President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday urged homes, government, and business establishments to display the Philippine flag at all times, saying this is a good reminder of the people’s love for their country.
Marcos made the statement as the country celebrates its Philippines’ 124th Independence Day on June 12.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Kalayaan 2022: Pag-suong sa Hamon Ng Panibagong Bukas (Rise Towards the Challenge of a New Beginning).”
Meanwhile, about 2,000 Metro Manila police officers will be deployed to secure the inauguration of Marcos Jr. at the National Museum of the Philippines on June 30, a police official said Monday.
Philippine National Police (PNP) director for operations Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon inspected the museum as part of security preparations for the event.
De Leon said PNP officer in charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. emphasized the need for early preparations to anticipate all the possible scenarios that could affect the oath-taking ceremony.
“Our personnel from Regions 3 and 4 will only be utilized to ensure that there will be no movements, especially those that are left-leaning organizations taking advantage of this activity,” de Leon said.
He said they are also coordinating with the Manila City government and nearby local government units (LGUs) for the “no permit, no rally” policy.
The PNP said so far, local government units have not issued any permits for any protest action on the day of Marcos’s inauguration.
De Leon said the same level of preparation is also being done for the inauguration of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte in Davao City on June 19.
He said they have yet to get any report of any possible disruptions during the inauguration of Duterte-Carpio on June 19, amid the recent bombing incidents in Mindanao.
In his vlog uploaded to YouTube on June 4, Marcos stressed the importance of displaying the Philippine flag.
“I agree with you all. We should encourage all those establishments—business and government—to display and take pride in our country’s flag,” he said.
According to the President-elect, the flag should be displayed at all times, not just during Independence Day.
“I think that there is nothing wrong, whatsoever, in displaying our flag, not just when Independence Day comes. We should display the flag in our houses,” Marcos pointed out.
“I even know someone who erected a flag pole in their house and they have a flag-raising ceremony every day,” he added.
Marcos emphasized that displaying the country’s flag will remind everyone, especially the youth, to love their country.
“I think this is a good reminder, especially to the kids, to always remember and love the Philippines,” the President-elect said.
