The celebration of the Philippine Flag, which runs up to the end of June, is about to culminate and we have just finished celebrating Independence Day, but many of us are guilty of taking our nationhood for granted. It seems love of country in the Philippines is now passé and missing in each of us. Gone are the days when owners and drivers of transport jeeps, buses, cars, trucks, even tricycles and the padyak were required to display the Philippine flag in their respective vehicles throughout the whole month of June. And many of them complied not because they felt compelled to do so, but out of sheer patriotism. The sight of Philippine flags fluttering in the wind, in sync with each other, was beautiful to watch from the top, or higher floors, of buildings.
Where has our nationalism gone?
Let’s again require all motorists, establishments, buildings, agencies to display the Philippine flag—and why not do it all-year round? A directive should be issued or, better still, a law passed for the purpose. It’s time we looked back to that era when Filipinos possessed a patriotic spirit. I recall that during our centennial, every family were asked to display a big Philippine flag right in their homes, which made for a inspiring sight to behold.
Let’s unite and cherish the great tradition of displaying our flag at every opportunity before, during and after the month of June. If we don’t do this, we will be out of touch with our rich history. More than ever, now is the time not only to rekindle the fire of nationalism but also to teach the young to value our flag and our independence. Otherwise, they will never be true Filipinos, devoid of any sense of the meaning and importance of being a citizen of the Philippines. It is a serious matter, for we won our independence through blood, sweat and tears.
—MAJORICA V. VALDEZ,
majorica_valdez@yahoo.com