I
live in Barangay Militar, Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City for 31 years now. As the name of the barangay implies, it is a
home to mostly military men. Barangay
Militar was a part of the Military
Reservation until the Presidential Proclamation No. 709 on March 26, 1991 of
then President Corazon C. Aquino excluding
Barangay Militar from the Military Reservation.
Every house here was originally a home to a soldier, they were the first
occupants here and their families grew at the present. Today there are many
civilians living here, children and grandchildren of retired soldiers, yet
mostly are still military men for many children joined the Armed Forces too,
and many females were married to soldiers too. People here were like one big
family, treated everybody with great respect, each one called the elders “uncle
and auntie” although they are not blood related. This trait is still practiced
today and hopefully it will be passed on to coming generations. So when one
dies in Barangay Militar, it is like a distant relative have died.
When a retired or active soldier
dies, a Phil. Flag will be draped over the casket during the funeral. Many
times over, when we come to the wake of a soldier, we would notice the wrong
display of the flag over the casket, and many times over we have experienced
calling the attention of the family regarding the wrong display of the flag. We
could not just ignore the mistake in front of our eyes, the teacher inside of
us is always compelling to make the call, of due respect to the flag itself and honor to the dead. My apology, I don't mean any offense.
The mistake would be understandable
if the bereaved family are all civilians and not so sure of the proper display
of Phil. Flag over the casket, but it is very much surprising that even the bereaved military children themselves would encounter the same mistake, and insist on the
wrong display of the flag. Again my apology, no offense meant, really!
I
could not find a better explanation on this to reconcile such mistake, than to
understand that when a loved one dies, the bereaved family would be left in a great
lost, and I mean in great lost really, disorganized, cannot think properly, in
a state of denial, unsure of everything, cannot accept suggestions and that
includes even on the proper display of flag. I even think that it’s their way
of refusal to believe that their loved one died, for when they will display the
flag correctly they’ll have to acknowledge the realization of the death of their loved
ones.
Who would know? Everyone of us has
our own way of coping mechanism…
As I have said, the teacher inside
is always compelling to make the call, not really on the mistake of improper display of the flag, but on due respect to our flag itself and honor to the dead. I
choose to illustrate here the FUNERAL
PICTURES of the late former President Corazon C. Aquino, and the late former AFP Chief of Staff and Defense Secretary Angelo T. Reyes both I got from the Internet. The easiest gage to remember and never to
commit mistake in the display of Phil. Flag over the casket is that “ THE RED
COLOR WHICH IS THE COLOR OF THE BLOOD SHOULD BE ALIGNED WITH THE HEART, TO THE
LEFT OF THE DECEASED” (and not of the observer).
The funeral procession of the late former President Corazon C. Aquino.
The funeral of the late former AFP Chief of Staff and Defense Secretary Angelo T. Reyes.
(photos taken from the Internet)
ADDENDUM:
THE PHILIPPINE
FLAG CODE
14. The Flag shall never be used as a
staff or whip, or covering for tables, or curtain for doorways.
However, the Flag may be used by the
Armed Forces to cover the casket of their honored dead, which include civilians who had
rendered services in the Army, Navy, or civil office of great responsibility. The white triangle of the sun and stars will cover the head end of the
casket, the blue stripe to the right, the red to the left of the deceased, with
both colors evenly divided on each side of the casket. The Flag should
never be lowered to the grave or allowed to touch the ground, except as authorized under Republic Act No. 3934. Wreaths
of flowers should not be placed on
top of a flag-shrouded casket. A cross may be placed over the flag as a symbol
of “God above Country.”
Soldiers and exceptional civilians did the right thing in serving the nation. When they die, with all due respect, let us put the Phil. Flag over their casket right. After all, not everybody could have that great honor. I don’t mean any offense here, really…! It’s just one of my plain Soft Tough Thoughts.
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