In observance of National Flag Day on Thursday, top officials from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) advocated for a shift toward eco-friendly alternatives in retiring damaged Philippine flags, challenging the traditional practice of burning them.
Under the existing Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, worn-out or faded national symbols must be reverently destroyed by fire to avoid desecration. However, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum emphasized that it is time to modernize this approach to align with the country’s environmental sustainability goals without diminishing the flag’s dignity.
“Our law is old so we need to change it and we can use it properly,” Solidum stated in an interview.
The DOST chief underscored that modifying the current legislation could significantly bolster waste reduction efforts and champion the principles of a circular economy.
“Of course, it is in the law that it should be burned. But hopefully in the very near future, we can actually modify the law by using, repurposing this flag for better use, especially on our advocacy of the circular economy,” he explained. “We need to make sure that the new law will be able to not only honor our flag but make sure that our advocacy for the use of lesser plastic and natural fiber will be promoted.”
Echoing this sentiment, Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) Director Julius Leaño pointed out that upcycling old flags breathes new life into the materials instead of letting them end up in landfills.
“Binibigyan natin ng panibagong buhay yung watawat,” Leaño remarked.
According to Leaño, the proposed eco-friendly method involves a physical fiber recovery process.
This technique extracts and separates textile fibers from the flags once they are stripped of their original form, making them unrecognizable as national symbols. He noted that this efficient process can successfully reclaim about 90 to 95 percent of the fabric.
Showing early momentum for the green initiative, the DOST-PTRI reported that it had already collected 3,333 dilapidated Philippine flags as of May 26, ready for proper retirement and future recycling.