15 things on ID

CEBU, Philippines - Where were you in 1998 during the Centennial Celebration of Philippine Independence? It’s been 15 years since. Today we are celebrating the 115th anniversary of ID (Independence Day) flaunting the theme “Kalayaan 2013: Ambagan Tungo sa Malawakang Kaunlaran” (Independence Day 2013: Pitching in Towards Inclusive Growth).”

Here are 15 points you might want to know, or know again, about this celebration:

« Time check: It was between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. of June 12, 1898 when Philippine Independence from Spanish rule was declared in Kawit, Cavite, at the ancestral home of General Emilio Aguinaldo.

« Name renamed: The unfurling of the national flag was coupled with a performance of the Marcha Nacional Filipina, which was later on renamed as the “Lupang Hinirang.”

« Band-ism: The national anthem was played by the San Francisco de Malabon band.

« The Who: Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista (a.k.a. Don Bosyong), a lawyer, prepared, wrote and read the Declaration of Philippine Independence (Acta de la proclamación de independencia del pueblo Filipino). He is said to be a distant relative of Dr. Jose Rizal. Though Aguinaldo was the one who unfurled the flag, it was Bautista who waved it at the central window of the Aguinaldo mansion.

« Soft unfurling: In the annals of “Philippine-American War, 1899-1902” written by Arnaldo Dumindin, he noted that “the Filipino national flag was officially unfurled for the first time at 4:20 p.m. The same flag was actually unfurled, albeit unofficially, on May 28, 1898 at the Teatro   Caviteño  in Cavite Nuevo—now Cavite City—right after the battle of Alapan, Imus, Cavite, and again three days later over the Spanish barracks at Binakayan, Cavite, after the Filipinos scored another victory. Thus, March 28 was observed officially as National Flag Day.

« Ars poetica: The “Lupang Hinirang” is actually a poem entitled “Filipinas” penned by Jose Isaac Palma. It was published for the first time in the first anniversary issue of the revolutionary newspaper “La Independencia” on September 3, 1899.

« 4th of July: Neither the United States nor Spain recognized our independence. The Spanish Government ceded Philippine archipelago to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, but this was not recognized either by the Philippine Revolutionary Government. On July 4, 1946 the US granted the Philippines its independence via the Treaty of Manila.

«  Dado’s terms: President Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation No. 28 on May 12, 1962 declaring June 12 as a special public holiday throughout the Philippines, but on August 4, 1964 Republic Act 4166 renamed the Fourth of July holiday as “Philippine Republic Day” and proclaimed June 12 as “Philippine Independence Day.” Prior to this, June 12 was the date observed as Flag Day. This was moved to May 28 (see item #5).

« All the President’s order: General Emilio Aguinaldo designed what was to become the Philippine flag during his exile in Hong Kong in 1897.

« To the left, to the left: Section 10 of Republic Act 8491 or the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines states that when the flag is displayed on a wall during peacetime, the royal blue field is to the observers’ left. Don’t ever make a mistake on that or you could give the wrong cue!

« No public display if…: According to RA 8491, it shall be prohibited to display the flag under any painting or picture; horizontally face-up because it shall always be hoisted aloft and be allowed to fall freely; below any platform; or in discotheques, cockpits, night and day clubs, casinos, gambling joints, and places of vice or where frivolity prevails.

« Technicalities: The flag’s length is twice its width, which translates into an aspect ratio of 1:2. The length of all the sides of the white triangle is equal to the width of the flag. Each star is oriented in such manner that one of its tips points toward the vertex at which it is located. The gap-angle between two neighbors of the eight ray-bundles is as large as the angle of one ray-bundle (22.5°). Its major ray is twice as “thick” as its two minor rays. The golden sun is not exactly in the center of the triangle but shifted slightly to the right. (Source: Wikipedia)

« Influences: It was noted that the flag of Cuba influenced the design of the Philippine flag as Cuba’s revolution against Spain inspired, to some degree, the Philippine Revolution. Meanwhile, the Philippine National Anthem composed by Julian Felipe had similarities with the Spanish “Himno Nacional Español.” Felipe  admitted that he purposely put into his composition some melodic reminiscences of the Spanish National Anthem “in order to preserve the memory of Spain” (ain’t that weird?)

« Women behind the flag: Doña Marcela Mariño Agoncillo was a noted singer and that she occasionally appeared in zarzuelas in Batangas. She married Felipe Agoncillo, a Filipino laywer, who became the leading diplomat of the First Philippine Republic. Marcela together with her seven-year-old daughter Lorenza, and Delfina Herbosa Natividad (a niece of Jose Rizal) hand-sew the flag in Hong Kong.

« Symbology 101: Royal blue field on flag stands for peace, truth, and justice; scarlet red field for patriotism and valor; white triangle for equality and brotherhood; three stars on the corners of the triangle mean the main geographical regions of the country Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao; the sun at the center of the triangle has eight rays representing the eight Philippine provinces that started the revolt against Spain (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac).