What do President Obama in 2014 and President Eisenhower in 1960 have in common? -- Honor noted by Pres. Benino Aquino III

from WHITE HOUSE office of the press secretary -- transcript excerpt from April 28, 2014: Tonight, I have the distinct pleasure to confer the highest rank, that of Raja, or Grand Collar, on you, Mr. President, for your leadership and policies that assisted the Philippines in times of natural disaster; for helping uphold stability and peace by means of the rule of law in Southeast Asia; and for working with us to fundamentally raise the defense capacity of our country. The first of your predecessors to receive this distinction was venerable Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1960. Let us now -- may this conferment symbolize our nation’s esteem for the American people and may serve as a reminder of the mutual desire to always be partners based on the highest principles of liberty, democracy, and progress. Mr. President, our discussions today highlighted the ongoing dialogue and cooperation between our two countries as we adapt and respond to the changing circumstances and the paramount challenges of the 21st century. The world has come to realize that stability is a necessary foundation of progress and prosperity for all our peoples. Alliances are deepened not only through our shared history, but also through mutual confidence and respect, which is constantly refreshed to give new relevance and purpose to our positive, longstanding relations. We are bound by the quest to turn our shared principles of democracy, human rights and freedom into an inclusive reality not just for our respective peoples, but for all nations. Mr. President, I’ve always taken to heart that in an increasingly complex world, it is incumbent upon all of us to be part of the solution and not of the problem. From the very first meeting we had in New York in 2010 to this night, you and I -- and the members of our respective administrations -- have worked together as partners and friends, finding ways to promote common understanding and to develop meaningful solutions for a great number of our era’s dilemmas. Whether in strengthening our trade relations, security alliances and people-to-people engagements, or encouraging more nations to commit to the Open Government Partnership -- an area where the Philippines continue to innovate -- we continue to challenge ourselves to answer the pressing questions of these times: By what means can peace be sustained? Through what instruments can poverty and the effects of climate change and calamity be addressed? And to whose benefit will our mutual and collective undertakings redound? The answer, of course, lies in the maintenance and deepening of the alliance we share, whether in building a Southeast Asia that champions the rule of law, or in advancing the belief that the most certain way to prosperity is to actively seek a harmonious relationship with all nations. Mr. President, through this brief visit of yours, I am confident that you have witnessed firsthand how such values, our shared beliefs and principles, can transform a society as it has ours. . . http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/04/28/remarks-president-obama-and-president-aquino-iii-philippines-state-dinne