Outrage!


MLQ has written a more scholarly and authoritative piece about this in a recent PDI column, but I just can not help but add my personal outrage over the way the national flag is being brazenly desecrated in our thoroughfares today.

I was driving along Taft Avenue in Manila this morning and was extremely horrified at the extent to which the Philippine flag has been so desecrated by the City of Manila. I have never ever seen such brazen and wanton disrespect for our national symbol! All along the length of Taft Avenue today, flags are carelessly and haphazardly nailed on the concrete posts that support the LRT. In some cases, the flag is not even nailed but pierced through on all four corners with metal wires and spread like an ordinary streamer. And many of the flags were directly exposed to rain - picture the combination of rainwater, pollution, exhaust, etc., and you can imagine the grimy state of the flags.

It seems that the only consideration made by whoever was responsible for this abominable deed has been to simply put up the flags, period. The people who put them up must be cross-eyed (most of the flags are skewed and slanted, some are twisted) and aesthetic morons (some of the flags are not even displayed symmetrically on the posts, they are off-center and parts of the flag extend beyond the concrete).



Where did this people get their basic education? I am sure that every school in this country holds a flag ceremony at least once a week where the flag is hoisted up in a solemn ceremony and where everyone eventually pledges allegiance to the flag. I am sure that civics classes still teach how the flag should be handled - and we all know it should never ever be nailed or pierced through with metal wires. Not only does this indicate extreme waste of taxpayers' money (each flag must cost more than a poor family's meal) but more importantly, it betrays utter lack of nationalism.

I am told that the disrespect extends all the way up to the borders of Kalookan and Pasay and that there is a Philippine flag on each LRT post.

I just can not fathom how any self-respecting government official can stand such a pitiful and shameless sight. These people do not deserve to be called Filipinos. I was so angry and insulted I felt like stoning the Manila City Hall for having such a low regard for this country's main symbol of pride and identity.

(The pictures were taken using my cellphone while driving along Taft Avenue. There were more flags in more pitiful state, but I was in a moving vehicle so I could only take pictures of the ones close to an intersection during a red light).

Comments

Anonymous said…
Nagtataka nga ako ngayon Mr. A, para bang walang ka-effort effort ang Independence Day celebration natin...wala man big banners sa headlines ng mga dyaryo natin na Happy Independence Day...sa PDI meron sa loob, pero sa PS ay wala, parang ordinaryo day lang..ano na ba nangyayari sa atin? wala na tayong pakealam ngayon? galing kami Tagaytay last Saturday at least dun ang dami Flags sa daan , sa mga puno...yung mga headlines ng dyaryo, politics pa rin ! di man lang mag laan ng kahit isang araw sa buong taon na walag politics! Dati parang tanda ko, mga headline ng dyaryo ay mga Flags natin at itong Independence Day nga...ngayon wala...tsk! tsk! ano sa palagay mo, nakalimutan kaya nila or sinadyang kinalimutan na ? Kulang din mga adverstisements ang gob natin dapat may mga celebrations ngayon...pero deadma na yata...saan na tayo tutungo nyan..
pinoy said…
I feel exactly the same way that you do. It is a sight to see many flags flying proudly. But it is an ugly and disgusting sights to see our flags being put up and left to the elements.

Couldn't those people who put up those flags assign people to just look after them be it a tanod, streetsweeper, students, whoever who can be made responsible to make sure that those flag that they put up are not left to get entangled.

On my blog, I posted a photo of how our flag was really desecrated. http://buhaypinoy.wordpress.com/2006/05/06/di-na-naawa/ There are many more of these kinds where we, as a people, never really took our flag seriously.

But in my opinion, our flag is that only thing that we have that can unite us as a people. This is the only thing where we can all rally around. This is our symbol. So let us take our flag more seriously. I would even encourage the display of our flag not just during Independence Day celebrations but the whole year round. In displaying our flag, we must treat it with respect and dignity. The way we treat our flag is simply a reflection of us as a people, a people having no self respect, lacking morale and disunited.
Anonymous said…
This kind of act is one of the reasons why I don't respect majority of the people working in the government. Kung kaya nilang bastusin ng ganun ung simbolo ng Pilipinas, pano pa kaya ung mga ordinaryong mga Pilipino na nagbabayad ng tamang buwis at nagpapasweldo sa kanila...
Gelo said…
I just linked your flag story in my recent post. Salamat.
JT said…
I agree with you on this, in other countries, they revere their flag with great respect and you wont see it hanging around the way they do it here sa Pinas. One can even go to jail pag na miss handled yung flag (like the ones they did along Taft Avenue) wow linaw ng camera ng phone mo ah. Anyway, just dropping by.
j said…
That's a clear indication of disrespect. What are the politicians in those places doing? D man lang ipaayos, grabe ka walang pakialam. Such a shame...

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