The Philippine Flag

Flags were originally used as field marks for war combatants to signify who was friend or foe. During the age of sail in the 17th century, flying flags for ships and boats became common. These flags later became synonymous with the term "country of resitration", as it was used to symbolize the country to which the ship has been documented. From being a naval ensign, the flag became a symbol of nationalism for civilians, and by the 20th century, most countries have taken up a national flag.

In the Philippines, the historical unfurling of our national flag was done in Kawit, Cavite on June 12 1898. It was then when Emilio Aguinaldo, the first Philippine President, proclaimed Philippine Independence. From what I recall from my History classes, the flag was fresh from Hong Kong, where Marcella Agoncillo (who later became known as "The Mother of the Philippine Flag") manually sewed the flag.

It is not depicted in the artwork above, but the flag that was hoisted up on that momentous day looked quite different. For one, the red stripe was on the upper portion of the flag, to signify that war was upon our country (first with the Spaniards, then with the US). The sun inside the equilateral triangle also looked anthropomorphic with its set of eyebrows, eyes, nostrils and mouth. Like many others, the Philippine National flag went through alterations over the past century. There are also a number of prominent flags that circulated throughout the course of Philippine history.

FROM RIGHT TO LEFT:

• _{THE FLAG OF THE REVOLUTION. The three K's stood for Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan in English, Most High and Most Sacred Society of the Sons of People}

• _{An early vesion of the KATIPUNAN FLAG. It had three K's arranged to form an equilateral triangle}

• _{Another version of the KATIPUNAN FLAG. All flags have red backdrop to signify the revolutionary nature of the Katipunan}

• _{BONIFACIO'S FLAG. It was made by the women members of the Katipunan, just before the start of the revolution. It was first used at the "Cry of Pugad Lawin", and since then was used as the ceremonial war standard until 1896}

• _{OFFICIAL FLAG OF THE DE FACTO GOVERNMENT. The eight rays of the sun represented Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, Cavite, and Batangas. At the center was the ancient Filipino alphabet K for Kalayaan}

• _{FIRST OFFICIAL REVISION. The flag was declared as the official flag of the Philippine Government and its forces in the Cavite Assembly on March 17 1897}

• _{LLANERA'S FLAG. Also called BUNGO NI LLANERA (Llanera's skull). Used by General Mariano Llanera, a prominent revolutionary who led the Cry of Nueva Ecija}

• _{THE PRESENT FLAG. It adopted the features of all the previous flags of the Katipunan.}

This is the present flag of the Republic of the Philippines. The equilateral triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity. The horizontal blue stripe stands for peace, truth, and justice; while the red stripe below it is for patriotism and valor. The golden sun in the center of the triangle is a symbol for unity, freedom, democracy, and sovereignty; its 8 rays stand for the 8 provinces that played an important role in the 1896 revolution. The 3 stars found at each of the triangles points stand for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

I find it truly incredible that a piece of cloth can stand for so many things and could tell so much about a whole country. I'll start reading up on other country's flags and I'm sure I'll find the stories behind them equally remarkable.

All photos are mine taken at Museo ng Republica ng 1898, using a Samsung S7 Edge camera phone

flag history referencephilipppine flag reference

---