[3] Plans to restore the flagpole's original height was proposed in 2011 by the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) of the Department of Tourism.

[4] The project details of the flagpole restoration went viral and was a subject of controversy due to its price which critics found overpriced.

The DPWH defended the project emphasizing the flag's historical value and assured the public that a structural analysis has been conducted.

They also emphasized that the renovation project planned as early as since 2011 went through a bidding process and justified the cost citing the improvements then to be made for the flagpole.

[2][6] Since October 2019 a monthly national flag raising ceremony has been held there every first Monday of the month, open to the public, echoing similar ceremonies in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and Santiago's Plaza de la Ciudadania.