SBMA to dispose worn out flags in Bataan

Subic Bay Freeport – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) aims to dispose worn out flags that were displayed in front of the administration building, turning these national symbols over to Barangay Alion in Mariveles, Bataan.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño officially turned over the said worn out flags to Alion Barangay Captain Vicielito Balan during a simple ceremony held at the Chairman’s Office in Subic Freeport on 4 March 2026.

According to Aliño, the Sangguniang Barangay of Alion sent a letter to the SBMA, requesting the agency to donate their tattered, faded, or worn out Philippine flags to be included in the burning ceremony.

The Sangguniang Barangay of Alion, in their 1st Regular Session held on 5 January, passed a resolution for the proper disposal of tattered or worn-out Philippine flags. The Barangay is set to hold a flag disposal program on 13 March at the Flag Disposal Site inside the Alion Barangay Hall Compound.

Republic Act No. 8491, otherwise known as the “Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines,” supports the said program that states that reverence and respect shall be accorded to the flags, the anthem, and other national symbols.

The program aligns with the flag disposal rites of the Boys Scout & Girls Scout of the Philippines, as well as the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police.

The ashes of the disposed flags will be placed in an urn and rest in a memorial site provided and made for them.

Located along Waterfront Road in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, the SBMA flag pole where these flags are raised is rich with historical symbolism related to the transition from a U.S. naval base to a Philippine-led economic zone.

The flags pole has a total height of 120 feet, with coinciding symbolisms such as 94 feet that represents the 94 years of foreign military presence in Subic, 18 feet that was added in the year 1996 to represent the 18 heads of state who attended the APEC summit in Subic.

The remaining 8 feet represents the "8,000 Volunteers" who protected and preserved the base facilities after the U.S. Navy withdrew in 1992.

The Philippine flag, which flies 24/7 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, is one of the largest in the country, measuring 44 feet long and 22 feet wide. It is displayed on a 120-foot high, historic flagpole located in front of the SBMA administration building.