Authority, basis, and purpose
- Executive Order No. 343 is issued by the President by the powers vested in me by law.
- The Executive Order adopts the “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat” as the nation’s official oath of allegiance for all Filipinos.
- The Executive Order institutionalizes the pledge to strengthen citizens’ sense of history and nationhood.
- The Executive Order treats the pledge as a soul stirring expression of nationhood and the values expected of freedom-loving, nationalistic Filipinos.
- The Executive Order ties its adoption to the commemoration of the centennial of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on 12 June 1998.
Official pledge adopted for all Filipinos
- Executive Order No. 343 adopts and institutionalizes the “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat” as the official oath of allegiance for all Filipinos.
- The Executive Order directs each and every citizen to learn the “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat.”
- The Executive Order requires each and every citizen to reflect upon its words.
- The Executive Order requires each and every citizen to take to heart the pledge’s dedication to nationhood.
Mandated oath text
- Executive Order No. 343 sets the official oath text 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 Executive Order presents the pledge as the official form for citizens to learn, reflect on, and internalize.
Government direction and institutional effect
- Executive Order No. 343 directs compliance by each and every citizen through learning, reflection, and internalization of the pledge.
- The adoption is framed as an institutionalization of the pledge as the official allegiance oath for Filipinos nationwide.
- The Executive Order’s operative action is the adoption and nationwide instruction regarding the pledge’s official status and citizen obligation.
Implementing bodies and pledge formulation
- Executive Order No. 343 recognizes that the “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat” was finalized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
- Executive Order No. 343 recognizes that the pledge was finalized from a draft prepared by the Commission on the Filipino Language.
- The Executive Order treats the resulting pledge as the official oath of allegiance to be learned and embraced by Filipinos.