Philippine Army Search and Rescue Myanmar team received honors at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on April 21, 2025, following their humanitarian deployment to earthquake-hit Myanmar.
The Philippine Army recognized the 525th Combat Engineer “Forerunner” Battalion of the Combat Engineer Regiment during a special ceremony at Headquarters Philippine Army for their service in the aftermath of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Central Myanmar on March 28.
Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Roy M. Galido Jr. personally awarded the Meritorious Achievement Medal to the members of the Urban Search and Rescue Team who served as part of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent.
In addition to the medals, Lt. Gen. Galido presented CGPA’s Personal Coins to honor the team’s extraordinary courage, technical skill, and unwavering dedication to humanitarian efforts.
Among those recognized were 1st Lt. Alexis Nocos, 1st Lt. Joey Labiang, SSgt. Ricky Ramirez, SSgt. Jesus Tomas Jr., Sgt. John Rex Palaruan, Cpl. John Paul Kismundo, Cpl. Jundie Gutierez, Cpl. Ryan Paul Cabueñas, Cpl. Alihuddin Hamid, and PFC Elmar Encinas.
The commanding general commended the team’s performance, emphasizing how their actions under extreme conditions brought distinction to their unit and to the entire Philippine Army.