QuestionsQuestions (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 343)
Executive Order No. 343 (June 12, 1996) is entitled “Adopting the ‘Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat’ as the Official Pledge of Allegiance for All Filipinos.” It adopts and institutionalizes the “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat” as the official pledge of allegiance for all Filipinos.
It was adopted on 12 June 1996 and states that it takes effect immediately.
The EO mentions the centennial of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on 12 June 1998. It says the celebration becomes more meaningful if citizens’ sense of history and nationhood is properly evoked.
The pledge was finalized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts from a draft prepared by the Commission on the Filipino Language.
The President directed each and every citizen to learn the “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat,” reflect upon its words, and take to heart the dedication to nationhood contained in the pledge.
The EO reproduces the pledge as: “Ako ay Pilipino / Buong katapatang nanunumpa / Sa watawat ng Pilipinas / At sa bansang kanyang sinasagisag / Na may dangal, katarungan at kalayaan / Na pinakikilos ng sambayanang / Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, at Makabansa.”
The pledge ends with “Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, at Makabansa.” These are presented as the three guiding values: God-centered (Maka-Diyos), people-centered (Maka-tao), and nation-centered (Makabansa).
It describes the pledge as “a soul stirring pledge” that citizens can truly own, evincing a sense of nationhood and the values every freedom-loving and nationalistic Filipino ought to possess.
The main operative clause states that the President adopts and institutionalizes the “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat” as the official oath of allegiance for all Filipinos.
It frames the pledge as expressing values of nationhood and dedication to the country, and it directs citizens to not only memorize but also reflect on and internalize its words.
It makes the pledge official and institutionalizes it as the official oath of allegiance for all Filipinos, and it directs each and every citizen to learn and internalize it.
EO 343 is an Executive Order issued by the President. In the Philippine system, executive orders are presidential issuances used to implement or execute laws or carry out functions vested by law, provided they do not contravene the Constitution or statutes.
It indicates the President claims authority conferred by existing law to issue the order, supporting the validity of the directive as an exercise of legally granted presidential power.
It is signed by President Fidel V. Ramos and attested/signed by Ruben D. Torres as Executive Secretary.