PH National Flag Day marked with simultaneous flag-raising ceremony

The Philippines on Wednesday celebrated the National Flag Day with simultaneous flag-raising ceremonies in over a thousand sites across the country.

At Rizal Park in Manila, representatives from government agencies, advocacy groups, and other organizations gathered for the raising of the “biggest flag” on the “highest flagpole.”

“We have finally surpassed the 690 nationwide locations who joined us in 2019 to raise our flags simultaneously at 8 a.m.,” Salute To A Clean Flag founder Monique Cornelio Pronove said during the event.

“Today, there were 1,122 privately owned buildings and estates across the Philippines in Luzon, in Visayas, and in Mindanao who joined our government to raise our flags simultaneously today,” she added.

The Philippine flag at Rizal Park was hoisted by Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel as musical theater actor Leo Valdez performed the national anthem, Lupang Hinirang.

Arturo Valdez, who led the first-ever Philippine expedition team to climb Mount Everest in 2006, recited the Panunumpa sa Watawat, while actor John Arcilla recited the Salute To A Clean Flag Manifesto.

National Parks Development Committee Cecille Lorenzana-Romero recalled the history of the Philippine flag and pointed out that “our fight did not end in Kawit, it continues today.”

“Look around you and you will see Filipinos who still fight,  not on battlefields but in their daily lives. Our freedom was hard won, but it's also hard kept. And many still protect it with quiet courage and sacrifice,” she said.

“So as you gaze upon the flag today, think of every Filipino as a thread in its fabric. Each of us helped build and hold this nation together,” she added.

Presidential Proclamation 374 declares May 28 as National Flag Day to commemorate the day the Philippine flag was first raised after the Philippine Revolutionary Army defeated Spanish forces in the battle in Alapan in Imus, Cavite in 1898.

Executive Order 179 by then-President Fidel Ramos set the extension of the commemoration of the National Flag Day until June 12. —VAL, GMA Integrated News