Bagong Pilipinas hymn are Played Loudly in Davao Schools as the Day Begins

Department of Education – Davao City Division officials dance with the students and teachers during the first flag ceremony for School Year 2024-2025 on Monday, 29 July 2024. For the first time, the Bagong Pilipinas hymn was played as part of the ceremony. NETTRENDS photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA

NET TRENDS, (July 29), DAVAO CITY – As the city’s public elementary and high schools raised their flags on Monday, July 29, for the 2024–2025 school year, the Bagong Pilipinas song was played.

Since the order came out during the school break, this was the first time it was played in public schools as a normal Monday game.

Bagong Pilipinas hymn History

On June 4, 2016, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Memorandum Circular No. 52 through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. This circular said that the Bagong Pilipinas hymns and pledge should be played and recited in all government agencies and instrumentalities, such as schools and businesses owned and controlled by the government.

It said that Bagong Pilipinas, which is made up of “a principled, accountable, and dependable government, reinforced by unified institutions of society,” aims to give Filipinos the power to support and take part in all government efforts in a plan for deep and fundamental social and economic change in all parts of society and the government.

However, several groups, such as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the Congress Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (Contend), and the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, were against Marcos’ order for government agencies and public schools to sing and recite the Bagong Pilipinas, which is the administration’s way of running things.

Contend said that the President’s Memorandum Circular No. 52 was not legal because it went against Republic Act No. 8491, which is the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines.

NET TRENDS I went to some schools in the metro Davao area on Monday morning and saw that they played the Bagong Pilipinas song.

But not many people knew or could remember the words. It takes about three minutes to sing the song.

The head of Magallanes Elementary School, Marlou de Asis, says it shouldn’t be a “big” problem.

As of July 29, there are 3,614 students at the school.

De Asis said that the presidential letter is a “welcome change” and that they will follow it.

All teachers and students, he said, would need to learn the Bagong Pilipinas hymn and pledge by heart.

In addition to singing the national anthem “Lupang Hinirang” every Monday, De Asis said they would also read the Panatang Makabayan and the Panunumpa sa Watawat, sing the regional hymn, the city hymn, the Department of Education hymn, and the Alma Mater song, and end with dancing as a morning exercise.

NET TRENDS saw that they were all done in at least 30 minutes, from 6 to 6:30 a.m.

Principal Evelyn Magno of Davao City National High School said that the school will push both students and teachers to learn the Bagong Pilipinas hymn and promise by heart.

She said that most teachers don’t know or remember the words because they are new to them.

She said to the press on Monday morning, “It might take a while, but we will get used to it.”

The director of Sta. Ana Central Elementary School, Minnie Empasis, told the students that, as part of their job, they should be proud of their country through the hymn after Bagong Pilipinas was played.

The head of the DepEd schools division in Davao City, Rey Solitario, told reporters that all schools in the city would have to follow the order “so students will follow.”

“As you know, the order came out while the kids were on vacation.” Solitario said in Cebuano, “We will tell our schools to play it so that the students can learn the hymn.” By Ian Carl Espinosa for NET TRENDS