g.r. No. L-13954 August 12, 1959 Genaro Gerona, Et Al., Petitioners-Appellants, vs. the Honorable Secretary of Education, Et Al., Respondents-Appellees

G.R. No. L-13954 August 12, 1959 GENARO GERONA, ET AL., petitioners-appellants, petitioners-appellant s, vs. TE ONORA!LE "E#RETAR$ O% E&'#AT(ON, ET AL., respon)ents-appellees %a*ts + etitioners elong to te /eova0s itness ose *il)ren ere epelle) ro teir s*ools en te6 reuse) to salute, sing te ante, re*ite te ple)ge )uring te *on)u*t o 7ag *ereon6. &O No. 8 issue) 6 &E#" pursuant to RA 125 i* *alle) or te anner o *on)u*t )uring a 7ag *ereon6. Te petitioners rote te "e*retar6 o E)u*ation on teir pligt an) re:ueste) to reinstate teir *il)ren. Tis as )enie). As a result, te petitioners ;le) or a rit o preliinar6 in )e*lare) )e*lare) &O 8 invali) an) *ontrar6 to te !ill o Rigts (""'E + ON &O .8 is *onstitutional  EL& + Te *ourt el) tat te 7ag is not an iage ut a s6ol o te Repuli* o te ilippines, an ele o national sovereignt6, sovereignt6, o national unit6 an) *oesion an) o ree)o an) liert6 i* it an) te #onstitution guarantee an) prote*t. #onsi)ering #onsi)ering te *oplete separation o *ur* an) state in our s6ste o governent, te 7ag is utterl6 )evoi) o an6 religious signi;*an*e. "aluting te 7ag *onse:uentl6 )oes not involve an6 religious *ereon6. Ater all, te )eterination o eter a *ertain ritual is or is not a religious *ereon6 ust rest it te *ourts. (t *annot e let to a religious group or se*t, u* less to a olloer o sai) group or se*t? oterise, tere tere oul) e *onusion an) isun)erstan)ing isun)erstan)ing or tere igt e as an6 interpretations interpretations an) eanings to e given to a *ertain ritual or *ereon6 as tere are religious groups or se*ts or olloers. Te ree)o o religious elie guarantee) 6 te #onstitution )oes not an) *annot ean eeption or or non-*oplian*e it reasonale reasonale an) non-)is*riinator6 las, rules an) regulations proulgate) 6 *opetent autorit6. (n enor*ing te 7ag salute on te petitioners, tere as asolutel6 no *opulsion involve), an) or teir ailure or reusal to oe6 s*ool regulations aout te 7ag salute te6 ere not eing perse*ute). Neiter ere te6 eing *riinall6 *riinall6 prose*ute) un)er treat o penal sa*ntion. ( te6 *ose not to oe6 te 7ag salute regulation, te6 erel6 lost te ene;ts o puli* e)u*ation eing aintaine) at te epense o teir ello *iti@ens, noting ore. A**or)ing to a popular epression, te6 *oul) tae it or leave it. aving ele*te) not to *opl6 it te regulations aout te 7ag salute, te6 oreite) teir rigt to atten) puli* s*ools Te %ilipino 7ag is not an iage tat re:uires religious veneration? rater it is s6ol o te Repuli* o te ilippines, ilippines, o sovereignt6, sovereignt6, an ele o ree)o, liert6 an) national unit6? tat te 7ag salute is not a religious religious *ereon6 ut an a*t an) proession o love an) allegian*e an) ple)ge o lo6alt6 to te aterlan) i* te 7ag stan)s or? tat 6 autorit6 o te legislature, legislature, te "e*retar6 "e*retar6 o E)u*ation as )ul6 autori@e) to proulgate &epartent Or)er No. 8, series o 1955? t at te re:uireent o oservan*e o te 7ag *ereon6 or salute provi)e) or in sai) &epartent Or)er No. 8, )oes not violate te #onstitutional provision aout ree)o o religion an) eer*ise o religion? tat *oplian*e it te non)is*riinator6 an) reasonale rules an) regulations an) s*ool )is*ipline, in*lu)ing oservan*e o te 7ag *ereon6 is a prere:uisite to atten)an*e in puli* s*ools? an) tat or ailure an) reusal to parti*ipate in te 7ag *ereon6, petitioners ere properl6 e*lu)e) an) )isisse) ro te puli* s*ool te6 ere atten)ing #ON"T(T'T(ONAL LA? %REE&OB O% REL(G(ON? &A(L$ %LAG #EREBON$ NOT A REL(G(O'" R(T'AL.CTe 7ag is not an iage ut a s6ol o te Repuli* o te ilippines, an ele o national sovereignt6, o national unit6 an) *oesion an) o ree)o an) liert6 i* it an) te #onstitution guarantee an) prote*t. 'n)er a s6ste o *oplete separation o *ur* an) state in te governent, te 7ag is utterl6 )evoi) o an6 religious signi;*an*e. "aluting te 7ag )oes not involve an6 religious *ereon6. Te 7ag salute is no ore a religious *ereon6 tan te taing o an oat o oD*e 6 a puli* oD*ial or 6 a *an)i)ate or a)ission to te ar. (&.? (&.? (&.? RE'(REBENT ON "#OOL '(L" TO "AL'TE TE %LAG NOT AN (BO"(T(ON O% REL(G(ON.C (n re:uiring s*ool pupils to parti*ipate in te 7ag salute, te "tate tru te "e*retar6 o E)u*ation is not iposing a religion or religious elie or a religious test on sai) stu)ents. (t is erel6 enor*ing a non)is*riinator6 s*ool regulation appli*ale to all alie eter #ristian, Bosle, rotestant or /eovaFs

itness. itness. Te "tate is erel6 *arr6ing out te )ut6 ipose) upon it 6 te #onstitution i* *arges it it supervision over an) regulation o all e)u*ational institutions, to estalis an) aintain a *oplete an) a)e:uate s6ste o puli* e)u*ation, an) see to it tat all s*ools ai to )evelop, aong oter tings, *ivi* *ons*ien*e an) tea* te )uties o *iti@ensip. *iti@ensip. 3.(&.? (&.? EEBT(ON %ROB %LAG #EREBON$ NOT ROER.CTe *il)ren o /eova itnesses *annot e eepte) ro parti*ipation in te 7ag *ereon6. Te6 ave no vali) rigt to su* eeption. Boreover, eeption to te re:uireent ill )isrupt s*ool )is*ipline an) )eorali@e te rest o te s*ool population i* 6 ar *onstitutes te great a