The Philippines flag (first raised 12 June 1898) has blue over red horizontal bands and a white hoist triangle bearing a golden sun with eight rays and three stars. Blue denotes peace, truth, justice; red patriotism and valor; the triangle equality/Katipunan ideals; the sun independence and the people; stars the three main island groups. The flag inverts in wartime (red up). Proportion is 1:2 with codified colours and geometry; the 1998 Flag and Heraldic Code governs protocol.
The flag of the Philippines crystallises the archipelago’s anti‑colonial revolution and republican ideals in a design renowned for its wartime inversion protocol.
Revolutionary Genesis (1896–1898) Katipunan banners pioneered sun and letter motifs during the 1896 uprising against Spain. In exile, Emilio Aguinaldo commissioned a new flag sewn in Hong Kong by Marcela Agoncillo, her daughter Lorenza, and Delfina Herbosa. It was first unfurled at the proclamation of independence in Kawit, Cavite, on 12 June 1898.
Design
and Symbolism The flag consists of two equal horizontal bands—blue above red in peacetime—with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist. Within the triangle appears a golden sun with eight rays for the first eight provinces to revolt, and three five‑pointed stars for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Blue stands for peace, truth, and justice; red for patriotism and valor; the triangle for equality and revolutionary ideals. In wartime, the flag is inverted (red up), a unique feature among national flags.
Suppression, Restoration, and Law American colonial authorities banned public display from 1907 to 1919, but the emblem returned during the Commonwealth and was fully reinstated at independence on 4 July 1946 (now commemorated 12 June). The Flag and Heraldic Code of 1998 establishes a 1:2 ratio, precise geometry of the sun and stars, colour standards, etiquette, and penalties for misuse.
Protocol
and Public Life Guidance mandates respectful handling, precedence, half‑masting in mourning, and dignified retirement. The flag is omnipresent in schools, government, and diaspora communities, and central to Independence Day rites. Its inversion rule provides a vivid, widely recognised signal of national status in peace or war.
Continuity Except for shade adjustments and minor standardisation, the design has remained consistent with the 1898 concept, binding revolutionary heritage to modern statehood.