The Order of the Golden Heart (''Orden ng Gintong Puso'') is an order of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

History

Created by Executive Order 40-A dated June 21, 1954, the Golden Heart Presidential Award was upgraded to the Order of the Golden Heart by Executive Order 236 on September 19, 2003.

Criteria

The Order of the Golden Heart gives official recognition to Filipino or foreign citizens who have rendered distinguished services or given noteworthy monetary or other material aid, encouragement to the campaign for the amelioration and improvement of the moral, social, and economic conditions of the Filipino masses, and for volunteerism in the service of the Filipino masses.

Ranks

The Order of the Golden Heart shall be composed of the following ranks:Executive Order No. 236, s. 2003
Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 14 April 2013. * Grand Collar (GCGH) (''Maringal na Kuwintas''): Conferred upon a former or incumbent head of State and/or of government, se
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* Grand Cross (GCrGH) (''Maringal na Krus''): Conferred upon a Crown Prince, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House, Chief Justice or the equivalent, foreign minister or other official of cabinet rank; or upon an Ambassador, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing * Grand Officer (GOGH) (''Maringal na Pinuno''): Conferred upon a Chargé d'affaires, e.p., Minister, Minister Counselor, Consul General heading a consular post, Executive Director, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing * Commander (CGH) (''Komandante''): Chargé d'affaires, a.i., Counselor, First Secretary, Consul General in the consular section of an Embassy, Consular officer with a personal rank higher than Second Secretary, Director, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing * Officer (OGH) (''Pinuno''): Conferred upon a Second Secretary, Consul, Assistant Director, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing * Member (MGH) (''Kagawad''): Conferred upon a Third Secretary, Vice Consul, Attaché, Principal Assistant, or other person of a rank similar or equivalent to the foregoing

Insignia

* The ''Ribbon'' of the Order is red. The award had a tricolor blue, white, red ribbon * The ''badge'' and the ''plaque'' is a green-enamelled Maltese cross with an oval golden medallion representing hands open to a golden shining heart, surmounted by a reverse motto "MANUM TUAM APERVIT INOPE", the whole medallion surrounded by a green crown of laurel, and between the branches, golden laces and green leaves. * The badge was originally designed as a medal by Gilbert Perez and later modified into the badge of the Order by

Galo Ocampo Galo B. Ocampo (October 16, 1913 – September 12, 1985) was a Philippine artist. He was also the first Filipino to study heraldry and was a member of the International Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry in Madrid. Ocampo was born in Santa Ri ...

Notable recipients

The following names were based on the roster of recipients from the Malacañang Protocol Office:

Conferred by Ramon Magsaysay

Carlos P. Romulo Carlos Peña Romulo Sr. (January 14, 1898 – December 15, 1985) was a Filipino diplomat, statesman, soldier, journalist and author. He was a reporter at the age of 16, a newspaper editor by 20, and a publisher at 32. He was a co-founder of t ...

, Member (''Kagawad''), 13 September 1954; Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 1954 * Helen Keller, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 20 March 1955

Conferred by Carlos Garcia

Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1958 (posthumous) *

Manuel Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his dea ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 19 August 1960 (posthumous)

Conferred by Diosdado Macapagal

Queen Sirikit of Thailand Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was Queen of Thailand as the wif ...

, 1963 *

Gemma Cruz-Araneta Gemma Teresa Guerrero Cruz—Araneta (; born 30 September 1943) is a Filipino politician, writer, director, and beauty queen who won Miss International 1964, becoming the first Filipino and Asian to win the title. She received an "Outstanding Ma ...

, 1964

Conferred by Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.

Siti Hartinah Raden Ayu Siti Hartinah (23 August 1923 – 28 April 1996), also known as Siti Hartinah Soeharto or Tien Soeharto, was the First Lady of Indonesia from 1967 until 1996. She was the wife of second Indonesian president, Suharto. Known as Ibu Ti ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1968 * Dr. Clark Bloom, Golden Heart Presidential Award, 1971 * Dr.

Robert F. Chandler Robert Flint Chandler Jr. (June 22, 1907 - March 23, 1999) was an American horticulturalist. He obtained a degree in Horticulture from the University of Maine in 1929, and his Ph.D. in Pomology from the University of Maryland in 1934. He first ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 1971 * Queen Ratna, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1971 *

Kwa Geok Choo Kwa Geok Choo (; 21 December 1920 – 2 October 2010) was a Singaporean lawyer. She was the wife of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the mother of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. She was also the co-founder and partner of law ...

, Golden Heart Presidential Award, 15 January 1974 * Dr. Charles P. Bailey, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1975 * Dr.

Denton Cooley Denton Arthur Cooley (August 22, 1920 – November 18, 2016) was an American heart and cardiothoracic surgeon famous for performing the first implantation of a total artificial heart. Cooley was also the founder and surgeon in-chief of The T ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1975 * Dr.

Christiaan Barnard Christiaan Neethling Barnard (8 November 1922 – 2 September 2001) was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant operation. On 3 December 1967, Barnard transplanted the heart of accident-v ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1975 *

Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú, 10th Marquis of Villaverde ''Don'' Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú y Ortega, 10th Marquess of Villaverde (1 August 1922 in Jaén, Mancha Real, Spain – 4 February 1998 in Madrid, Spain), was a Spanish aristocrat, the son-in-law of dictator Francisco Franco, and a heart surge ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1975 *

Talal bin Abdulaziz Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, طلال بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Ṭalāl bin ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Saʿūd''; 15 August 1931 – 22 December 2018), formerly also called The Red Prince, was a Saudi Arabian politician, dissident, b ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 1983 * Peace Corps in the Philippines, Golden Heart Presidential Award, 1983 *

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictator ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas'') *

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas'')

Conferred by Corazon Aquino

* Dr. K. Ramiah, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus'') *

M.S. Swaminathan Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (born 7 August 1925) is an Indian agronomist, agricultural scientist, plant geneticist, administrator and Humanitarianism, humanitarian. Swaminathan is a global leader of the Green Revolution, green revolution. H ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 1987 * Santanina Tillah Rasul, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 29 June 1988

Conferred by Fidel Ramos

* Fr. Pierre Tritz, SJ, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 8 October 1993 *

Manuel Manahan Manuel Perez Manahan (January 1, 1916 – May 18, 1994) was a Filipino politician, journalist, businessman, and rural development advocate. He was a key government official during the administration of president Ramon Magsaysay, best known for h ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 20 April 1994 * Dr. Klaus Lampe, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 19 May 1995 * The Rockefeller Brothers, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 31 August 1996 *

Eduardo Ermita Eduardo R. Ermita (born July 13, 1935) is a former Executive Secretary (Philippines), Executive Secretary of the Philippines and former spokesperson for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Ermita took his Defense Resource Management Course at the Na ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 2 September 1997 *

Fortunato Abat Fortunato Abat (June 10, 1925 – March 7, 2018) was a Filipino major general who served as the 20th Secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND), Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, and Commanding General of the Philippine Ar ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 2 September 1997 * Ruben Torres, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 2 September 1997 *

Orlando S. Mercado Orlando Sanchez Mercado (, born Orlando Mercado y Sanchez; April 26, 1946), better known as Orly Mercado, is a Filipino politician and broadcast journalist best known for having served as a senator of the Philippines from 1987 to 1998, Secretary ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 13 May 1998 * Emilia Boncodin, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 *

Gabriel Singson Gabriel dela Cruz Singson (18 March 1929 – 29 March 2016) was lawyer and banker, who served as the first Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from 1993 to 1999. He was the first Governor of the BSP after former President Fidel V. ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 *

Jose T. Almonte Jose T. Almonte was the National Security Advisor and Director-General of the National Security Council in the Cabinet of Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos.

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 *

Juan Flavier Juan Martin Flavier (; June 23, 1935 – October 30, 2014) was a Filipino physician and politician. He served as the Secretary of Health under President Fidel V. Ramos from 1992 to 1995, and was later elected to the Senate, serving from 1995 t ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 * Magtanggol Gunigundo I, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 *

Manuel Morato Manuel "Manoling" Lim Morato (November 17, 1933 – July 30, 2021) was a Filipino politician and television host who previously served as chairperson of both the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and the Philippine Ch ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 *

Manuel Yan Manuel Tecson Yan, Sr. (January 24, 1920 – December 4, 2008) was a Cabinet Secretary of the Aquino, Ramos and Estrada administrations, World War II veteran and List of AFP Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 *

Renato de Villa Renato "Rene" Salud de Villa (born July 20, 1935) is a Filipino former police and military officer and government official. He served as Chief of Philippine Constabulary, Director-General of the Integrated National Police, and Chief of Staff of ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998 * Santanina Tillah Rasul, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 23 June 1998

Conferred by Joseph Ejercito Estrada

* Sir Rupert Clarke, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 9 March 1999

Conferred by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

* Dr.

Jacques Diouf Jacques Diouf (1 August 1938 – 17 August 2019) was a Senegalese diplomat and the Director-General of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) from January 1994 to 31 December 2011. He died on 17 August 2019, 16 days after hi ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 20 April 2004 *

Democrito Mendoza Democrito "Kito" T. Mendoza (July 31, 1923 – January 12, 2016) was a Filipino Visayan lawyer and trade union leader from Cebu, Philippines. He was considered one of the founders of the country's labor movement and champion of Filipino workers' ri ...

, Grand Officer (''Maringal na Pinuno''), 1 May 2004 * Eulogio R. Lerum, Grand Officer (''Maringal na Pinuno''), 1 May 2004 *

Johnny Tan Juan Cañizares Tan (October 10, 1922–September 8, 2005), known as Johnny Tan, was a Filipino trade union leader. Tan grew up in Manila, and attended the Ateneo de Manila High School. He began working closely with the Catholic priest Walter Ho ...

, Grand Officer (''Maringal na Pinuno''), 1 May 2004 *

Emilio Yap Emilio T. Yap Sr., GCLH (September 24, 1925 – April 7, 2014) was a Chinese Filipino business tycoon and philanthropist. He was the chairman of the board of the ''Manila Bulletin''. Biography Emilio Yap, who was of Chinese descent, was born on S ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 2 February 2005 *

Carol Bellamy Carol Bellamy (born January 14, 1942) is an American nonprofit executive and former politician. She is chair of the board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). Previously, she was director of the Peace Corps, executive ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 5 April 2005 *

Natividad Relucio-Clavano Natividad Relucio Clavano (1 October 1932 – 4 October 2007) was a Filipino pediatrician. As chief of pediatrics at Baguio General Hospital, she studied the benefits of breastfeeding over infant formula and reformed the model of care provided to ...

, Commander (''Komandante''), 14 August 2006 *

Rosa Rosal Florence Danon Gayda (born Florence Lansang Danon; October 16, 1928), better known as Rosa Rosal, is a FAMAS award-winning Filipina film actress dubbed as the "original femme fatale of Philippine cinema." She is also known for her work with the ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 26 October 2005 *

Mohamed Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei Mohamed Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III (born 27 August 1947) is a member of the royal family of Brunei. He is the second son of Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei, and Raja Isteri (Queen) Pengiran Anak Damit. He is the H ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 7 July 2007 *

Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud ( ar, الوليد بن طلال آل سعود; born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian billionaire businessman, investor, philanthropist and royal. He was listed on ''Time'' magazine's Time 100, an annual list of the hu ...

, Grand Officer (''Maringal na Pinuno''), 2007 *

Queen Letizia of Spain Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (; born 15 September 1972) is the Queen of Spain as the wife of King Felipe VI. She came from a middle-class family and worked as a journalist for ''ABC'' and EFE before becoming a news anchor at CNN+ and Televisión E ...

, Grand Cross (''Maringal na Krus''), 2007 *

Queen Sofía of Spain Sofía of Greece and Denmark ( el, Σοφία; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who was List of Spanish royal consorts, Queen of Spain from 1975 to 2014 as the wife of King Juan Carlos I. She is the first child of ...

, Grand Collar (''Maringal na Kuwintas''), 2007Getty Images, State visit of Philippines President in Spain, December 2007
Group Photo
Zooming on the collar shows green cross of the Order of the Golden Heart *

Richard Lugar Richard Green Lugar (April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in Indianapolis, Lugar graduated from De ...