'Nobody imposed this': House official sounds off on 'Bagong Pilipinas' hymn, pledge requirement
At A Glance
- House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco justified on Monday, July 1 the decision to recite and sign the "Bagong Pilipinas" pledge and hymn, respectively during the employees' flag-raising ceremony.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco (Contributed photo)
House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco justified on Monday, July 1 the decision to recite and sign the "Bagong Pilipinas" pledge and hymn, respectively during the employees' flag-raising ceremony.
The Bagong Pilipinas pledge and hymn were played for the first time in the House Monday during the flag rites.
Velasco, the highest-ranked civilian officer in the House of Representatives, was the guest Speaker during the proceedings.
Bagong Pilipinas, which literally means "New Philippines", is the branding of the current Marcos administration.
"Well, we have decided, we will make it (Bagong Pilipinas pledge and hymn) a regular feature of our flag ceremony because we share the same values, the same objectives, the same goals in the case of the House of Representatives," Velasco told reporters in a chance interview after the event.
"So, nobody imposed this to us but it was the decision of the House of Representatives to adopt both the hymn and the pledge of the Bagong Pilipinas," he clarified.
A copy of a memorandum from Velasco dated June 26, 2024 that was acquired by Manila Bulletin sought to "enjoin" all department and office personnel to "'recite the Bagong Pilipinas hymn and pledge during the monthly flag raising ceremony".
Velasco confirmed this during the interview.
"Yeah, I issued the order. I was instructed by the House leadership that we share the same vision, same goals so we will adopt it starting starting today," he said.
Asked if the order was based on the directive of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Velasco said, "Yeah, I issued the directive as secretary-general to all the staff and employees and House officials."