A BRIEF ON PHILIPPINES NATIONAL FLAG | Stephen Wise
This research was done willingly
for the benefit of all, especially those who do not have chance for research
and those who have not been opportune to hear the history about the Philippines
flag, either a Filipino or foreigner. Though a foreigner, the zeal was
enkindled as a result of my love to the Filipino people at large. In this
article, I will brief about the construction, color, Symbols, the historical
and current flag of the Philippines and other representations.
The National Flag of the
Philippines (Filipino: Pambansang Watawat ng Pilipinas) is a horizontal flag
bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and crimson red, with a white,
equilateral triangle at the hoist. In the center of the triangle is a
golden-yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing a Philippine
province. At each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed, golden-yellow star,
each of which representing one of the country's three main island groups—Luzon,
Visayas (though originally referring to Panay) and Mindanao. The white triangle
at the flag represents liberty, equality, and fraternity. A unique feature of
this flag is its usage to indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the
red side on top, which is effectively achieved by flipping the flag
upside-down.
Constructon: The flag's length is twice its width, giving it an
aspect ratio of 1:2. The length of all the sides of the white triangle are
equal to the width of the flag. Each star is oriented in such manner that one
of its tips points towards the vertex at which it is located. Moreover, the
gap-angle between two neighbours of the 8 ray-bundles is as large as the angle
of one ray-bundle (so 22.5°), with each major ray having double the thickness
of its two minor rays. The golden sun is not exactly in the center of the
triangle but shifted slightly to the right
Color
The shade of blue used in the
flag has varied over time, beginning with the original color lazuli Rosco. The
exact nature of this shade is uncertain, but a likely candidate is the blue of
the Cuban flag, which a theory says influenced the flag's design. [citation
needed] Specifications for the flag's colors with shades matching those used in
the American flag were adopted by the National Historical Institute in 1955.
President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the colors restored to the original light
blue and red of the Cuban flag in 1985, but this was immediately rescinded
after the 1986 People Power Revolution that removed him from power. For the
1998 independence centennial celebrations, the Flag and Heraldic Code of the
Philippines (RA 8491) was passed, designating royal blue as the official
variant. The flag's colors are specified by Republic Act 8491 in terms of their
cable number in the system developed by the Color Association of the United
States. The official colors and their approximations in other color spaces are
listed below
Symbols: the rectangular design that consists of a white
equilateral triangle, symbolizing liberty, equality and fraternity; a
horizontal blue stripe for peace, truth, and justice; and a horizontal red
stripe for patriotism and valor. In the center of the white triangle is an
eight-rayed golden sun symbolizing unity, freedom, people's democracy, and
sovereignty. Each ray represents a province with significant involvement in the
1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain; these provinces are Manila, Bulacan,
Cavite, Pampanga, Morong (modern-day province of Rizal), Laguna, Batangas, and
Nueva Ecija (some sources specify other provinces as alternatives to some of
these). However, according to the Declaration of Independence and a research by
Ateneo de Manila University Professor Ambeth Ocampo, the rays of the sun
symbolized the first eight provinces of the Philippines which was declared
under martial law during the Philippine Revolution (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite,
Manila, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac). Three five-pointed stars,
one at each of the triangle's points, stand for the three major island groups: Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao.
The Philippines Flag in History: It has been common since the 1960s
to trace the development of the Philippine flag to the various war standards of
the individual leaders of the Katipunan, a pseudo-masonic revolutionary
movement that opposed Spanish rule in the Philippines and led the Philippine
Revolution.
The first flag of the Katipunan
was a red rectangular flag with a horizontal alignment of three white Ks (an
acronym for the Katipunan's full name, Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang
Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan – Supreme and Venerable Society of the Sons of
the Nation). The flag's red field symbolized blood, as members of the Katipunan
signed their membership papers in their own blood
The various leaders of the
Katipunan, such as Andrés Bonifacio, Mariano Llanera, and Pío del Pilar, also
had individual war standards. The organization was represented in Cavite
province by two factions: The Magdiwang faction and the Magdalo faction, with
each adopting a flag. Both used a white sun. Instead of the letter K the flags
bore the symbol for the syllable ka in Baybayin, the pre-Hispanic writing
script of the Tagalogs. The Katipunan adopted a new flag in 1897 during an
assembly at Naic, Cavite. This new flag was red and depicted a white sun with a
face. The sun had eight rays, representing eight provinces of the Philippines.
Current flag
The earlier design of the current
Philippine flag was conceptualized by Emilio Aguinaldo during his exile in
British Hong Kong in 1897. The first flag was sewn by Marcela Mariño Agoncillo,
with the help of her daughter Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa Natividad (a niece of
Propagandista José Rizal). It was first displayed in the Battle of Alapan on
May 28, 1898. The flag was formally unfurled during the proclamation of
independence on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite. However, according to Manila
Times article by Augusto de Viana, the flag was first raised in Alapan, Imus,
Cavite, on May 28, 1898, citing Presidential Proclamation No. 374, issued by
then-President Diosdado Macapagal on March 6, 1965. The article goes on to
claim that historical records indicate that the first display of the Philippine
flag took place in Cavite City, when General Aguinaldo displayed it during the
first fight of the Philippine Revolution.
During the session of the Malolos
Congress, Aguinaldo presented the symbolism of the official flag to the
members, delegates and representatives of the assembly as follows:
The Flag bears three colors, three stars, and a sun, the meaning of
which are as follows: the red is symbolic of Filipino courage which is second
to none, and was the color used during the war in the province of Cavite since
the 31st of August 1896, until the Peace of Biak-na-Bato [in 1897]; the blue
carries an allegorical meaning that all Filipinos will prefer to die before
submitting ourselves to the invader, whoever he may be; the white conveys the
idea that, like other nations, the Filipinos know how to govern themselves, and
that they do not recede from observation of foreign powers. The sun and its
rays stirred up Filipinos and spread the light over their world, piercing the
clouds that enshrouded it; it is now the light which brightens every spot in
the Philippine islands, and under its influence the Itas, Igorots, Manguians, and Moros, all of whom I
believe were made in the image of God, and whom I recognize as our brethren,
now come down from the mountains to join with us
Ninth ray for the flag's sun - As representative of a ninth province
Prior to the 1998 independence
centennial celebrations, the provincial government of Zambales lobbied that the
sunburst design accommodates a ninth ray, reasoning that their province was
also in a state of rebellion in 1896. The Centennial Commission however refuted
this change, based on research by the National Historical Institute. In August
2003, then Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople also lobbied for a ninth ray,
saying that Quezon province should be added. He reasons that the first uprising
against the Spaniards happened at the foot of Mount Banahaw which was led by
Hermano Pule in 1841.
As representative of an ethnic group
As of June 2018, there is a
proposal to add a ninth ray to the Philippine flag's sun to represent the Moro
people or Filipino Muslims, as well as other indigenous groups as well for
their role against colonization. [citation needed] Senator Richard Gordon filed
Senate Bill No. 2590 which aimed to amend Flag and Heraldic Code of the
Philippines in 2008. This measure was later substituted by Senate Bill No. 3307
which was sponsored by Senator Francis Escudero which was approved in September
2009. The bill was sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence which
came up with House Bill 6424. Both S.B. No. 3307 and H.B. 6424 was reconciled
by the Bicameral Conference Committee in September 2009. In June 2018, Gordon
renewed his campaign to get his proposal passed into law.
As of 2014, the Ninth Ray
movement is among the prominent groups pushing for the addition of a ninth ray
to the flag's sun. Proponents of the movement believe that a ninth ray should
be added to represent the Muslim and indigenous people of the country who kept colonizers
away from their lands.
Fourth star
Emmanuel L. Osorio, one of the
founders of the Ninth Ray movement, came up with a proposal adding not only a
ninth ray to the flag's sun but also adding a fourth star to the flag
representing North Borneo (present-day Sabah), a territory claimed by the
Philippines but currently under Malaysian sovereignty. The flag's triangle is
changed into a rectangle to accommodate a fourth star. According to Osorio, the
star representing Sabah in his proposed flag was added "in principle"
and said the flag proposal seeks to express the Ninth Ray movement's view that
"if we get Sabah, then it could be represented by the star"
Researcher: By, Stephen Wise
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