1947 – established as the Republic Memorial Cemetery in honor of those who fought and died in World War II

1954 – renamed by President Ramon Magsaysay as the Libingan ng mga Bayani

1967 – expanded by President Ferdinand Marcos using 142 hectares of the Fort Bonifacio Military Reserve and made it a national shrine for fallen heroes.

Source: malacañang.gov.ph

Those qualified to be interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani:

• Medal of Valor Awardees;
• Presidents or Commanders-in-Chief of the AFP;
• Secretaries of National Defense;
• AFP Chiefs of Staff;
• Generals/Flag Officers of the AFP;
• Active and retired military personnel of the AFP including active draftees and trainees, active reservists, and CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) who died in the line of duty, regardless whether they were awarded a medal of valor or not;
• Former members of the AFP who laterally entered the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP);
• Veterans of the Philippine Revolution of 1890, WWI, WWII, and recognized guerrillas;
• Dignitaries – high ranking officials in the government or church;
• Statesmen – persons experienced in government affairs;
• Elected officials of Congress, excluding local government officials from the provincial level down;
• National Artists;
• Other deceased persons whose internment has been approved by the Commander-in-Chief, Congress, or the secretary of National Defense.

Interment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

Since 1952, no application for internment has been disapproved.

Internment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani is on a “first-come-first-served” basis.

There were 49,450 individuals interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani as of August 10, 2016.

Deceased widows of Presidents, AFP Chiefs of Staff, and Secretaries of National Defense are buried together with their spouses.

There are no separate plots allotted for the widows of Presidents, AFP Chiefs of Staff, and Secretaries of National Defense because they are buried together with their spouses.

Source: Philippine Army; AFP Regulation 161-375

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Notable individuals interred:

Elpidio Quirino – 6th President of the Philippines. He was the last President to be interred at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani on Feb. 9, 2016, after his remains were exhumed from Manila South Cemetery.

Carlos P. Garcia – 8th President of the Philippines

Diosdado Macapagal – 9th President of the Philippines

Vicente Manansala – National Artist for Visual Arts

Dr. Fe del Mundo – First Female National Scientist

Scout Oscar Alcaraz - the first civilian to be interred at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani on October 31, 1970. Alcaraz died while saving the life of a fellow scouter who fell in a deep area of La Mesa Dam on Aug. 30, 1970.

Sources: Malacañang: https://web.archive.org/web/20151025110333/http://malacanang.gov.ph/undas-2012-a-cemeteries-tour/; Philippine Army; AFP Regulation 161-375