PH flag altered by Duterte supporters violates law – historical body
(Photo from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine flag altered by supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte violates the law, according to the country’s historical body.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) flagged a banner used by the former president’s supporters.
The banner, which stated “WE STAND WITH PRRD” and “BRING HIM HOME” also had an eagle with a Philippine flag in the background.
The exact location where the banner was spotted is unclear, but it also stated the words “FROM AUSTRALIA.”
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According to the NHCP, such a display violates Republic Act (RA) No. 8491 or the “Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines.”
RA 8491 states that it shall be prohibited “to add any work, figure, mark, picture, design, drawings, advertisement or any imprint of any nature on the national flag.”
“The Philippine flag is a symbol of our being Filipino and our country, so let’s give it a high degree of respect,” the NHCP said in a Facebook post on Monday night.
Several demonstrations were held in the Netherlands and other countries led by overseas Filipinos to support Duterte.
Duterte, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on March 28, waged a campaign against illegal drugs that reportedly claimed at least 6,000 lives, according to official government data.
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Human rights watchdogs and the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor estimated the death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.
They said many of these incidents were extrajudicial killings.
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Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday, March 11 and detained at Villamor Air Base the same day.
He has since arrived in The Hague, where he is currently being held.
The former president had his pretrial hearing before the ICC on March 14.
His confirmation of charges is scheduled for September 23, and he may appeal for an interim release before that date.
