Rizal Park to get longer, mechanized flagpole

MANILA, Philippines - Before the end of the year, machine will replace man in flag-raising ceremonies at Rizal Park.

The 105-foot (32-meter) flagpole in front of the Rizal monument will be replaced by one that measures 150 feet (45 meters) before Dec. 30, National Parks and Development Committee (NPDC) spokesperson Kenneth Montegrande said yesterday.

Montegrande said they will no longer manually raise the flag once the new flagpole is installed.

“Raising the flag would become mechanized because it would be strenuous for humans to bring the flag to the top because they would have to deal with the strong wind at that height, at 150 feet,” the NPDC spokesperson said.

According to sign posted by the government, replacing the flagpole alone would cost P7 million.

The new flagpole’s base will measure 25 square meters. The flagpole itself, which will be imported from China, will measure .8 meters in width at the base and .2 meters at the top.

The old flagpole will be transferred to Kawit, Cavite.

Montegrande said they will spend P40 million for the beautification and improvements at the Rizal Park, including replacing the flagpole, to mark 100 years since the Rizal monument was completed.

“This effort is to bring out the old grandeur and glory of the Rizal Park. This is also in line with the instruction of President Aquino to the Department of Tourism and the NPDC to make the Rizal Park a world-class park and attract both local and foreign tourists,” Montegrande said.

Department of Public Works and Highways-National Capital Region director Reynaldo Tagudando said that they only started working on the flagpole project this month.

On regular days, the NPDC uses a flag that measures 10 feet by 20 feet. On special occasions, a flag measuring 20 feet by 40 feet is used.