Filipino Pledge of Allegiance
Butting in has its rewards. I learned just that when I stuck my nose into a huddle of teenagers (nephews, nieces, cousins) last weekend. The topic was the national anthem and how hard it is to sing it straight on your own. I disagreed and told the group I could sing it straight without buckling. And that’s exactly what I did (show off!).
But when they asked me to recite the country’s pledge of allegiance (Philippine patriotic oath), Panatang Makabayan, I failed. It is, after all, not commonly heard, much less recited, by those already out of school. Usually done right after singing the national anthem during mandatory morning flag ceremonies, the Panatang Makabayan ng Pilipinas, is a beautiful verse of pledge to the country, as well as to the ideals of being a Filipino.
I learned from the group, however, that there is a new version of the Panatang Makabayan, an official version that has been used since 2001! More than 10 years ago, and I’ve only learned about it today. What they are reciting is school these days is a revised version of the pledge we used to do when I was in school. I learned something new again.
Panatang Makabayan (Old Version)
Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas.
Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan.
Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi.
Ako’y kanyang kinukupkop at tinutulungan,
Upang maging malakas, maligaya at kapakipakinabang.
Bilang ganti ay diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang.
Susundin ko ang mga tuntunin ng aking paaralan.
Tutuparin ko ang tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan at masunurin sa batas.
Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan nang walang pag-iimbot at nang buong katapatan.
Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino,
sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.
Panatang Makabayan (New Version)
Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas, aking lupang sinilangan,
Tahanan ng aking lahi, kinukupkop ako at tinutulungang
Maging malakas, masipag at marangal
Dahil mahal ko ang Pilipinas,
Diringgin ko ang payo ng aking magulang,
Susundin ko ang tuntunin ng paaralan,
Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan,
Naglilingkod, nag-aaral at nagdarasal nang buong katapatan.
Iaalay ko ang aking buhay, pangarap, pagsisikap
Sa bansang Pilipinas.
Patriotic Oath (English Transalation of Panatang Makabayan)
I love the Philippines, the land of my birth,
The home of my people; it protects me and helps me
Become strong, hardworking and honorable.
Because I love the Philippines,
I will heed the counsel of my parents,
I will obey the rules of my school,
I will perform the duties of a patriotic citizen,
Serving, studying, and praying faithfully.
I shall offer my life, dreams, successes
To the Philippine nation.
Personally, I still prefer the old version. It may be a bit longer than the revised version but it’s the one I connect with, probably because I recited it almost everyday in grade school. To me it’s perfect. I don’t even understand why they had to revise it. I find nothing wrong with it so why fix something that isn’t broken? Does anyone know why the Panatang Makabayan was revised?
With that I created my own trolled version of the Panatang Makabayan based on the old version of the Filipino pledge of allegiance. This one is dedicated to the Senators who will be acting as an Impeachment court on January 16.
Panatang Ano Ba Yan (Trolled Version of Panatang Makabayan)
Iko-convict ko si Corona,
Ito ang aking pangakong panunumpaan,
Ito ang pagbawi namin sa illegal niyang pag-aari
Ako ay hindi matatakot sa mga abogado niyang mayayaman
Upang maging matapat, may dignidad at maaasahan
Bilang ganti ay diringgin ko ang sigaw ng sambayanan
Susundin ko ang mga tuntunin na walang kinikilingan
Tutuparin ko ang adhikain ng Madlang People na hindi matitibag ng teknikalidad ng batas.
Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan nang walang grandstanding o ka-epalan.
Sisikapin kong ipagmalaki ako ng mga Pilipino,
Nakangiti, Nakapamewang at taas ang noo sa saya.
Final Note:
To all the Senators who will be acting as impeachment court judges, I leave you with this message:
Judgement is evaluation, not condemnation. You judge only as a guide to future actions.
But all judgements, whether they be nearly absolute or very uncertain, must resolve in an either-or way to guide your immediate actions. Before you can act, you must decide which side of the spectrum your judgment falls on. You may decide to delay action, or take some action that has fewer consequences, in light of an uncertain judgement, but even that is an action guided by an either-or judgment.
To fail to judge because of incomplete information – or worse because of intellectual laziness or a philosophical aversion to it – is irrational. You cannot act without judging whether your action will be right. To judge another’s actions or overall moral qualities to an absolute degree is irrational – you cannot possibly know every single relevant fact with absolute perfection. To fail to use absolute principles as the standard of that judgment is irrational – it leaves you with no standard and no possibility of judgment.
