President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will lead today's celebration of National Heroes Day. Today's celebration, however, will be unique because it will be the first time that the main celebration will be held outside Metro Manila. The celebration will be held in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao.

The traditional wreath-laying ceremony to be held at the Jose Rizal Monument will be lead by the President assisted by Governor Leo Ocampos who is the governor of Misamis Occidental and president of the Union of Local Administrators of the Philippines (ULAP).

After the wreath-laying ceremony, President Arroyo will proceed to the Xavier University gymnasium to perform the traditional awarding of the Golden Cross to deserving members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Medalya ng Kagalingan to members of the Philippine National Police (PNP). The awards are to be given to men in the service who are worthy of emulation by their fellow officers and men. The award is for those men for their evident acts of courage and gallantry in doing their job and who were either killed and/or wounded in action.

Assisting the President during the ceremony are Secretary Gilbert Teodoro of the Dept. of National Defense (DND), AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and PNP Director General Oscar Calderon.

The Gold Cross awardees are: 2Lt. Ruben B. Bamuevo (Posthumous) and SSgt. Mario C. Fillarca from the Philippine Navy and 2nd Lts. Noel T. Nuestro and Adrian Mark U. Gullunan, Sergeants Wilbert M. Guijaro and Poncito L. Marcos, Cpl. Robert V. Adlawan and PFC Muhaimin A. Hamsiraji from the Philippine Army.

The Medalya ng Kagalingan will be awarded to: SPO3 Basil L. Isad of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Police Regional Office and the Medalya ng Kagalingan to 13 other PNP personnel, namely SPO1 Danilo Nobelfranca of PNP Region 10, (Posthumous) and P/SInsp. Angel Sumagaysay, SPO1 Atilo Salvan, PO3 Askail Munici, PO2 Wilfredo Galupo and PO1 Rodney Barte, Marcelino Vinson, Lemuel Magoncia, Kenneth Corsame, Sigfredo Sanchez, Dennis Jess Lukikid, Rey Idoy and Ronie Villegas.