Monitoring Mayon N

inaccurate,” and “an insult to thousands of groups and individuals who incessantly implored (her) to reconsider an earlier decision not to join national politics.”

Take note of the words “national politics.” Her legion of admirers wanted her to run for president, no less, remember? From mayora to presidenta no less.

Then she identifies Senadora Imee as the person who “eventually persuaded me to run as vice-president.”

And now comes the most intriguing part—“it was a decision sealed only after PBBM agreed to the conditions I set before running for vice-president.”

Underscore “only” and “conditions” before agreeing to be Numero Segundo, instead of what many expected and what her supporters wanted—Numero Uno.

Now one should ask—what are those conditions?

On the matter of timing, it comes at about the same time the president appointed Gilbert Teodoro as defense secretary, a position that supposedly Sara wanted, as stated by then presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos?

And Senadora Imee, the president’s elder sister, take note once again, has not been totally supportive of her brother’s presidential initiatives, whether on his pro-US of A expansion of foreign military presence or the Maharlika fund.

Neither the senator nor the vicepresident have been endorsing persons for appointive positions in an administration that till now has many vacancies yet to fill.

The vice-president finds the antics of the congressmen she labeled “sycophants” as “quite amusing.”

Make no mistake, however, for when her time comes, she will not forget, and she will not be amused.

But the latter part of her statement is gist for intrigue, where she reiterates that the administration of the president is “strong and stable.”

And why not? With close to 300 congressmen belonging to various flags of convenience marching to the beat of the speaker’s “curacha” (the signature Waray dance), and a Senate too submissive as well (except for the presidential sister and another senadora who sees nothing good in the administration), how can it not be strong and stable?

Ah! But the last sentence raises eyebrows of some observers: “It has my all-out support and the support of the majority of the Filipino people.”

Why preface support as “my,” when they are supposed to be a “uniteam,” and the president’s “BFF?”

Will her all-out support diminish in time, waiting for another casus belli?

How much further would “unity” unravel down the not too long road to 2025, and the yet long road to 2028?

The pinklawans are beside themselves with joy. But then again, do they yet matter in the political scheme of things?

Their Manay Leni is content with traipsing around the world, and even her signature Angat-Buhay seems inactive even as Mayon Volcano in her region acts up, threatening eruption.

Uneasy lies the crown when two fiefdoms, from the North and the South, are feeling antsy.

Meanwhile, “Mabuhay ang Kalayaan!”

OT only the Bicol region but provinces around Mayon volcano are watching as the mandatory evacuation of residents within its six-kilometerradius permanent danger zone or PDZ due to the threat of a “hazardous” eruption is going on.

Level 4—while keeping an eye as well on Taal volcano in Batangas which has shown signs of unrest—around 16,000 to 40,000 residents living within the extended seven-kilometer danger zone will be evacuated.

In Malacanang, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave assurance the government is prepared to assist areas that may be affected by the increased volcanic activity of Mayon and Taal volcanoes.

“We are ready. We have been doing that ever since. We watch it very closely, make sure that any of the communities that could be affected are evacuated and are given assistance while they are evacuated until the time that they can return to their homes. It’s the same thing,” the President said.

Albay Governor Grex Lagman has identified the cities of Legazpi, Tabaco and Ligao, and the municipalities of Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan, Bacacay, Malilipot, and Sto. Domingo as areas vulnerable to Mayon’s increasing unrest. Lagman, while stressing there is no panic, said the provincial government is set to place Albay under a state of calamity, which will allow authorities to acquire quick access funds to assist affected residents.

Phivolcs said it recorded at least 267 rockfall events and six dome-collapse Pyroclastic Density Currents or PDCs, mixtures of volcanic rock, volcanic ash (pulverized rock, glass, and crystals), and gas that can travel at great speeds, are seen by experts as perhaps the most hazardous events to local areas during explosive volcanic eruptions. Volcanologists say these hot, ground-hugging flows of ash and debris can travel at speeds of hundreds of meters per second, reaching many tens to hundreds of kilometers from the source Paul Alanis, Phivolcs resident volcanologist at the Lignon Hill Observatory in Legazpi City, said the rockfall events had duration of one minute to three minutes, and “transported lava debris within a kilometer range of the southern upper slopes.” Steam-laden plumes, fair crater glow, and incandescent rockfall have also been observed.

AS THE country celebrates its 125th Independence Day today and marks the end of the 16-day period of honoring National Flag Day which began on May 28, we ask where is the first Philippine flag now?

On March 6, 1965, Presidential Proclamation 374 was issued declaring May 28 as National Flag Day to commemorate the date the national emblem was first unfurled after the Philippine Revolutionary Army defeated the Spanish forces in the Battle at Alapan, Imus, Cavite in 1898

Nearly 30 years later, on May 23, 1994, Executive Order 79 was issued extending the period of celebrating National Flag Day from May 28 to June 12.

It is observed as a national holiday in the Philippines in celebration of the country’s independence from Spain, which ruled the nation for 377 years as from 1521 when Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, sailing under the flag of Spain, discovered the islands for Europe.

It was in 1898 when the flag was hoisted for the first time and the nation came together to form the country’s first republic.

On these dates—May 28 to June 12— Filipinos are encouraged to display the Philippine flag in all offices, agencies and instruments of government, business establishments, schools, and private homes throughout this period, according to the

TODAY, the Filipino nation raises its flag to commemorate 125 years of Philippine Independence in a complex and in what experts are seeing is now in an environment at a high level of flux where our government’s vow to implement an independent foreign policy will be tested by the high stakes geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

It is important to reflect on the history of our nationhood and remember how we have struggled and evolved from what is still mostly centuries of colonial rule, fighting revolutions, wars, and treaties.

In the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, independence from Spanish rule was declared on June 12, 1898, by Emilio Aguinaldo, the first President of the First Philippine Republic.

Aspirations of sovereignty was thwarted when the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ceded the Philippines to the United States.

The next year Filipinos fought the Americans in the Philippine-American War until defeated in 1902, then the United States established a civil government with the promise to eventually grant independence.

In 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was created as a transitional government to independence, but World War II broke out with Japan invading and occupying the Philippines from 1941 until liberation by American and Filipino forces in 1945.

The Treaty of Manila finally recognized Philippine Independence on July 4, 1946, as a unitary presidential Constitutional Republic. President Manuel Roxas was its first president.

This historical digest of Philippine Independence shows how after nearly eight decades of post-war, post-cold war, post-Soviet Union, postArab Summer, post-economic booms and crises, and post-COVID 19 pandemics, economic and geopolitical alignments have, and will continue to change.

The Philippines is now in the strategic center of polarizing alignments amidst aggressive expansionist actions of China threatening the stability of the region.

Celebrating Independence Day is not just about honoring the sacrifices of our heroes and cherishing the culture and heritage we now have. It is an opportunity to re-assess and recalibrate goals and directions as we recover from the deep scars of the pandemic. of the Philippines, Japan, and Australia started its first patrols in the West Philippine Sea.

The spirit of independence as a nation is intimately related to the government’s ability to protect and pursue national interests which goes beyond securing our territories from external and internal threats.

The pandemic has taught the world that national security encompasses the intermeshed dimensions of the environment, health, and economic sustainability. Still recovering from the global pandemic, escalating geopolitical tensions spawned by China’s expansionist ambitions are threatening to cause a serious disruption in the Indo-Pacific region that, like the ongoing Ukraine war, will radiate more damaging economic shocks globally.

Newly appointed, returning Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. who first served in the post during the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, said in a recent press briefing, “Our territory is our territory, and UNCLOS cannot be changed by the passage of time, nor changes in administration.”

I liked his slight twit to Beijing when he said, “As a stronger country, it (China) has the bigger obligation to be magnanimous and show trust and to earn the trust of the Filipino people by conforming its activities to recognize norms of international law, which in our case is UNCLOS.”

The Philippines has undergone much political, social, and economic evolutions and continues to be confronted by challenges, so many hits and seemingly much more misses, but with the Filipinos’ ever resilient and good nature the country has always managed survive as a democratic state.

China’s aggressive behavior poses a serious threat to regional stability and directly violates Philippine sovereign rights.

In a responsive shift from his predecessor, President Marcos Jr. has recalibrated the Philippine defense strategy to focus on external capabilities.

In his recent statement during the 125th Anniversary of the Philippine Navy, he said, “In this crucial transition, full support for the Armed Forces must be guaranteed especially for the Philippine Navy’s priority goals of enhancing its intelligence, defense and coordinative capabilities.”

The Philippine Coast Guard is now pro-actively patrolling and responding with bold professionalism to regular encounters with Chinese vessels intruding in our territories.

Ten navigational buoys have been installed to warn mariners of shallow waters and also serve as sovereign markers. Last week, the coast guards

Where is the first Philippine flag now?

government’s Philippine Information Agency.

There are rules and prohibitions in the proper display of the National Flag to give respect and reverence to this symbol of national sovereignty and solidarity as it is the embodiment of the country’s ideals, culture and tradition.

For household and office display, the flag must be displayed vertically, with the triangle on top.

The blue field should be to the right (left of observer) and the red field to the left (right of the observer). The flag should never be displayed horizontally except in flagpoles or hung fastened by its fly.

When the flag is displayed in a manner other than by being flown from a staff, it should be displayed flat, whether indoors or out.

When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left.

In displaying the Philippine Flag, there are some prohibitions too, as it is the most powerful visual representation of the nation’s common heritage, it symbolizes the country’s sovereignty and national solidarity, thus, it should be treated with reverence and respect at all times, the PIA said. Do not use the Flag as festoon, tablecloth; cover for ceilings, walls, statues, or other objects; pennant in the hood, side, back, and top of motor

Vexillologists say the flag is a symbol of unity as it stands for the unity of the multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Filipinos from up north in Batanes to down south in Tawi Tawi vehicles; staff or whip; unveiling monuments or statues; and trademarks or for industrial, commercial, or agricultural labels or designs.

Never display the Flag in the following manner: under any painting or picture; horizontally face-up.

It shall always be hoisted aloft and be allowed to fall freely; below any platform; or in discotheques, cockpits, night and day clubs, casinos, gambling joints, and places of vice or where frivolity prevails.

It is also prohibited to vandalize, mutilate, defile, or step on the flag; it cannot be dipped as a way to compliment or salute any person or object; to wear the flag in whole or in part as a costume or uniform; to add any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawings, advertisements, or imprint of any nature on the flag; to print, paint or attach representation of the flag on handkerchiefs, napkins, cushions, and other articles of merchandise; to display in public any foreign flag, except in embassies and other diplomatic establishments, and in offices of international organizations; to use, display or be part of any advertisement of infomercial; and to display the flag in front of buildings or offices occupied by aliens. Any person or judicial entity which violates any of the provisions of Republic Act 8491 known as an Act Prescribing the Code of the National Flag, Anthem, Motto, Coat-of-Arms and Other heraldic Items and Devices of the Philippines shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than P5,000 but not more than P20,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.

The first Philippine flag was sewn by Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad in Hong Kong and first flown in battle on May 28, 1898.

We must be firm and maintain an uncompromising position over the West Philippine Sea in accordance with the 2016 arbitral ruling and international law. We must strengthen alliances and partnerships with like-minded states committed to uphold the rules-based international order that would create what geopolitical experts call a “collective deterrence” against China’s aggression.

This is an alliance that wants deter war, an alliance to sustain the peace and stability that has fostered a global, and China’s economic boom.

Equal focus should be on economic engagements for trade and investment partnerships that will reboot our economy to a higher trajectory and directly benefit Filipinos.

Vexillologists say the flag is a symbol of unity as it stands for the unity of the multiethnic and multi-lingual Filipinos from up north in Batanes to down south in Tawi Tawi.

A common flag has the power to bring together people of various ethnicities under one nationality as they work together for the betterment of their nation with pride.

It is a day to renew one’s nationalism, particularly that the Philippines had been under colonial rule for centuries, and its people’s revolution and the struggle for independence are admirable, vexillologists say.

For every Filipino, this day serves as a reminder of their journey and rekindles their love for their country and allows citizens and residents of the country to spend some quality time with their loved one

But we go back to the first paragraph: Where is the first Philippine flag now, the one sewn by the Taal, Batangas-born Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo (1860-1946) et al.?

It is still in the care of the Aguinaldo Museum in Happy Glen Loop Rd, in Baguio City, a museum owned and managed by the descendants of former Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964).

A daughter ofthe former President built the museum in1985 to serve as a shelter for the first Philippine flag.

Twenty-six years later, the grandchildren of Cristina Aguinaldo-Suntay, daughter of Aguinaldo, agreed to turn the facility into an interactive museum.

It is now a tribute to the revolutionaries of different eras who had taken a significant role in fighting for the country’s independence.