Leopoldo Diokno | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |  Philippines |
| Service/ |  Philippine Army |
| Rank |  Staff Sergeant |
| Service number | 780681 |
| Unit |  1st Scout Ranger Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Moro conflict |
| Awards |  Medal of Valor |
Leopoldo Diokno is a retired Philippine Army enlisted trooper and a recipient the Philippines' highest military award for courage, the Medal of Valor.[1]
Sergeant Diokno was part of the military operation led by Lieutenant Colonel Noel S. Buan that neutralized Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Hamsiraji Marusi Sali on 8 April 2004. Buan, commanding the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion in Basilan, Philippines, and his men figured in a firefight with Sali and six others including Sali's younger brother Sahir, also called Yashier Sali. Hamsiraji Sali was implicated in the kidnapping of an American Jeffrey Schilling, the 2001 Dos Palmas kidnappings and had a $1M bounty on his head.[2] All six Abu Sayyaf members were killed. Buan's troops suffered one killed and four wounded, including Buan himself.[3]
Buan and Diokno were awarded Gold Cross medals, which were later upgraded to Distinguished Conduct Stars. In what would prove to be a controversial move, these medals were later further upgraded to the Medal of Valor, which was approved by then-Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.[4]
- ^ Fonbuena, Carmela (20 December 2017). "FAST FACTS: List of Medal of Valor awardees and their privileges". Rappler. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ United States Department of State. "Rewards for Justice: Hamsiraji Marusi Sali". Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Alipala, Julie S. (11 April 2004). "Abu Leader with $1M on his head slain in clash". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ East, Robert (2013). Terror Truncated: The Decline of the Abu Sayyaf Group from the Crucial Year 2002. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-4438-4461-1.