Flag of the Philippines

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The national flag of the Philippines (Tagalog: Pambansang watawat ng

Pilipinas; Ilocano: Nailian a bandera ti Filipinas; Cebuano: Nasudnong bandila ng
Pilipinas; Spanish: Bandera Nacional de Filipinas) is a horizontal bicolor flag with equal
bands of royal blue and crimson red, with a white, equilateral triangle at the hoist. In the
center of the triangle is a golden-yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing
a province.[a] At each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed, golden-yellow star, each of
which representing one of the country's three main island groups—
Luzon, Visayas (though originally referring to the island of Panay)[b] and Mindanao. The
white triangle at the hoist represents liberty, equality, and fraternity. A unique feature of
this flag is its usage to indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top,
which is effectively achieved by flipping the flag upside-down. [17]

Design[edit]
Construction[edit]
The flag's length is twice its width, giving it an aspect ratio of 1:2. The length of all the
sides of the white triangle are equal to the width of the flag. Each star is oriented in such
manner that one of its tips points towards the vertex at which it is located. [18] Moreover,
the gap-angle between two neighbors of the 8 ray-bundles is as large as the angle of
one ray-bundle (so 22.5°), with each major ray having double the thickness of its two
minor rays.[19] The golden sun is not exactly in the center of the triangle but shifted
slightly to the right.[20]

Construction sheet of the Philippine flag.

Color[edit]

Changes to the shade of blue of the Philippine flag from left to right: Azul Oscuro (1898); National Flag Blue
(1955); Oriental Blue (1985); National Flag Blue (1986); and Royal Blue (1998)

The shade of blue used in the flag has varied over time, beginning with the original color described
as Azul Oscuro (Spanish, "dark blue"). The exact nature of this shade is debated, but a likely
candidate is the blue on the Cuban flag, which a theory says influenced the Philippine flag's design.
[21]
 The colors of the flag were first standardized by President Ramón Magsaysay, upon the
recommendation of the Philippine Heraldry Committee (PHC) dated January 24, 1955. [22] Specifically,
the colors adopted were Old Glory Red (Cable No. 70180), National Flag Blue (Cable No. 70077),
Spanish Yellow (Cable No. 70068), and White (70001) by the Reference Guide of the Textile Color
Card Association of the United States.[23] In 1985, President Ferdinand E. Marcos through Executive
Order No. 1010, s. 1985 instructed the National Historical Institute "to take the necessary steps to
restore the original color of the First Philippine Flag". In late May, the NHI adopted Oriental Blue
(Cable No. 80176) for the new national flag, but this was later rescinded by President Corazon C.
Aquino after the 1986 People Power Revolution that removed him from power in favor of pre-1985
National Flag Blue.[23] For the 1998 centennial celebration of Philippine independence, the Flag and
Heraldic Code of the Philippines (Republic Act. 8491, s. 1998) was passed, designating Royal Blue
(Cable No. 80173) as the official variant to be used from 1998 to present. [24]
The flag's colors are specified and codified under Republic Act 8491, s. 1998 signed on February 12,
1998, in terms of their cable number in the system developed by the Color Association of the United
States.[18][25] The official colors and their approximations in other color spaces are listed below:[26]

Blue Crimson White Golden-Yellow

Scheme

Cable No.[18] 80173 80108 80001 80068

Pantone[26] 286C 193C 122C

RGB 0-56-168 206-17-38 255-255-255 252-209-22

CMYK C99-M80-Y0-K0 C12-M100-Y87- C0-M0-Y0-K0 C2-M17-Y91-K0

 K3

HEX #0038A8 #CE1126 #FFFFFF #FCD116