Flag salute and patriotism
Media
Part of Panorama
- Title
- Flag salute and patriotism
- Language
- English
- Source
- Volume XV (Issue No.1) January 1963
- Year
- 1963
- Subject
- Flags -- Law and legislation
- Patriotism
- Nationalism
- Rights
-
- Abstract
- Flag saluting has a place in our national life and it is only fitting that we pay tribute to what we ourselves have built.
- Fulltext
- Flag saluting has a place in our national life and it is only fitting that we pay tribute to what we ourselves have built. z FLAG SALUTE AND PATRIOTISM Once in a while one reads heartening stories about some bureacrat eschewing official and generally petty trappings in order to do “justice” and in the process, uncover a gem — sparkling and revealing in its wisdom. So it was with a fiscal who dropped deport ation charges against five members of a religious sect who had allegedly ordered their congregation not to sa lute the Filipino flag. Ex plaining the dismissal of the case, the fiscal said: “For all the practical value of the flag salute law, it does not neces sarily follow that those citi zens who refuse to salute the flag for being contrary to their religious precepts are less patriotic law abiding than those who do.” The statement will surely set no precedent though it may receive the acclaim of many. To be sure, Philip pine law on the matter is clear enough. The Supreme Court, in a couple of prosaic decisions, has held that refus al to salute the flag for the reason only that one’s reli gious beliefs forbid it is not a valid enough motive. While unhesitating in its affirm ation of religious freedom, the court saw fit to draw a d i s t inction (conveniently clear-cut because artificial and generally arbitrary) bet ween belief and advocacy. The court also declared that saluting the flag does not constitute a form of worship and, therefore, can not be taken as violative of a per son’s religious creed. The official stand of the state to the contrary notwith standing, the statement of the fiscal — additionally reveal* ing in that it stands out of the well-known drabness of legalese — should provide food for thought for those who would insist that all there is to patriotism, nation alism, and what-not are flag January 1963 raising rites, passports and traffic signs in the national language, and what have you. The petition of the fiscal to have the deportation charges dropped is, of course, based on more solid grounds — in the language of the law, meaning that the arguments and reasons are “expressly or impliedly provided for by law” and not ephemeral and opinionated such as the state ment quoted here. Thus, the fiscal said no penalty is im posed on whoever refuses blarantly to salute the flag. But lifting the petition from its legal context and viewing it against the broader background of a people’s mentality and attitude, one realizes that, after all, it is what the fiscal said about there being no causal con nection between saluting and patriotism which really mat ters. Certainly, even those who insist that symbols and rites have their function in building a national sentiment will not be foolhardy enough to maintain that these are all that are necessary in cultivat ing that love for one’s coun try. But when these people pre occupy. themselves with no thing else but ritualistic act ivities such as flag ceremonies and fail to provide a more substantial basis for loving one’s country, one comes to believe that perhaps one rea son for this country’s back wardness are people like these who think as they do. There is indeed little physical and mental effort required to pause and assume a respect ful attitude while the Filipi no flag is being raised up its gleaming pole. But more de dication and deeper affection for all that the flag is sup posed to symbolize is necessa ry to wrench this country out of its rut and send it along the path to progress. When we, as a people unit ed by common aspirations and problems, finally realize that flag saluting has its pro per place in our daily exist ence and that only hard, sa crificing work is the answer to the varied ills obstructing national progress, then we may sincerely stand and face the national emblem as it is slowly unfurled, comfortable in the thought that we are simply paying tribute to what we ourselves have built. 34 Panorama