A video of a Philippine flag being burned in a school shocked some Filipinos online.
The viral clip featured the national flag being carried to what appeared to be a large wok pan with open flames.
It happened at the Palawan National School (PNS).
The video was posted by Facebook page “Sapphi and Sabby” and has earned 5.9 million views, 10,200 likes, 1,500 shares, and over 2,900 comments.
Some expressed surprise at the initiative.
“Shame on you, people. Why are [you] burning the Philippines [sic] Flag. Why not keep it safe, no matter how old,” a Facebook user commented.
“So sad to [watch] this flag of the Philippines burning,” another user wrote with several crying emojis.
“[Bakit] ganon?? Bawal ‘yan, ‘di ba?” a different Pinoy commented.
“Totoo ba ‘yan… Explain to the Filipino people… So sad, very sad,” another user wrote.
On Monday, September 30, the Palawan National School held a solemn Burning of the Philippine Flag Ceremony on its school grounds.
The event, which was called a “significant ceremony of respect and reverence” for the country’s national symbol, was in cooperation with the PNS Boy Scouts of the Philippines and PNS Girls Scouts of the Philippines.
The “special day” was attended by the Department of Education-Puerto Princesa City Schools Division Superintendent officer-in-charge Laida Lagar-Mascareñas and Public Schools District Supervisor-Cluster I Angelica San Jose.
Republic Act 8941 or the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines states that a worn-out flag must not be thrown away but “solemnly burned to avoid misuse or desecration.”
Its ashes shall also be collected and then buried.
The burning is done when the national flag begins to show signs of wear and tear.
The law also states it shall be immediately replaced.
A clearer version of a flag-burning ceremony can be seen on the Facebook of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
The national flag represents and symbolizes a nation.
It serves as a distinctive emblem and is a way for a country to portray itself to the rest of the world.
