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Philippines flag history is traced back to 1892 when the first flag was found. The revolution in the evolution of the Philippines flag was brought with Kataastaasang Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, Highest and Most Honorable Society of the Sons of the Nation or Katipunan, a pseudo-Masonic revolutionary movement.
Later, Andres Boniface, head of the Katipunan, declared the end of Spanish dominion. This declaration made the Spanish Governor-General put eight provinces under martial law. The Katipunan’s flag is equipped with three white “K’s” arranged on red panel. These three K’s represent the initials of the Katipunan and the red panel symbolizes the blood of the Katipunan members who signed their oaths for a noble cause. This flag was further re-designed to form the first Philippine flag.
The first flag evolved by Andres Bonifacio in 1892 comprised of the same three K’s arranged as three corners of an equilateral triangle. Between the time gap of 1892 and 1896, the flag came up with various versions.
After several months, just before the revolution that began in 1896, Bonifacio designed another flag with a red panel comprising of white-rayed sun in the middle and three white K’s below it. This again served the ideals and principles of the Katipunan.
Again a new version came up in October 1896 by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. He fashioned out a new piece banner with a rectangular field comprising of a white sun in the center radiating eight rays. The eight rays were fashioned to represent eight provinces that were with head and heart ready to fight against the Spaniards. The center of the sun had a white K.
On March 17, 1897 Aguinaldo again designed and displayed a new banner at the Naic Assembly. This was once again a rectangular piece of red cloth equipped with a white mythological sun in the middle festooned with eyes, nose, and mouth. Similar to the old version, radiating from the sun were eight rays, each ray further consisting of three rays. On December 14-15, 1897, the flag was used in the Truce of Biak-na-Bato.
During Aguinaldo’s exile in Hongkong, Mrs. Marcela Agoncillo was requested to design a new flag. This flag designed by her in assistance by her eldest daughter Lorenza and Rizal’s niece Miss Delfina Herbosa became the Philippine National Flag.
Philippine National Flag has two stripes or panel of red and blue, divided equally. The left side of the flag has a white equilateral triangle with a central sun radiating eight rays. Each angle of the white equilateral triangle consists of a five-pointed star.
The sun symbolizes freedom; the eight radiating rays represent the eight provinces that fought against Spainiards and the three pointed stars represent three major islands of Luzon, Visayas,and Mindanao.
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