In this same day, 12th of June, the Philippine independence was achieved. Let me take you on a tour down the memory lane. It was during 1898 of the same day that the First President of the Republic of the Philippines Emilio Aguinaldo declared our independence from Spain’s colonization that lasted for more than 3 centuries.
Along with this declaration arose the new symbol of the Philippines, our national flag. Now, not many people know the symbols behind our flag.We just view it as something that represents our country and a thing that symbolizes the freedom of the Filipino people from our oppressors. Although this is very true, it’s time to shed some light and look deeper beyond the meaning and symbols that represents our flag.
In commemoration of the Philippine Independence let us discuss about the content of our national flag. Why do we need to know the meaning of each symbol? To raise awareness that the symbols are not just any design or ornaments to beautify our national flag. In fact, every one of those symbols inside the national flag has a representation behind them that tells the story of how our ancestors bravely fought for our freedom.
The Anatomy of the Philippine Flag
The White Triangle – This symbol represents the totem of the Katipunan who bravely offered their blood and life to free our country from Spain. This also signifies the hope for equality of every Filipino people.
8 Rays of the Sun – The 8 rays of the sun in our flag represents the provinces who took an important part in the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain. These provinces are:
- Manila
- Bulacan
- Cavite
- Pampanga
- Bataan
- Laguna
- Batangas
- Nueva Ecija
Three Stars – The stars located around the sun represents the islands of the Philippines namely:
- Luzon
- Panay (Visayas)
- Mindanao
The Blue Stripe – The color blue stands for Peace, Truth, and Justice. Every time we display our flag, it is always the blue stripe that should be above the red one because this means that the country remains free from war and continues to live in peace.
The Red Stripe – The red stripe stands for Patriotism and Valor. This means that this color represents the bravery and love for country of every Filipino people who are willing to put their lives on the line for the country.
These symbols put into one great flag shall always be honored for it will always tell the story of bravery, heroism, and patriotism. Should the Filipino people feel threatened by the oppressors once more, let us all look at our flag and master the courage to fight for our beloved Philippines.
