MANILA, Philippines – Police Master Sergeant Jason Magno, the cop who died shielding civilians from the explosion of a grenade in Misamis Oriental, was honored by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in its Bantayog ng mga Bayaning Tagapamayapa early morning Monday, January 20.

Accompanied by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año and PNP’s incoming police chief Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa, Magno’s wife, Vivian, laid a wreath in front of the PNP’s monument inside the national police headquarters Camp Crame.

The ceremony further recognized Magno as a model cop, after he was first awarded the coveted Medal of Valor, and the Order of Lapu-Lapu Magalong Medal.

LOOK: PNP honors "hero cop" Jason Magno here at the Bantayog ng mga Bayaning Tagapamayapa in Camp Crame.

Magno is the cop who shielded civilians from a grenade blast by "embracing" the explosion. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/XVRoxCFz7y

— Rambo Talabong (@ramboreports) January 20, 2020

“Masayang masaya po ako (I am very happy),” said Vivian Magno in an interview at the sidelines of the ceremony on Monday.

The ceremony is part of the PNP’s year-opening tradition of remembering their fallen cops the previous year on its foundation day. The PNP on Monday celebrated its 29th founding anniversary.

Other cops who have been honored in the ceremony are the PNP’s fallen in the Marawi siege and the botched Mamasapano operation that killed Special Action Force (SAF) troopers in January 2015.

The program’s goal: to remind the PNP that its most dedicated men continue to offer the ultimate sacrifice for their mission of protecting the public. – Rappler.com