Celebrate Philippines.

Araw ng kalayaan/Independence Day

Spain had colonized (settled in and took control of) the Philippines for almost 350 years and later the country was also colonized by the United States of America (USA).

The 1898 Treaty of Paris ended the war between Spain and the USA, and Spain surrendered the entire archipelago comprising the Philippines. The Philippines started a revolt against the USA in 1899 and achieved national sovereignty on July 4, 1946, through the Treaty of Manila. Independence Day was officially observed on July 4. That's the same day as USA’s Independence Day.

President Diosdado Macapagal, in 1962, sought to change the country's Independence day to June 12 to disentangle the country’s independence day from its American colonizer. The Republic Act No. 4166 was approved on August 4, 1964 and legalized the holiday, which is based on the Declaration of Independence on June 12, 1898 by General Emilio Aguinaldo and Filipino revolutionary forces from the Spanish colonization.  Since then, June 12 became the Philippines’ very own Independence Day and is celebrated annually.

 

Meaning of the Flag.

The Philippines’ most important national symbol is the national flag. The Philippines’ flag was raised and its national anthem was played for the first time in 1898. However, liberty was short-lived because Spain and the USA did not recognize the declaration.

 
 

  • Meaning of the flag’s colors has evolved over the years:

    • Royal blue field – peace, truth, and justice.

    • Scarlet red field – patriotism and valor.

    • White triangle – equality and brotherhood.

  • • When you hang the flag vertically, the blue side should be on your left. The red side should be on your right. And the white part should be at the top.

    • When you fly it horizontally, the blue side should always be on top. The red side should be at the bottom. And the white part should be closest to the pole.

    • There's a reason this is so important. If you flip the flag over, with red on the left or on top that means the country is at war.

    • Make sure to keep the blue side up and left for peacetime.

 
 

According to the Philippines National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), official national symbols of the Philippines represent the country’s traditions and ideals and convey the principles of Philippine sovereignty and national solidarity.

  • National Anthem

    The Anthem was originally played in musical rendition and was composed by Julian Felipe in 1898 entitled Marcha Nacional Filipina (Philippine National March). It was subsequently played during the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12 by President Emilio Aguinaldo. A year later, in 1899, Jose Palma composed the lyrics in Spanish with the same title as Marcha Nacional Filipina. The lyrics was an adaptation from a Spanish poem entitled Filipinas.

    Source: https://ncca.gov.ph/

  • National Tree

    Narra (Pterocarpus indicus) is a beautiful and strong tree. It is a favorite wood for furniture but because there are only a few trees left, cutting down a Narra tree is no longer allowed. It is found in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests.

    Source: https://ncca.gov.ph/

    Photo source: pluspng.com

  • National Flower

    The Sampaguita (jasminium sambac) has white, star-shaped blossoms. It has a sweet fragrance. It opens at night and wilts in less than a day. The white flowers are often made into garlands and its extract made into perfumes. It is not a tree. It is a woody vine.

    Source: https://ncca.gov.ph/

    Photo source: paintingvalley.com

  • Philippine Eagle

    The Philippine eagle (pithecopaga jeffery) stands over 3 feet (1m) tall. It has a large, sharp, curved beak. It has feathers that seem to bristle on its head. It is a raptor. Raptors are excellent hunters. It lives in tropical rain forests. It lays just one or two eggs each year. There are only a few of them now because of the vanishing trees in our mountains.

    Photo & source: https://ncca.gov.ph/

  • Philippine Pearl

    The Philippine Pearl, known as the South Sea Pearl, was declared in 1996 as the National Gem. The declaration was intended to further promote the cultural heritage of the country and support its national development efforts.

    The local pearl industry which is among the world’s leading pearl producers, has produced the world’s largest pearl, known as the “Pearl of Allah” or as the “Pearl of Lao Tze”.

    The Philippine South Sea pearls come in natural and warm colors. They can range from rich and deep gold to champagne gold, creme rose, silvery, silvery white, cream, and white. The darker the color the more valuable the pearl. Just as they vary in color, they also vary in shape. The uniqueness and variety of shapes and colors are what puts the South Sea pearls above others.

    Source: https://ncca.gov.ph/

  • Arnis

    Recognized by law as the country’s national sport and martial art, Arnis is originally an art originating from native combat techniques during battles among the different pre-colonial Filipino kingdoms or tribes. Arnis was was practiced by the commoner or peasant class. Nearly all of its Arnis history is merely anecdotal, promotional, or oral because most practitioners lacked the necessary education to create any form of written record or documentation.

    Today, Arnis is one of the three weapon-based fighting sports in the country under the umbrella term of Filipino Martial Arts. The other two are Kali and Eskrima.

    Together with hand-to-hand combat, grappling and weapon disarming techniques, arnisadores use bastons (sticks) made of either rattan or kamagong wood. It is common to use rattan for making impact weapons in the Filipino martial arts. When rattan breaks, an advantage of it is that the material frays, which makes its fibers degrade rather than splinter, still causing a dangerous injury to the opponent.

    Source: https://sportsmatik.com/sports-corner/sports-know-how/arnis/about

    Photo source: tatlerasia.com