28/06/2026
"Guidelines on the Proper Conduct of the DepEd Schools Flag Ceremony🇵🇭"👇
🔷In the Department of Education (DepEd), the flag ceremony is governed by Republic Act No. 8491 (The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines) and DepEd Order No. 50, s. 2015, recently updated by Memorandum Circular No. 52 (2024/2025) which integrates the Bagong Pilipinas hymn.
👉Here is the breakdown of the proper conduct and sequence for these ceremonies.
⚪1. Flag Raising Ceremony (Monday Morning)
The ceremony must be simple and dignified. All officials, employees, and learners are required to attend.
🔶The Official Sequence
🟡1.Singing of Lupang Hinirang (National Anthem) – At the first note, the flag is raised briskly.
🟡2. DepEd Prayer (Interfaith Prayer) – The official DepEd prayer must be used.
🟡3. Recitation of Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat ng Pilipinas (Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag).
🟡4. Recitation of Panunumpa ng Lingkod Bayan (for DepEd officials and employees only).
🟡5. Recitation of the DepEd Quality Policy Statement.
🟡6. Singing of the Bagong Pilipinas Hymn and recitation of the Pledge.
🟡7. School/Division Hymn (Optional).
🟡8. Announcements and specific school reminders.
📢Proper Deportment
✅Formation: Everyone must face the flag in a straight formation.
✅Salute: Place the right palm over the left chest. Those in uniform (Scount, ROTC, Security) shall give the military salute.
✅Movement: When the anthem starts, everyone in the premises (including passersby) must come to a halt and stand at attention. Moving vehicles must stop.
⚪2. Flag Lowering Ceremony (Friday Afternoon)
👉The flag lowering is held every Friday before the close of office hours (usually at 5:00 PM).
👉Process: The flag is lowered solely and slowly so that it reaches the bottom of the mast exactly at the last note of the National Anthem.
👉Participants: All personnel and students present in the vicinity are required to observe the same respectful deportment as the morning ceremony.
⚪3. Important Prohibitions & Rules
📢To maintain the sanctity of the national symbol, keep these rules in mind:
✅Inclement Weather: The flag should not be raised if it is raining. If already raised and it starts raining, it should not be lowered until the afternoon.
✅Touching the Ground: The flag must never touch anything beneath it (ground, water, floor).
✅Half-Mast: Flown at half-mast only as a sign of mourning upon official proclamation or death of specific school officials.
✅Disposal: A worn-out flag must not be thrown away; it must be solely burned to avoid desecration.
📌Note on Private Schools:
While private schools are required to hold flag ceremonies, they have flexibility with the invocation (it may come before the anthem) but must follow the legal protocols for the anthem and the pledge.
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