When Educators and Artists
oppose Marcos's "Bagong Pilipinas" hymn and pledge
as "political propaganda"
The mandate by Malacañang to have schools, and national government agencies, sing and recite the "Bagong Pilipinas" hymn and pledge in weekly flag ceremonies was met with opposition from artist and teachers groups, who described it as "awful," "forgettable," "impractical", and a move "reminiscent of the political propaganda tactics seen during the Martial Law years."
As last Monday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed Memorandum Circular 52, which was approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and attempts to instill the ideas of "Bagong Pilipinas."
The directive covers national government agencies, government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs), and educational institutions, including state universities and colleges (SUCs).
“To further instill the principles of the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance and leadership among Filipinos, all national government agencies and instrumentalities, including GOCCs and educational institutions, such as SUCs (state universities and colleges), are hereby directed, and LGUs are hereby encouraged, to integrate the recital of the Bagong Pilipinas Hymn and Pledge in the conduct of weekly flag ceremonies, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations,” Memorandum Circular No. 52 said.
However, not all people find the hymn and pledge inspiring, but rather cringy and served a particular interest such as the current administration, especially from that of an educator or an artist whose duty is to inspire people, especially the youth in order to contribute in various fields for the nation.
Admin need not to enforce brand of governance
but work honestly for the common good - TDC
According to the group Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC), claims that the memorandum order is unneeded, unworkable, and unrelated to teaching kids about nationalism and patriotism.
“This initiative is a superficial attempt to instill a brand of governance that, instead of genuinely educating schoolchildren about nationalism and patriotism through the exemplary lives of our national leaders, resorts to mandatory recitations and songs,” the TDC said in a statement.
“True nationalism and patriotism cannot be enforced through hollow rituals or the blind worship of national symbols, let alone a piece of propaganda,” TDC added.
The TDC emphasized that the administration should not impose its own style of governance, but rather work honestly in the interests of Filipinos to "truly inspire and educate the youth."
“The people in power have a duty to be responsive and responsible, exhibiting genuine love for the country through their respect for human rights, adherence to the rule of law and an active fight against corruption,” the TDC said.
“They must foster social justice through meaningful actions and legislation, not through the forced singing of a propaganda song and the recital of a pledge that appears redundant. The best way to teach our children about nationalism and patriotism is to show them leaders who lead by example, demonstrating their commitment to the country through their actions, policies and dedication to public service,” the statment added.
Furthermore, the group stated that the national anthem is sufficient to remind students of their responsibilities to the country.
Why not address social issues
than create delusions through flimsy notions?
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers denounced Marcos's directive as it aims to divert attention from real and pressing socioeconomic issues the country has facing, interpreting that the order as an obvious attempt to impose a flimsy notion of "progress and nationalism" through symbolic gestures than the need for tangible solutions to address the country's perennial problems.
"The Marcos Jr. administration appears to be prioritizing symbolic gestures rather than addressing the severe economic and social issues plaguing Filipinos," said Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines Chairperson Vladimer Quetua in a statement issued on Tuesday, June 11.
"While we grapple with low salaries and wages, soaring costs of living, and chronically underfunded education and social services, the President chose to implement ceremonial measures to further promote his government branding which, in reality, for almost two years, has been failing to bring significant progress to the lives of the Filipino people," Quetua lamented.
"What we need are tangible solutions to these problems and not attempts to shape public perception," the ACT Chairperon added.
Furthermore, the order was also criticized by that said group since the memo went beyond the mandates of the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, and hence it is seen as unconstitutional. Republic Act 8491, often known as the Flag Law, "does not provide the Office of the President the authority to create and require a new hymn to sing or pledge to recite during flag ceremonies in the country," and former Far Eastern University law school dean Mel Sta. Maria, said that the Flag Law did not give the Office of the President any authority to create or add a hymn or pledge in flag ceremonies, and overstepping from the said law is again unconstitutional.
In a message from X (formerly Twitter), the barrister and former Law dean stated that the flag law already provided an oath of allegiance.
The "Bagong Pilipinas" hymn and pledge, also according to Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND), are reminiscent of a "dark chapter in our history, glorifying an era that brought suffering to countless citizens."
“The ‘Bagong Lipunan’ of the Marcos dictatorship in the ’70s was a period marked by severe human rights violations, suppression of dissent and economic hardship for many Filipinos,” CONTEND said, citing the “New Society” period whose “progress and development” was meant to hide the inconveniences of human rights violations and rampant poverty. The song “Bagong Lipunan” is one example of the propaganda presented by Marcos Sr’s “New Society”.
“We challenge all educators to resist this unconstitutional move by Marcos Jr. and instead underscore historical truth and the principles of nationalism and democracy in our classrooms and research,” CONTEND added.
Like ACT, CONTEND urges the government to address instead socioeconomic problems that made “bagong Pilipinas” more of an empty rhetoric.
"The focus should be on practical solutions such as increasing wages for workers, reducing the cost of essential goods, supporting drivers and operators to prevent loss of livelihood under the anti-people jeepney phaseout, and creating quality and regular jobs in the country," CONTEND stressed.
Awful, uninspiring
Other than teachers groups, artists find the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn as far from being catchy and inspiring.
As one activist-musician criticized the "Bagong Pilipinas" hymn from a strictly creative perspective, calling the melody "awful," the lyrics "forgettable," and the vocals "ill-blending."
According to Edgie Francis Uyanguren, national coordinator for Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), "that song is cheap (and) unplanned" and may not make it past the first rounds of a songwriting contest.
“It wasn’t really thought out. It’s very clear in the lyrics.” Uyanguren said.
“not a singable song” for big gatherings to begin with. If you’re going to require it to be sung by students and teachers, the voices will really be different.” Uyanguren added.
Another artist, Choi Padilla, a music producer and jingle writer, described the song "Bagong Pilipinas" as more of a campaign jingle supporting the current Marcos regime than a pledge of allegiance to the country.
“If this is how you wrote the song and you want it for [government employees and students] to sing it, it’s one-sided. And the title itself, ‘Bagong Pilipinas,’ (sounds) as if you are already gearing towards something like an agenda.” Padilla said.
“Like, what’s ‘new’ at all? Is there something new? For it to be a hymn, it’s weird,” he added.
“A hymn is supposed to show your love and allegiance to the country or that you are proud of it, and it should not show a facade that could divide the country.” Padilla stressed.
Why defend in the face of criticism?
Nonetheless, proponents of the hymn and the pledge maintain that they are justified in doing so because "Bagong Pilipinas" highlights the government's commitment to implementing policy changes while aiming to bring about a significant social transformation.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada even downplay its singing as any other hymn since it is "neither illegal nor irregular" but instead urging everyone to heed its message.
“It’s important to note that Memorandum Circular No. 52 is neither illegal nor irregular; rather, it aims to foster a culture of good governance and progressive leadership across all government levels,” Estrada said.
“This is no different from the singing of the Senate, school and university hymns which is a way to remind us of the patriotism and unity of us Filipinos,” Estrada emphasized.
Even during his January 28 speech that Marcos Jr. himself insist that "Bagong Pilipinas" is a set of ideals to instil of, and there was neither hymn nor pledge imposed yet that time.
"Bagong Pilipinas is not a new partisan coalition in disguise. It is a set of ideals that all us Filipinos, regardless of political creed or religion or wealth, can coalesce around," Marcos Jr. said.
"Bagong Pilipinas transcends this administration. To those whose overheated imagination has been poisoned by toxic politics, Bagong Pilipinas is no Trojan Horse. It conceals no agenda," Marcos Jr. added.
But the question is, what kind of "ideals" does that "Bagong Pilipinas" have? Especially in a time that the administration itself is riddled with political scandals and serious socioeconomic matters meant to be resolved not with some hymn nor pledge? Why not promote good and transparent governance, social justice, and honest to goodness patriotism to the people as a statement of fact?
For now there's no law yet to begin with justifying requiring every walk of life to sing that hymn or swear on that oath promoting those "ideals" "Bagong Pilipinas" have (if there is)- as the current flag law only requires government agencies and schools to play only the National Anthem and the pledge of Allegiance to the flag.