The call to award then–Staff Sergeant Antonino Basa the Medal of Valor has resurfaced online—three years after it was first raised. The question remains: how many times must a soldier risk his life, far beyond the call of duty, before the nation recognizes it as the highest act of valor? 

Basa, of the 14th Scout Ranger Company, had already earned five Gold Cross Medals for gallantry in combat—a feat remarkable in both frequency and intensity. He was wounded once in Basilan, three times in Marawi, and again in Sulu in March 2018. Yet not all his awards came from injuries. In Basilan, he infiltrated an Abu Sayyaf stronghold. In perhaps his most selfless act, he lay over an improvised explosive device to shield his comrades—saved only by the miracle that it did not explode. 

Twice, he was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Star, the AFP’s second-highest award. After his heroics in Marawi, he was nominated for the Medal of Valor—the rarest and most prestigious honor in the Armed Forces, bestowed only 40 times in history, with just 17 recipients still alive (as of my last count). That recommendation was revived by then–Lt. Gen. Charlie Galvez, now OPAPP Secretary, after Basa’s near-fatal clash with the Abu Sayyaf in 2018. 

When asked why he repeatedly risked his life, Basa’s answer from a hospital bed was resolute: “To follow orders and serve the country.” When pressed if he would consider resting, he replied: “Depende po sa nakakataas sa akin, following orders lang po ako.” 

With due respect, the Medal of Valor’s conferment rests on the judgment of those entrusted to evaluate its recipients. We can only hope and pray that Sergeant Basa’s extraordinary gallantry will not be forgotten, and that his deeds will be given the recognition they deserve. 

Others in the AFP may have earned more than five Gold Cross Medals—some with seven, thirteen, or even sixteen—but medals alone do not define valor. Courage is also measured by moments, like when Basa charged a machine gun–manned foxhole in the Baguindan Complex, lobbed a grenade, and silenced the threat under relentless fire. 

That is not just gallantry. That is Medal of Valor material.