MANILA, Philippines- Ipinagdiwang ng Pilipinas nitong Miyerkules ang National Flag Day kung saan sabay-sabay na isinagawa ang flag-raising ceremonies sa libo-libong lugar sa bansa.
Sa Rizal Park sa Manila, nagtipon ang mga kinatawan mula sa government agencies, advocacy groups, at iba pang organisasyon para sa pagtataas ng “biggest flag” sa “highest flagpole.”
“We have finally surpassed the 690 nationwide locations who joined us in 2019 to raise our flags simultaneously at 8 a.m.,” pahayag ni Salute To A Clean Flag founder Monique Cornelio Pronove sa 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,” dagdag niya.
Itinaas ng Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel ang Philippine flag sa Rizal Park kasabay ng pagg-awit ng musical theater actor na si Leo Valdez ng national anthem, ang Lupang Hinirang.
Binigkas naman ni Arturo Valdez, nanguna sa pinakaunang Philippine expedition team upang akyatin ang Mount Everest noong 2006, ang Panunumpa sa Watawat, habang si John Arcilla ang nanguna sa pagbigkas ng Salute To A Clean Flag Manifesto.
Inalala ni National Parks Development Committee Cecille Lorenzana-Romero ang kasaysayan ng Philippine flag at binanggit na “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,” wika ng opisyal.
“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,” dagdag niya.
Idinedeklara ng Presidential Proclamation 374 ang May 28 bilang National Flag Day upang gunitain ang unang pagtataas ng Philippine flag matapos matalo ng Philippine Revolutionary Army ang Spanish forces sa sagupaan sa Alapan sa Imus, Cavite noong 1898.
Itinakda ng Executive Order 179 ni dating Pangulong Fidel Ramos ang extension ng paggunita ng National Flag Day hanggang June 12. RNT/SA
