Schoolgirl, 12, honored for saving Philippine flagBy: Jocelyn R. Uy / @mj_uyINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 07:02 PM August 25, 2011
Janela Arcos Lelis, 12, wades through floodwater as she tightly holds the Philippine flag in a heroic act to save the national symbol from being swept away by the raging water on that stormy day on July 26. Albay resident Frank Lurzano captured the scene on film.
MANILA, Philippines–No one would have thought that the shy 12-year-old girl in red sneakers had achieved a feat one would normally associate with soldiers on a battlefield: Save the country’s flag.
For her deed, a little Philippine flag was pinned on Thursday on the left collar of Janela Arcos Lelis to remind all that this was the sixth grader who saved the flag from raging floodwaters when Typhoon “Juaning” slammed her hometown in July.
Lelis, from Malinao, Albay province, was given formal recognition by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for what she did—the first such honor bestowed on a Filipino child, according to the government arm that promotes Philippine history and cultural heritage.
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