The Philippine Flag is Pink and Lame in Washington, DC.

Washington , DC, the nerve center of the world and where all countries are officially represented in the USA should be where we should fly the right colors of the Philippines at all times. However, for the past three months, the Philippine flag has PINK instead of red in its tricolor. It also has been flying lamely from a short pole attached to a wall in one of our official buildings on Sheridan Circle along Embassy Row. I wonder if there is even one country in the world that would have the color pink in its flag.


I am talking about the Philippine Flag on the Ambassador's Residence. I pass this way everyday going to work and I feel frustrated each time I see the pink flag, however, wishfully-hoping that one of our foreign department staff would take notice and replace it with the right one, or maybe a new one. It is pink because it is old, faded and uncared for. It has become pink because of the apathy of your department staff in Washington, DC to even care about it.

Not being able to vent my frustration to my Swedish workmate, I decided to call the Embassy. It took me almost forever after dialing their number for the umpteenth time to be able talk to a quite-sensible- yet-quite- hostile person who introduced himself as Rico. My request, by way of a demand being a Filipino, was to fly the correct colors of the Flag --- and to fly the flag proudly. Four weeks later since that call and several days after our Independence Day and Rizal's birthday, we still have the same pink lame flag flying insignificantly on the flagstaff. What a total disrespect of the foreign affairs staff to the country and its people to whom they owe their service! How inadequate and inept can some people in the foreign service be!

It's embarassing! Vietnam's embassy is right beside our Ambassador's building and they're flying their bright red flag proudly. Across the road, Turkey has red in its flag, so does Romania, so does Korea. And the Philippines? ! Incredibly pink!

And by the way, I have photographs, too.Dr. Glenn Edwin SolisWashington, DC

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