Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay is now pushing for a bill that seeks to strictly enforce the standards in the creation and changing of official seals and logos in government.
Sen. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay (Senate PRIB Photo)
Binay has filed Senate Bill No. 2384 which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 8491 or The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines.
The senator said the bill primarily strengthens the rules on the creation, modification and registration of official seals and other heraldic items and devices of government entities.
“Hindi po basta-basta ang rebranding at ang pagbabago ng logo (Rebranding and changing of government logos shouldn’t be done in haste),” Binay said.
“We need to ensure that official seals and logos convey national ideals and traditions that express the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity," she stressed.
Binay cited as an example the changes done by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) on the design in legal tender, replacing faces of Filipino heroes with a gold Philippine eagle, and the new logo for the state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) which sparked controversy and cast the agency in a negative light.
“Nitong mga nakaraang araw, parang sunod sunod ang rebranding o pagpapalit ng logo ng mga ahensya ng pamahalaan (These past few days, it seems like the rebranding or changing of the logo of government agencies is one after the other),” she noted.
“While I am sure na may ginawa naman silang mga pag-aaral ukol dito, maganda din sigurong maging permanenteng bahagi ang NHCP sa proseso ng redesign para masigurong akma at nasa ayos ang logo ng ahensya ng pamahalaan (While I am sure that they have done studies on this, it would also be good if the NHCP is a permanent part of the redesign process to ensure that the logo of the government agency fits and is in order),” she stressed.
Binay is referring to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), which she said, should be involved in the rebranding projects or any logo-changing plans.
She pointed out the NHCP is responsible for the conservation and preservation of the country’s historical legacies.
Even natural features such as islands, rivers, seas, oceans, mountains, plains cannot be changed or renamed by a mere local ordinance or resolution, unless these are being reverted to their old indigenous names, the lawmaker explained.
So under the measure, she said any government entity, including the military, may adopt appropriate coat-of-arms, administrative seals, logo, insignia, badges, patches, banners and initiate awards, citations, orders or decorations, as may be authorized by the Congress or the Office of the President, subject to the approval and recommendation of the NHCP.
Likewise, Binay said designs made in the legal tender should first be cleared and approved by the NHCP, and concurred by Congress before being released for circulation.
"Tinanggal na natin ang mga bayani sa ating pera. Parang sinasabi nating (We removed our heroes from our money. It’s like saying that 'our martyrs and heroes are no longer worth our money',” Binay said.
Decisions on the designs on Philippine currency, she said, should not be left to the discretion of the BSP and Malacañang.
“Yung magpalit nga ng name ng school at kalsada kailangan may congressional imprimatur at NHCP approval dahil meron 'yan relevance at implications sa culture at history (Those who change the name of the school and road must have congressional imprimatur and NHCP approval because that has relevance and implications in culture and history) and there's a higher purpose than just having the names changed,” she stressed.
“Ganyan din sa ating (It’s the same with our) legal tender—there's a higher purpose to what image or content should be printed on notes and coins,” Binay pointed out.
"In a practical sense, official seals and logos are an important means of identifying a particular government agency and of recognizing the duties they perform," she said.
"They are a means of strengthening people’s nationalism, love of country, and pride for people’s accomplishments," the senator reiterated.