relations,” said Zamboanga Sibugay 2nd District Rep. Ann Hofer, who also chairs the House committee on foreign affairs, in an online meeting on Wednesday.

Lorenzana, the first Filipino to receive the award, is credited by the Indonesian government for his role in the rescue of eight Indonesian fishermen who were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group near Mindanao in 2019.

But the Philippine defense chief needed the consent of Congress to receive the award because, under the Constitution, no elective or appointed public officer should receive additional, double, or indirect compensation, including any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind from any foreign government unless allowed by Congress.

Lorenzana, a retired Army general and a former diplomat, was appointed as defense secretary by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Neal Imperial said that by accepting the award, “the Philippines not only further cements the bilateral ties with Indonesia, which we consider as an important and reliable regional partner, but also serves as a high-water mark for the defense and security cooperation of our two countries.”

The peace medal, he said, is given to distinguished foreign nationals for their outstanding achievements particularly in developing and advancing peace, diplomacy and brotherhood.

Imperial also asked the House committee to grant a similar support in a separate resolution to former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Cirilito Sobejana and the rescue team of the fishermen who are expected to receive the same award from the Indonesian president.

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