Establishing within the Order of Lakandula the Rank of Champion for Life (Kampeon Habang Buhay)

June 13, 2006

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 540

ESTABLISHING WITHIN THE ORDER OF LAKANDULA THE RANK OF CHAMPION FOR LIFE (KAMPEON HABANG BUHAY)

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 236 dated 19 September 2003 established the Honors Code of the Philippines;

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 236 established the Order of Lakandula and its composition;

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 236 affirmed the Order of National Artists and the Order of National Scientists;

WHEREAS, there are no specific Honors for champions for sports, beauty, and similar fields of competition and achievement that foster extraordinary national pride and inspiration toward excellence;

NOW, THEREFORE, I GLORIA M. ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

The Order of Lakandula shall have an additional rank of Champion for Life (Kampeon Habang Buhay), next in rank to that of Officer (Pinuno). The rank of Champion for Life (Kampeon Habang Buhay) shall be conferred upon an individual who has attained an outstanding achievement in an international event in sports, beauty and similar fields of competition and achievement that foster extraordinary national pride and inspiration toward excellence; such as extraordinary achievement in boxing, Miss International title, gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games, and reaching the peak of Mount Everest.

The first recipients of the Order of Lakandula, rank of Champion for Life (Kampeon Habang Buhay) shall be Manny Paquiao, Precious Lara Quigaman, the Filipino gold medalists in the Southeast Asian games, and the Filipinos who reached the peak of Mount Everest in the year 2006. TSEHcA

Executive Order No. 236 dated 19 September 2003 is hereby amended.

All other Presidential directives, issuances, order, rules and regulations on parts thereof insofar as they are inconsistent with this Executive Order are likewise hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 13th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Six.