Malilong: Fervor is a feeling, not a duty

WE already have twenty-two State policies in the constitution. The House of Representatives wants to add a twenty-third: reverence and respect at all times for the flag, the national anthem and other national symbols. It says so in House Bill No. 5224, which they unanimously passed last week, amending the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines nineteen years after it was approved on Feb. 12, 1998. And how does the bill propose to achieve the desired attitude towards our national symbols? By increasing the penalty for non-observance. As soon as the bill is signed into law, failure to comply with any of its provisions shall be penalized with a fine of between P50,000 to P100,000 or imprisonment of not more than one year or both fine and jail term. That’s quite a hefty increase from the P5,000 to P20,000 fine imposed by the existing law. How sad that two decades of the Philippine Flag law have not seen us develop passion for our national symbols. Many of us don’t even care to stand up when the Lupang Hinirang is played. One early Monday morning at the Abellana oval this year, I heard children singing the national anthem and paused. A few others did, too but most did not and, worse, looked at us like we just landed from Mars. Will a stiffer penalty ignite a surge in patriotism? In the first place, is it correct to equate reverence for symbols with love of country? Who serves the cause of patriotism better: the public official, who stands in attention and places his hand on his chest every time he hears the anthem being sung but who swears to rip into pieces any court order that challenges his authority or the ordinary Juan dela Cruz who looks at flag ceremonies as a triviality but who humbly obeys orders even if they meant personal inconvenience? Are we more interested in form than in substance?

Read more: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/opinion/2017/07/01/malilong-fervor-feeling-not-duty-550604
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