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Philippine Flag




  Nickname ''Pambansang Watawat'' ("National Flag")
  Article the
  Image Flag of the Philippinessvg
  Use 111111
  Proportion 1:2
  Adoption June 12 , 1898
  Design A horizontal bicolor of blue over red, with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist containing three 5-pointed gold stars at its vertices and an 8-rayed gold sun at its center
  Designer Emilio Aguinaldo
  Type National
  Image2 War Flag of the Philippinessvg
  Use2 111111
  Proportion2 1:2
  Design2 As above, with the blue and red stripes switched
  Designer2 Executive Order No 321 of Elpidio Quirino
  Type2 National


"Bandila" redirects here. For the television program, see Bandila (TV Program) .


The National Flag of the Philippines , known locally as the '''Watawat''' or '''Bandila''' (''lit. "flag"'') is a horizontal bicolor with equal bands of blue and red, and with a white equilateral triangle based at the hoist side; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays; and at each corner of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star. The flag is displayed with the blue field on top in times of peace, and with the red field on top in times of war.

The flag was first conceptualized by Emilio Aguinaldo . The first flag was sewn in Hong Kong by Marcela de Agoncillo, her daughter Lorenza, and Doña Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, a niece of José Rizal , the Philippines' national hero.


DESIGN


Construction

The flag is horizontally divided into two fundamental colors, Royal Blue and Scarlet Red , with a white Equilateral Triangle based at the hoist side. At the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, and at each corner of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star. The flag is displayed with the blue field on top in time of peace, and with the red field on top in time of war.

The flag's length is twice its width, which translates into an Aspect Ratio of 1:2. The sides of the white triangle are equal to the width of the flag. Each star is oriented such that it points towards the tip of the vertex at which it is located.1

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 .2 The official colors and their approximations in other Color Space s are listed below:3

The Philippine flag is unique in that it can indicate a state of War . When the red field is displayed on top (or the left hand side of the observer when the flag is displayed vertically), it means that the Philippines is at war.


Symbolism


According to official sources, the white triangle stands for equality and fraternity; the blue field for peace, truth and justice; and the red field for patriotism and valor.4 The eight primary rays of the sun represent the first eight provinces (, the Visayas , and Mindanao .

However, the symbolism given in the 1898 Proclamation Of Philippine Independence differs from the current official explanation. It says that the white triangle signifies the emblem of the Katipunan , the secret society that opposed Spanish rule. It says the flag's colors commemorate the Flag Of The United States as a manifestation of gratitude for American protection against the Spanish during the Philippine Revolution . It also says that one of the three stars represents the island of Panay , rather than the entire Visayas .6


HISTORY


Historical flags

See Also: Flags of the Philippine Revolution


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 in the Philippine Revolution .7 However, while some symbols common to the Katipunan flags would be adopted into the iconography of the Revolution, it is inconclusive whether these war standards can be considered precursors to the present Philippine flag.



The law makes no statement of what language the pledge must be recited in, but the pledge is written (and therefore recited) in Filipino .


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