01 June 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh celebrated National Flag Day on May 28, which signaled the start of the celebrations for the 117th Philippine Independence Day Celebration on June 12.
The National Flag Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the first time General Emilio Aguinaldo waved the Philippine flag after the victory in the Battle of Alapan in 1898. The first Philippine Flag was sewn in Hong Kong by Filipino expatriates and brought to the country by Aguinaldo after his exile. The design of the flag is tri-color, red and blue with a white triangle on the middle left with three yellow stars on each corner of the triangle and an eight-rayed sun in the middle of the triangle.
The design of the Philippine Flag has evolved from its original image that was sewn in 1898, but its colors and celestial figures have kept their intended meanings:
- Blue - willingness to sacrifice oneself for freedom, peace, truth and justice
- Red - for courage and patriotism
- White - for liberty, equality and fraternity
- Three stars - stands for the three principal islands of the Philippines, namely Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
- Eight rays of the sun - stands for the 8 provinces with significant involvement in the 1896 Philippine Revolution, namely Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna and Batangas
The Philippine Flag is uniquely known as the only national flag in the world that changes the way it is displayed at peacetime, when the blue field is on top, and at war, when the red field is on top.
Republic Act 8491 directs all government agencies, local government offices, government-owned corporations and local government units to observe and hold appropriate ceremonies to commemorate the flag day. Business establishments, learning institutions and private residences are also encouraged to display the Philippine flag in their buildings from May 28 until June 12 each year. END