JOSE RIZAL MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY

The Premier University in Zamboanga del Norte

Main Campus, Dapitan City,
Zamboanga del Norte

Readings in Philippine History

Mrs. Amilade Borja

‘‘Issues and Controversies About the Philippine Flag’’

Group 4

Collamar, Phejie
Colot, Darel Louie
Comendador, Jaybe
Decierdo, Lynie
Elumba, Sara
 ‘‘Issues and Controversies About the Philippine Flag’’

The national flag of the Philippines (pambansang watawat ng Pilipinas) is a horizontal

bicolor flag with equal bands of royal blue and crimson red, with a white, equilateral chevron
at the hoist.

Source: wikipedia

Designed by: Emilio Aguinaldo

Proportion: 1:2

Sewn by:
a.) Mrs. Marcela Marino Agoncillo
b.) Lorenza Marino Agoncillo
c.) Mrs. Delfina Herbosa de Natividad

When was it first flown?

- May 28, 1898, after the Battle of Alapan

Where did the first flag was made?

- 535 Morrison Hill Road, Hongkong

On June 12, 1898, the Philippine flag was waved in Kawit, Cavite to declare the Philippine
independence.

Features and Symbolism of the Philippine Flag

a.) In the center of the triangle is a golden-yellow sun that represents unity, freedom, people’s
democracy, and sovereignty.
b.) The eight rays of the sun represent the 8 regions that started revolting against Spain
namely, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac.

c.) 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 the island of Panay which was the center of revolutionary activities in
the Visayan Region. It was clarified by the NCCA or The National Commission for Culture
and the Arts), and Mindanao.

d.) The white triangle at the hoist represents liberty, equality, and fraternity.

e.) The blue section of the flag represents peace, freedom, and justice.

f.) The red section symbolizes courage and patriotism.

g.) A unique feature of this flag is its usage to indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the
red part on top by flipping the flag upside down.

Source: crwflags.com

The Philippine Flag was Banned

When the Americans took over the Philippines in 1898, mutual distrust among the
Filipinos and Americans started. This prompted the Philippine Commission to enact the Flag
Law of 1907 that forbade the Filipinos to use or display the Philippine flag anywhere, even
inside Filipino homes.
 Act 1696, or the Flag Law Act, (Philippine Commission Act № 1696, August 23,
1907) is an act of the Philippine Commission that outlawed the display of the Philippine flag
or any flag against American rule, and Katipunan flags, banners, emblems, or devices in the
American-controlled Philippine Islands.

Source: Wikipedia

Gov. Gen. Francis Burton Harrison, a man who was sympathetic toward the Filipino
cause, urged the repeal of the Flag Law in his 17th annual message to the Legislature. That
same day, October 16, 1919, Senator Rafael Palma, taking a cue from Harrison's message,
sponsored House Senate Bill No. 1 scrapping the ban on the flag.

The bill repealing the Flag Law was approved in both houses and became Act No.
2871 on October 22, 1919. On October 24, 1919, Harrison issued Proclamation No. 18
setting aside October 30, 1919, as a public holiday to be known as "Flag Day." (Since then
there have been other flag days such as May 28 and June 12. Latest, however, is the
observance of Flag Day on June 12 of every year in accordance with a proclamation issued
by the late President Quirino.)

It is said that many people shed tears of joy when the Filipino flag was publicly
displayed after 12 long years (1907 to 1919) of proscription.
 Inclusion of a 9th Ray and a Crescent in the Philippine Flag

On September 2, 2008, Senator Richard J. Gordon submitted Senate Bill No. 2590
during the 14th Congress titled “An Act Increasing the Number of Rays of the Sun on the
Philippine Flag from Eight to Nine, amending for this Purpose Republic Act No. 8491,
Otherwise Known as the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines”.

He stated that "the bravery of the Muslim heroes left an imprint on national history
that, at the very least, must be given due recognition in the most heraldic item of national
importance--the Philippine flag,"

I think inclusion should be the policy. To include our brother Muslims,” Gordon said
during the interpellation period.

Senator Franklin Drilon asked Gordon if a 10th ray should also be added for the
people of the Cordilleras. Gordon replied that the ninth ray could represent all groups
excluded in the eight rays.

“The more important thing is when we replace the rays of the sun there will be
discussions in our country’s schools…reminding our people that we have a rich past,”
Gordon said.

Chapter 1, Section 4 of the RA. 8491 states that:

The flag of the Philippines shall be blue, white and red with an eight-rayed
golden-yellow sun and three five-pointed stars, as consecrated and honored by the
people.

If Gordon’s bill was approved, the section 4 will change into:

The flag of the Philippines shall be blue, white and red with a NINE-rayed
golden-yellow sun and three five-pointed stars, as consecrated and honored by the
people.

An article by Jay Villapando emphasized that historian Xiao Chua said that adding a
ninth ray in the Philippine flag would "destroy" the historical context behind the symbolism.

These were just the 8 provinces in which the Spaniards suspected that there are
members of the Katipunan," he told ANC's "Beyond Politics" in reference to the
revolutionary movement.

"To add the ninth ray to it would destroy the historical context. It is something that is
not correct should we say it," he added.
 On June 12, 1995, former President Fidel Ramos made new flag proposals. His
suggestions were to incorporate a crescent into the existing national flag to represent Muslims
in Southern Islands of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan.

Proposals to change the Philippine flag have been around since the 1970s. These
include adding a ninth ray to represent Zambales (the provincial government of which
insisted that it was among the provinces to revolt against Spain), or adding a crescent moon
beside the 8-rayed sun to represent the various Filipino Muslim entities that successfully
retained their autonomy until the American colonial era. In this most recent move to change
the flag there's a bit of a coincidence, as Sen. Richard Gordon (who hails from Zambales) is
the one putting forth the Senate bill seeking to add a ninth ray to represent Muslims

We respect the contributions of the Muslims in defending our country to the

Spaniards, but everything that has been written in the history of our flag will change, and the
whole meaning of the flag will be different, and the productions of the flag will start over
again and the design also. According to Xiao Chua, it would cause a destruction and
confusion in the whole historical context of our country’s flag. Even though we want the rays
of the flag to be unchanged, we still respect everything that the Muslims did for our country,
their sacrifices and victories means so much and it will leave a mark to the whole history of
our country.

Source: Wikipedia and CRW Flags

 The Blue Color of the Philippine Flag

The repeal of the Flag Law of 1907 on October 14, 1919, gave reason for the Filipinos
to be jubilant, however, it created a new controversy concerning the true color of the flag's
blue field. The issue was raised as early as mid-1970's until mid-1980's. Through studies it
appeared that the conflict in the shades of blue might have resulted from the alleged hasty
preparations of the flag that was used for the Flag Day of March 26, 1920, following the
repeal of the Flag Law of 1907.

In an article written by Ambeth Ocampo, the Director of the National Archives and a
member of the National Historical Institute (NHI), Domingo Abella, believed that the flag
makers was supposed to use light blue cloth if it wasn't out of supply. Thus, they used dark
blue instead, perpetuating the mistake. However, no documentary evidence was presented by
Abella and so, he was not taken seriously till the late historian, Teodoro A. Agoncillo also
supported the camp battling for the light-blue flag through a documented interview of Emilio
Aguinaldo regarding the specification of the blue color of the original flag.

Meanwhile, Juan Luna's painting of the flag on May 21, 1899 in "Monograph"
illustrated the flag in lighter blue, whereas Mariano Ponce in his letter to Ferdinand
Blumentritt described the blue color of the flag "as blue as the sky" symbolizing hope.

Despite the color light-blue allegations, the color of the flag remained navy blue, as it
was supported by all extant flags having this color. The daughter of the flag-maker also
named Marcela Agoncillo believed that it was not sky blue or light blue but dark blue.
Additionally, Filipino artist, Galo Ocampo said in a letter to the Minister of Education in
1985 that the Heraldry institute adopted the dark blue in 1955 after consultations with
General Aguinaldo.

The 1936 flag, with the navy blue, was replaced with a bright royal blue when the
Japanese-controlled second republic was proclaimed in 1943. It was eventually restored upon
the return of American forces in October, 1944. This remained the case until 1985, when the
former President-Dictator Ferdinand Marcos altered the shade of blue from dark to light in
the belief that the original flag had featured light blue. After the People Power Revolution in
1986, the change got abolished and the pre-1985 flag was restored.

Later on Feb. 12, 1998, a change was made to the national flag, having royal blue as
the official color. This shade of blue is specified in the Republic Act 8491, also known as the
Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines. As of today, Cable No. 80173 or royal blue is the
basis of the true shade of blue in the Philippine flag.
 Source: Facebook – Filipino History

Where is the First Philippine Flag?

Some people believed that the flag kept in the Aguinaldo Museum in Baguio City was
the actual one hoisted during the declaration of independence on June 12, 1898.

There were reports that the first original flag of the Philippines was returned in July
1957 by US Ambassador Charles E. Bohlen.

Recently, American War Commission Public Relations Director Rudy Asercion

noticed a Philippine flag in an American trophy Room of the San Francisco War Memorial
Building. He then asked if the flag in San Francisco could be the same flag sewn by
Agoncillo in 1898. Looking at the flag closely, it was made of fine silk but its sun has 12 rays
while the original has eight; it has six-pointed stars while the original had five-pointed star;
the sun and stars in the original flag were sewn by hand while the Francisco flag has a painted
sun and stars; and most importantly, the original flag had a plain blue field while the San
Francisco flag has a printed blue field with floral design.

Unfortunately, the original Philippine flag was lost somewhere in Tayug, Pangasinan
when Aguinaldo fought in Northern Luzon during the Filipino American war, according to a
report to Captain Baja on June 11, 1925. Marcela Agoncillo, on the other hand, said that she
saw the original flag in 1919. On her statement in Philippine Herald, she said that the flag
was made of mixed silk and cotton fabric which is different from the one she sewed since it
was made of fine silk.

The Philippine Flag on display in the Baguio Museum is Aguinaldo’s Battle flag. It
was supposedly hidden from 1901 to 1919 during the American occupation, a time when the
displaying of the Philippine flag was banned. The flag has been in Baguio since the '80s.

To this day, nobody knows where the original flag of 1898 is.
 Source: Wikipedia

The thimble used by Doña Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo in sewing the first Philippine
flag was on display at Presidential Museum & Library.

Source: Wikipedia
 References

Features and Symbolism of the Philippine Flag

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Philippines#:~:text=A%20horizontal
%20bicolor%20of%20blue,gold%20sun%20at%20its%20center.

Executive Order No. 23 (March 25, 1936), Description and Specification of the
Filipino Flag, Official Gazette, retrieved July 24, 2024

Hornedo, Florentino H. "The Nation's First Flag". Filipinoheritage.com. Archived

from the original on October 30, 2007.

The Philippine Flag was Banned

Source: Supreme Court Library

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1907/08/23/act-no-1696-s-1907/

Source of Article: Jose A. Quirino

https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ph-reint.html

Inclusion of a 9th Ray and a Crescent in the Philippine Flag

Source: LawPhil.com
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1998/ra_8491_1998.html

Source: ABS-CBN News

Author: Kristine Sabillo
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/19/18/should-the-ph-flag-have-a-9th-ray

Article by: Jay Allen Villapando

https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ph!.html

The Blue Color of the Philippine Flag

Source: studocu.com
The Philippine national flag. (n.d.). Studocu. Retrieved from
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/lyceum-northwestern-university/bs-
psychology/the-philippine-national-flag/81517765

Source: nolisoli.ph
Article Title: Sa langit mong bughaw: Tracing the many shades of blue of the
Philippine flag
Author: Amierielle Anne Bulan
Date: July 12, 2019
https://nolisoli.ph/63551/sa-langit-mong-bughaw/

Source: crwflags.com
Article by: Manuel L. Quezon III
Modifying Author: Zachary Harden
https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ph-hist.html

Source: britannica.com
Written by Whitney Smith
Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica Article History
https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-Philippines

Where is the First Philippine Flag?

Source: scribd.com
Uploaded by: Janna Grace Dela Cruz
https://www.scribd.com/document/588271706/Lesson-7-The-Philippine-National-
Flag

Source: scribd.com
Uploaded by: Khimmy Magpantay Flores
https://www.scribd.com/document/333871568/The-Controversial-Philippine-
National-Flag?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2_2jHA7iXgZ-
Qv6hRbs32oP1y1O5S38QoXCXBtbRQSuZ7QxOodsntULps_aem_HQ2SUPrB-
ZLcElDVmXV_XQ

Esquire Philippines. (June 12, 2023), "Debunking The Myths About The First
Philippine Flag." esquiremag.ph
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/fast-facts-original-philippine-flag-
a00203-20230612-lfrm?s=si39md5pbgi4a2flt3ppk7offc