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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-26/libingan-ng-mga-bayani.avif" alt="Libingan ng mga Bayani" loading="lazy"/>
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(Libingan ng mga Bayani)
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<h2>
Origins and Establishment
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The cemetery's history began in the aftermath of World War II, a conflict that claimed tens of thousands of Filipino lives. In May 1947, the Philippine government established the <b class="lt-bold">Republic Memorial Cemetery</b> as a tribute to the 33,520 to 58,780 Filipino soldiers who died during the Philippine Campaign (1941-42) and the Allied Liberation of the Philippines (1944-45). The cemetery was conceived as the Filipino counterpart to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_American_Cemetery" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Manila American Cemetery and Memorial</a>, which housed the remains of United States personnel who perished in the same war.
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The site was chosen within what was then Fort William McKinley, an American military reservation established in 1901 during the Philippine-American War. Fort McKinley served as the headquarters of the United States Philippine Department until it was transferred to the Philippine government on May 14, 1949, and subsequently renamed Fort <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/786/today-in-philippine-history-november-30-1863-andres-bonifacio-was-born-in-tondo-manila" class="news_link">Andres Bonifacio</a> (or Fort Bonifacio) in honor of the Philippine revolutionary hero.
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<h2>
Legislative Foundation
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The legal framework for a national heroes' cemetery was laid even before the cemetery received its current name. On June 16, 1948, President <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/753/today-in-philippine-history-november-16-1890-elpidio-quirino-the-sixth-president-of-the-philippines-was-born-in-the-town-of-vigan-ilocos-sur" class="news_link">Elpidio Quirino</a> signed into law Republic Act No. 289, titled  <i>"An Act Providing for the Construction of a National Pantheon for Presidents of the Philippines, National Heroes, and Patriots of the Country"</i>. Section 1 of this landmark legislation declared its purpose: 
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"To perpetuate the memory of all the Presidents of the Philippines, national heroes and patriots for the inspiration and emulation of this generation and of generations still unborn, there shall be constructed a National Pantheon which shall be the burial place of their mortal remains."
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The Act created a Board on National Pantheon composed of the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, the Secretary of Education, and two private citizens appointed by the President. The Board was tasked with determining the location, overseeing construction, and managing the interment of remains. An initial appropriation of one million pesos was allocated for this purpose.
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<h2>
Renaming and Expansion
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On October 27, 1954, President <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/558/today-in-philippine-history-august-31-1907-ramon-magsaysay-seventh-president-of-the-philippines-was-born-in-iba-zambales" class="news_link">Ramon Magsaysay</a> officially renamed the Republic Memorial Cemetery as "Libingan ng mga Bayani" through Proclamation No. 86. This renaming reflected a broadening of the cemetery's purpose beyond merely housing war dead to encompassing all manner of Filipino heroes and patriots worthy of national remembrance.
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A significant milestone came on May 28, 1967, when President <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/595/today-in-philippine-history-september-11-1917-ferdinand-e-marcos-was-born-in-sarrat-ilocos-norte" class="news_link">Ferdinand Marcos</a> issued Presidential Proclamation No. 208, which excluded 142 hectares from the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation and reserved it specifically for the Libingan ng mga Bayani as a national shrine. This proclamation placed the cemetery under the administration of the Military Shrines Service of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), an agency under the Department of National Defense. The proclamation formally elevated the cemetery's status from a simple burial ground to a national shrine of military and historical significance.
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<h2>
Administration and Management
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Throughout the decades, the cemetery's administration has shifted among various government agencies. After Marcos issued Proclamation No. 208 in 1967, the cemetery was initially placed under the Department of National Defense. In 1972, following the declaration of martial law, it was transferred to the education department, then to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office in 1973. By 1977, it was formally returned to the Department of National Defense under the PVAO through the Military Shrines Service.
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Today, the Libingan ng mga Bayani is managed by the Grave Service Unit (GSU), a unit of the Philippine Army Support Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Veterans Memorial and Historical Division of the PVAO, which administers ten national military shrines across the country, oversees the cemetery's development and historical preservation.
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<h2>
Burial Eligibility and Regulations
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The criteria for burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani have evolved over time through various military regulations. On April 9, 1986, President <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/897/today-in-philippine-history-january-25-1933-cory-aquino-was-born-in-manila" class="news_link">Corazon Aquino</a> and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Fidel V. Ramos issued Armed Forces Regulations G 161-373, titled "The Allocation of Cemetery Plots at the LNMB", which established the interment policy for the cemetery. This was later amended on September 11, 2000, by Armed Forces Regulations G 161-375.
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According to these regulations, those authorized to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani include:
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Medal of Valor awardees
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Presidents of the Philippines (as Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces)
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Vice Presidents
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Secretaries of National Defense
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Armed Forces Chiefs of Staff
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Active and retired military personnel of the AFP who died in the line of duty
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Veterans of the Philippine Revolution, World War I, World War II, and recognized guerrillas
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Government dignitaries and statesmen
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National Artists and National Scientists
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Other deceased persons whose interment has been approved by the Commander-in-Chief
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The regulations exclude those who have been dishonorably separated, discharged, or reverted from service, or those convicted by final judgment of an offense involving moral turpitude.
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The History of Libingan ng mga Bayani