Coat of arms of the Philippines
Encyclopedia
The Coat of Arms of the Philippines features the eight-rayed sun of the Philippines
with each ray representing the eight provinces (Batangas
, Bulacan
, Cavite
, Manila
, Laguna, Nueva Ecija
, Pampanga
and Tarlac
) which were placed under martial law by Governor-General
Ramón Blanco during the Philippine Revolution
, and the three five-pointed stars representing the three primary geographic regions of Luzon
, Visayas
, and Mindanao
. In the blue field on the left side is the Eagle of the United States
, and in the red field on the right is the Lion-Rampant of Spain
, both representing colonial history. It is also used by the Philippine National Bank
. The blazon
of the coat of arms from Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (Republic Act 8491) is as follows:
Eventually the seal evolved and changes some details and features, but the principal devices remained unaltered. The new design was patterned after the national standard of Spain, the seal consist of fleur-de-lis
surrounded by quartered flag of Castille and Aragon represented by thwo golden castles located on the red field and two red lions on a white field. The seal was later adopted by Spanish colonial government.
During Philippine Revolution
in 1896, the Filipino leaders had no permanent political symbol, however two different coat of arms was easily adopted by the Filipinos, both arms consist of an equilateral triangle, but differs on symbols found inside the triangle. many documents of Katipunan
bore a letter K which stand for Kalayaan (Liberty), while some had the rising mythological sun in the center. General Emilio Aguinaldo
adopted the mythological sun and five pointed stars in each angle of the equilateral triangle as their coat of arms.
During American occupation, a law was enacted prescribing the new coat of arms for the Philippines
. At this time, the Manila coat of arms adopted by Spanish colonial government was still in use until 1905 when Philippine Commission
adopted the "new arms and great seal of the Philippine Islands" designed by Gaillard Hunt of the US State Department. It consist of 13 alternating red and white stripes representing 13 original colonies of America; a chief blue above, the honor color, and over them in an oval the arms of Manila with the castle of Spain and the sea lion prominently displayed it also consist of a American eagle, the symbol of United States. beneath the shieldwas the scroll with the words Philippine Islands. It remained unaltered until the inauguration of Commonwealth of the Philippines
in 1935.
During Commonwealth Era
, extensive reform was mad to the government in preparation for Philippine independence. One of major changes is changing symbol for Filipinos. "The Arms and Great seal of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines" was approved in 1935, the number of stripes reduce from thirteen to two and three five-pointed stars were added. The eagle was slightly enlarge and place closer to the arm. the word Commonwealth of the Philippines replaced Philippine Islands in the scroll below, it also incorporated the modified seal of City of Manila.
On December 15, 1938, President Manuel Quezon created the Special Committee of Arms of the Philippines. After almost two years of studying, The committee recommend certain modifications to the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. They recommend that the eight ray Philippine sun must be the point of honor. It was revised in 1940, It featured two stripes, blue on the right side while red on the left side of the shield; a chief white field above, studded with tree five-pointed stars equidistant from each other, over them, the eight-ray sun in rayonant with each ray flanked on the both sides of minor rays inside an oval. On the crest is the American eagle, her talon grasping an olive branch with eight leaves and eight fruits, and the left talon grasping three spears, beneath the shield is the scroll with inscription Philippines
Following the providing appropriate symbols to various branches of the government. President Quezon created the Philippine Heraldic Committee in 1940. The committee was assigned the studying and recommending the designs and symbolism for official seals of Philippines' political subdivision, cities and government institutions. The heraldic work of the committee was suspended during Pacific War
.
during the Second Philippine Republic
, a more nationalistic policy were adopted, the seal was revised, Foreign components of the Filipino heraldic symbol which previously representing its colonial links to Spain
and United States
were removed, Instead salient features of the falg and seal of short-lived Philippine Republic
were incorporated, which consist of the eight-ray mythological sun and three stars located beneath the equilateral triangle. Written within three sets of two marginal lines of the tree sides of the triangle were Kalayaan, Kapayapaan, Katarungan (Liberty, Peace, Justice). Around the seal was a double marginal circle within which was written Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines)
After the World War II
, President Sergio Osmena
reactivate the Philippine Heraldic Committee. the new design pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 731 was approved by the Congress of the Philippines
on July 3, 1946, It was designed by Captain Galo B. Ocampo, secretary of the Philippine Heraldry Committee
it consist of the Philippine Sun with eight rays, occupies the point of honor in the center, while three five-pointed stars, representing Luzon
, Visayas
and Mindanao
, occupy the upper portion of the field. On the right side, on the blue field is the bald-headed American eagle and on the left side, on the red field, the lion rampant of Spain, beneath the arms is scroll inscribed with the words Republic of the Philippines
During Marcos administration
, The Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa (One Nation, One Spirit) become the national motto of the Philippines. It was immediately incorporated in to the national seal replacing the words Republic of the Philippines which were originally inscribed in a scroll beneath the arms, it was approved by the Office of the President on July 31, 1978. The revision of the national seal is due to belief of President Marcos that under his government New Society Program, the ultimate unity of the Filipinos could be achieved through the active participation of every citizen motivated by one guiding spirit. When President Corazon Aquino
took over the government. She obliterate any Marcos contribution to the Philippine History. The Philippine coat of arms was reverted, removing the national motto pursuant to Republic Act No. 8491 approved on February 12, 1998. The original design has been followed until now.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
with each ray representing the eight provinces (Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
, Bulacan
Bulacan
Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...
, Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Laguna, Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City...
, Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
and Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...
) which were placed under martial law by Governor-General
Governor-General of the Philippines
The Governor-General of the Philippines was the title of the government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, governed mainly by Spain and the United States, and briefly by Great Britain, from 1565 to 1935....
Ramón Blanco during the Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
, and the three five-pointed stars representing the three primary geographic regions of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
, and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. In the blue field on the left side is the Eagle of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and in the red field on the right is the Lion-Rampant of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, both representing colonial history. It is also used by the Philippine National Bank
Philippine National Bank
The Philippine National Bank is one of the largest banks in the Philippines, ranking fourth in terms of assets...
. The blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the coat of arms from Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (Republic Act 8491) is as follows:
History
The Philippine heraldic symbol begin when King Philip II of Spain authorize the first coat of arms to City of Manila through the royal decree issued on March 20, 1596 is as follows:Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
surrounded by quartered flag of Castille and Aragon represented by thwo golden castles located on the red field and two red lions on a white field. The seal was later adopted by Spanish colonial government.
During Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
in 1896, the Filipino leaders had no permanent political symbol, however two different coat of arms was easily adopted by the Filipinos, both arms consist of an equilateral triangle, but differs on symbols found inside the triangle. many documents of Katipunan
Katipunan
The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila in 1892, whose primary aim was to gain independence from Spain through revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and others on the night...
bore a letter K which stand for Kalayaan (Liberty), while some had the rising mythological sun in the center. General Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an instrumental role during the Philippines' revolution against Spain, and the subsequent Philippine-American War or War of Philippine Independence that resisted American occupation...
adopted the mythological sun and five pointed stars in each angle of the equilateral triangle as their coat of arms.
During American occupation, a law was enacted prescribing the new coat of arms for the Philippines
. At this time, the Manila coat of arms adopted by Spanish colonial government was still in use until 1905 when Philippine Commission
Philippine Commission
The Philippine Commission was a body appointed by the President of the United States to exercise legislative and limited executive powers in the Philippines. It was first appointed by President William McKinley in 1901. Beginning in 1907, it acted as the upper house of a bicameral Philippine...
adopted the "new arms and great seal of the Philippine Islands" designed by Gaillard Hunt of the US State Department. It consist of 13 alternating red and white stripes representing 13 original colonies of America; a chief blue above, the honor color, and over them in an oval the arms of Manila with the castle of Spain and the sea lion prominently displayed it also consist of a American eagle, the symbol of United States. beneath the shieldwas the scroll with the words Philippine Islands. It remained unaltered until the inauguration of Commonwealth of the Philippines
Commonwealth of the Philippines
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was a designation of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 when the country was a commonwealth of the United States. The Commonwealth was created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1934. When Manuel L...
in 1935.
During Commonwealth Era
Commonwealth of the Philippines
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was a designation of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 when the country was a commonwealth of the United States. The Commonwealth was created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1934. When Manuel L...
, extensive reform was mad to the government in preparation for Philippine independence. One of major changes is changing symbol for Filipinos. "The Arms and Great seal of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines" was approved in 1935, the number of stripes reduce from thirteen to two and three five-pointed stars were added. The eagle was slightly enlarge and place closer to the arm. the word Commonwealth of the Philippines replaced Philippine Islands in the scroll below, it also incorporated the modified seal of City of Manila.
On December 15, 1938, President Manuel Quezon created the Special Committee of Arms of the Philippines. After almost two years of studying, The committee recommend certain modifications to the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. They recommend that the eight ray Philippine sun must be the point of honor. It was revised in 1940, It featured two stripes, blue on the right side while red on the left side of the shield; a chief white field above, studded with tree five-pointed stars equidistant from each other, over them, the eight-ray sun in rayonant with each ray flanked on the both sides of minor rays inside an oval. On the crest is the American eagle, her talon grasping an olive branch with eight leaves and eight fruits, and the left talon grasping three spears, beneath the shield is the scroll with inscription Philippines
Following the providing appropriate symbols to various branches of the government. President Quezon created the Philippine Heraldic Committee in 1940. The committee was assigned the studying and recommending the designs and symbolism for official seals of Philippines' political subdivision, cities and government institutions. The heraldic work of the committee was suspended during Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.
during the Second Philippine Republic
Second Philippine Republic
The Second Philippine Republic, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , was a state in the Philippines established on October 14, 1943 under Japanese occupation....
, a more nationalistic policy were adopted, the seal was revised, Foreign components of the Filipino heraldic symbol which previously representing its colonial links to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were removed, Instead salient features of the falg and seal of short-lived Philippine Republic
First Philippine Republic
The Philippine Republic , more commonly known as the First Philippine Republic or the Malolos Republic was a short-lived insurgent revolutionary government in the Philippines...
were incorporated, which consist of the eight-ray mythological sun and three stars located beneath the equilateral triangle. Written within three sets of two marginal lines of the tree sides of the triangle were Kalayaan, Kapayapaan, Katarungan (Liberty, Peace, Justice). Around the seal was a double marginal circle within which was written Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines)
After the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, President Sergio Osmena
Sergio Osmeña
Sergio Osmeña y Suico was a Filipino politician who served as the 4th President of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was Vice President under Manuel L. Quezon, and rose to the presidency upon Quezon's death in 1944, being the oldest Philippine president to hold office at age 65...
reactivate the Philippine Heraldic Committee. the new design pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 731 was approved by the Congress of the Philippines
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...
on July 3, 1946, It was designed by Captain Galo B. Ocampo, secretary of the Philippine Heraldry Committee
National Historical Institute (Philippines)
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is part of the government of the Philippines...
it consist of the Philippine Sun with eight rays, occupies the point of honor in the center, while three five-pointed stars, representing Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, occupy the upper portion of the field. On the right side, on the blue field is the bald-headed American eagle and on the left side, on the red field, the lion rampant of Spain, beneath the arms is scroll inscribed with the words Republic of the Philippines
During Marcos administration
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
, The Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa (One Nation, One Spirit) become the national motto of the Philippines. It was immediately incorporated in to the national seal replacing the words Republic of the Philippines which were originally inscribed in a scroll beneath the arms, it was approved by the Office of the President on July 31, 1978. The revision of the national seal is due to belief of President Marcos that under his government New Society Program, the ultimate unity of the Filipinos could be achieved through the active participation of every citizen motivated by one guiding spirit. When President Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
took over the government. She obliterate any Marcos contribution to the Philippine History. The Philippine coat of arms was reverted, removing the national motto pursuant to Republic Act No. 8491 approved on February 12, 1998. The original design has been followed until now.