Four foreign nationals recently landed in the news after they were caught disrespecting (to put it mildly) the Philippine flag in Ternate, Cavite.
According to reports, the foreigners (three Pakistanis and one Romanian) were caught in the act by a Philippine Marines officer pulling down the Philippine flag, tearing it apart, and then throwing it into a trash can.
The foreigners, who were on their way to a resort in Ternate, were apparently so frustrated with the traffic congestion on their way to the resort that they took their anger out on the flag.
Fair enough, as the traffic situation in Mega Manila is still one to bring out the beast in most motorists, but I wonder what was in the mindset of those foreigners while they were tearing the flag apart.
Does this have to do with the fact that the flag represents the country – and that in destroying it, those foreigners might have thought they’re insulting the Philippines as a whole?
-o0o-
Speaking of which, the recent hullaballoo with the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) new slogan “Love Philippines” had sparked intense debate on social media spaces on “how” exactly one should love one’s country.
And when we say “love our country,” part of that is respecting the most sacred national symbols representing our country, such as the flag and the national anthem.
And here’s where I believe I should put my own observations on how we Filipinos treat our national symbols.
Sure, the recent incident of those foreigners tearing the Philippine flag sparked outrage in social media, but this isn’t the first time this has happened.
Remember that incident where a student used a discarded Philippine flag as a washcloth (basahan), in violation of Republic Act 8941 (Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines) which states that worn-out flags should be discarded with the proper ceremony?
But here’s something to ponder: how many of us really know how to display the Philippine flag properly?
Last month, as the Philippines celebrated National Flag Month, I noticed a Christian church near our house displaying the flag in the "wrong" setting – the red side was on the left, which should only be the case when the Philippines is in a state of war.
What bothered me is that nobody even bothered to correct that error for the entire month that that flag was displayed wrong.
-o0o-
Here’s another thing I’ve noticed lately: there were still some people who fail to stop and stand at attention when the National Anthem is played, like at schools.
I mean, the National Anthem takes just about a minute and a half to sing. That’s less time than what we usually waste when being stuck in traffic.
How could we encourage our youth to love our country when we don't even give the slightest importance to the proper treatment of our national symbols?
#UncommonSense
#NationalSymbols
#OpinYon