Panunumpa

Early Monday, I attended the flag raising ceremony at the Department of Labor and Employment together with the wife. The Institute for Labor Studies was taya’ and the ILS guys managed to put together a program that focused on the environment, most likely because of the recent commemoration of Earth Day.

When it was time to sing the National Anthem, everyone stood up and started singing. I noticed that some people were not facing the flag, as they should, maybe because they were not sure where the flag was or they didn’t really care. Singing the anthem every Monday morning must have become a chore for some people, instead of a true patriotic act.

I remember that when I was in the grades, we sang the hymn every morning and recited the Panatang Makabayan after. I felt somewhat proud during those bygone days because I was often asked to lead in reciting the pledge. But I am not sure now whether employees really put their hearts to it when they recite the Panunumpa ng Kawani ng Gobyerno. I notice that people simply go through the motions of reciting it without really getting into it.

For instance, it says “Magsasalita ako laban sa katiwalian at pagsasamantala”. Do people still do this nowadays? Or do they just stand on the sidelines, knowing fully well what befalls whistleblowers? Does anybody lift a finger to really “hindi ako hihingi o tatanggap ng suhol”? Why doesn’t anyone do a survey in the government whether these lines still make sense?

Not to be beaten to the draw, Sonny Alvarez came up with something called Panata ng Bayan sa Kalikasan. Did I hear someone say that he is the Environment Czar? But like its age-old predecessor, this panata’ may meet the same fate – to be recited every time Earth Day comes and quickly relegated to oblivion when the weather changes.