Flag of the Philippines
The national flag of the Philippines (Filipino: pambansang watawat ng Pilipinas) 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. 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), 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.
| Pambansang Watawat (lit. 'National Flag') | |
| Use | National flag and ensign |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | June 12, 1898 (original version used by the First Philippine Republic) 1936 (current pattern standard) February 12, 1998 (current version reaffirmed by Republic Act No. 8491) |
| Design | A horizontal bicolor of blue and red with a white equilateral triangle based at the hoist containing three, five-pointed gold stars at its vertices, and an eight-rayed gold sun at its center. |
| Designed by | Emilio Aguinaldo |
| Use | War flag |
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Design | As above, with the blue and red stripes switched to indicate a state of war. |