US: Inverted Philippine flag was `honest mistake'

[Monseratto]

More cannon-fodder for the militants and commies...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100926/..._inverted_flag

MANILA, Philippines – The U.S. government said Sunday it made an "honest mistake" when it displayed an inverted Philippine flag — which wrongfully signified that the Southeast Asian nation was in a state of war — in a meeting hosted by President Barack Obama.

The Philippine flag was displayed upside down behind President Benigno Aquino III when leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Obama in New York on Friday.

"This was an honest mistake," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said in a statement, adding, "the U.S. treasures its close relationship and close partnership with the Philippines."

The American embassy will find out how the "unfortunate" incident happened, she said.

Philippine foreign affairs department spokesman Ed Malaya said the government understood that it was "an honest error" that "should not detract from the true significance of the summit, which showed the unprecedented cooperation between the ASEAN and the U.S."

It was not immediately clear who pointed out the mistake. A photograph of Aquino sitting beside Obama with the inverted flag behind them was displayed on a government website Sunday but its caption did not point out the error.

During the summit, Obama discussed ways of bolstering economic ties between the U.S. and Southeast Asia as well as Asian regional concerns such as territorial disputes in the South China Sea and Nov. 7 elections in military-ruled Myanmar.

http://www.ops.gov.ph/photos-sep2010/photo6-092510.htm

NEW YORK CITY – President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet and US President Barack Obama in a press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Friday (Saturday in Manila). The leaders discussed points of cooperation and agreement between the United States and the member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). President Aquino serves as the coordinator of the summit as the Philippines is the current Country Coordinator for the ASEAN-US Dialogue relations for 2009-2012. (Photo by: /Malacañang Photo Bureau)

[Reepicheep]

Sa dami nilang nun, wala man lang nakapansin.

"Is the inverted flag a metaphor for the upside-down administration?" :D

[Lucius]

Baliktad din kasi utak ng presidente.

[Monseratto]

Hmm...Local media has yet to pick up this story. Kala ko mabilis ang media natin.

[vito corleone]

nakakapagtaka ang mga pilipino na nandun, kasama na si p-noy, kung walang nakapansin agad

in an array of flags, it's but natural to look for your own country's flag, and, in this case, malamang mapansin mo na pula ang nasa ibabaw

[sgt_taga]

its amazing that the pnoy was not able to see this immediately at umabot pa sa pag-pose niya with obama with the inverted flag in the background. kadali naman sigurong ipabago agad ni pnoy yun kung pinansin niya agad.

anyhow, this should not be a bid deal as it was an honest mistake, i believe. yun nga lang, just disappointing that our leader appears to have no consciousness sa mga presence ng symbols natin as a nation.

[navigator2377]

Mas na-excite na makaharap si US Pres Obama kesa mapansin yung Inverted Flag natin.. Buti na lang may kuha ng litrato kaya napansin pagka-post..

[voltscastillo]

how shocking!

oh the humanity!!

launch the massive protests and indignant calls for apology! kala yata ng mga taga HK sila lang marunong manggulo!

ilabas ang mga pinoy na umiiyak at nagwawala sa us embassy!

ilabas mga pinoy na immigrant na magrarally sa white house (teka, sobrang nationalistic nyo ba't jan kayo nakatira sa US?)!!!

[niky]

Mas na-excite na makaharap si US Pres Obama kesa mapansin yung Inverted Flag natin.. Buti na lang may kuha ng litrato kaya napansin pagka-post..

yeah...because when I'm in a plenary hall surrounded by hundreds of other world leaders and media, I take the time to look around in wide-eyed wonder like a little school boy. Odds are, nobody seated at that table took the time to look behind them and check out their flags. They're there to talk to each other... not to gawk around like tourists.

[niky]

So... how long till we get people complaining that the US government is completely messed up and Barrack Obama should take all the blame?

Oh... I forgot... that wasn't in the Philippines.

[jimnyeatworld]

More cannon-fodder for the militants and commies...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100926/..._inverted_flag



http://www.ops.gov.ph/photos-sep2010/photo6-092510.htm

malas ata talaga ang administrasyon na'to puro blunders. pero tama nga yun iba in saying that Pnoy should have noticed that or even the delegates

it's either theyre starstruck or theyre thinking of what's in it for me sa summit na yan kaya little details like that hindi napapansin

the inverted Philippine Flag is an insult kasi televised worldwide yan tapos sa harap pa nya mismo ang Presidente ng Pilipinas. if this will be put in the History book for our grandchildren's grandchildren, Pnoy will be a laughing stock Pres. sa mga next gen.

[uls]

malas ata talaga ang administrasyon na'to puro blunders. pero tama nga yun iba in saying that Pnoy should have noticed that or even the delegates

it's either theyre starstruck or theyre thinking of what's in it for me sa summit na yan kaya little details like that hindi napapansin

the inverted Philippine Flag is an insult kasi televised worldwide yan tapos sa harap pa nya mismo ang Presidente ng Pilipinas. if this will be put in the History book for our grandchildren's grandchildren, Pnoy will be a laughing stock Pres. sa mga next gen.

so what if it was seen worldwide

as if foreigners will notice anything wrong

di naman nila alam kung tama o baligtad ang bandila natin

baka di nila alam kung kaninong bandila yan

it's not as if it's the US flag that's upside down

only Filipinos will notice a small detail like that

[CoDer]

^ Yep most of the pinoys. Wala din kasi akong paki kung baliktad ba yan o hindi.

[jeDi13]

'tong mga supporters talaga ni gibo oh. hanggang ngayon ba naman, hindi pa rin nakaka-get over? move on na dudes