President Rodrigo Duterte chided government officials and offices for continuing to display his portrait, despite his repeated appeals to take them down.
“Ang titigas ng mga ulo. You will not flatter me with my picture. Titindig ang balahibo ko niyan,” Duterte told Palace reporters whom he hosted a party on Tuesday.
He then told journalists to remind public officials and offices of his order to take down his portraits and instead display photos of heroes.
“Kindly remind them about my order, itong mga government offices, not to display my picture or the picture of [Special Assistant to the President Christopher] “Bong” [Go]. Hindi kami ’yung heroes,” he said.
“It’s not yet our time to be there. We are not supposed to be in any corner [of government offices or schools],” he added.
Without making any apparent reference, Duterte made the reminder a day after the Department of Labor and Employment issued an OFW Card bearing Duterte’s image.
“I’m requiring everybody who really want to show a sense of loyalty to the country [to] display the pictures or paintings of our heroes,” he said.
Malacañang issued on Sept. 15 Memorandum Circular No. 25 signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea urging government offices to display photos of Philippine heroes instead.
Part of the Memorandum reads “All government agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned or –controlled corporations, state universities and colleges and public schools of all levels, are hereby directed to display or exhibit the photographs, paintings or other forms of visual representations of Philippine Heroes in lieu of the photographs, paintings or other forms of visual representations of elected or appointed government officials.”
Instead of President Duterte’s pictures, government offices may choose to display the likenesses of recognized Philippine heroes from a list published by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
These include Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, Gabriela Silang, Lapu-Lapu, Father Jose Burgos, Father Mariano Gomez, Father Jacinto Zamora, Emilio Jacinto and Jose Abad Santos.