Marikina to sue drone operator for displaying inverted PH flag during Palaro

Marikina Mayor Marcy  Teodoro welcomes Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte during an inspection as part of the preparation for the 63rd Palarong Pambansa to be held in Marikina City. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A drone systems operator and provider would face legal cases for showing an inverted Philippine flag during the closing ceremony of the 63rd Palarong Pambansa, according to the Marikina City government.

According to the local government of Marikina, the drone show was part of its program facilitated by Dronetech Philippines.

“Sa nasabing Drone Show ay nagkaroon ng pagkakamali sa formation ng bandila ng Pilipinas kung saan pula ang nasa ibabaw at asul ang nasa ibaba,” the city government said in a Facebook post.

(In the said Drone Show, there was a mistake in the formation of the Philippine flag where red is on top and blue is on the bottom.)

“Mariing kinondena ng Marikina City Government sa pangunguna ni Mayor Marcy Teodoro ang pangyayari at pinapakasuhan ang Dronetech PH upang madetermina ang mga legal na pananagutan ng kumpanya kasama na rin ang mga kalakip na kaparusahan at multa,” it added.

(The Marikina City Government led by Mayor Marcy Teodoro strongly condemned the incident and is suing Dronetech PH to determine the company’s legal responsibilities including the accompanying penalties and fines.)

On the other hand, the company issued an apology to the city government and Teodoro for what it called a “grave” mistake during the show.

“We at Dronetech PH apologize for the inconvenience our drone show has caused at the Palarong Pambansa Closing Ceremonies held at Marikina Sports Center this evening,” the company said.

Dronetech PH said it was unable to test and notice the error in its drone show programming due to days-long inclement weather.

For upcoming shows, the drone systems operator and provider said it would execute proper protocols in testing its drones.

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JPV