1 of 7 Pinoys killed in Yemen attack posthumously awarded

One of seven Filipinos killed in an attack in Yemen earlier this month was posthumously conferred the Medal of Duty by Yemeni President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia said Thursday.

Hadi awarded the medal to Dr. Ruben Valenzuela and expressed gratitude on behalf of Yemen's people for Valenzuela's exemplary service in his 30 years of humanitarian work there, the embassy said.

"The Medal of Duty and Plaque was received by Vice Consul Redentor Genotiva on behalf of the family of Dr. Valenzuela during a ceremony on 16 December 2013 at the Presidential Palace in Sana’a," it said on its website.

Also, the embassy said a delegation from the Defense Complex Hospital will go to the Philippines to visit the families of those who died.

Valenzuela was among seven Filipinos killed in a terror attack on the Defense Complex Hospital (DCH) in Sana’a, Yemen last Dec. 5.

The embassy said the Medal of Duty is "an expression of gratitude…in recognition of his great medical services of both military and civil sides for thirty years… worthy of praise and appreciation.”

For his part, Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Yemen Ezzedin Tago acknowledged Valenzuela's "invaluable services" to the people of Yemen.

“The conferment of the Medal of Duty to Dr. Valenzuela is testament to the invaluable services that Dr. Valenzuela and the other six Filipino medical workers gave to the Yemeni people,” he said. — LBG, GMA News

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