The National Flag of the Philippines (Filipino: Pambansang Watawat ng Pilipinas) is a horizontal

flag bicolor 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 Philippine 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 Panay)[13] and Mindanao. The white triangle at the
flag 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.[14]

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. [15] Moreover, the gap-angle
between two neighbours 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. [16] The golden
sun is not exactly in the center of the triangle but shifted slightly to the right. [17]

ColorEdit
The shade of blue used in the flag has varied over time, beginning with the original color lazuli
Rosco. The exact nature of this shade is uncertain, but a likely candidate is the blue of the Cuban
flag, which a theory says influenced the flag's design.[citation needed]Specifications for the flag's
colors with shades matching those used in the American flag were adopted by the National
Historical Institute in 1955. President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the colors restored to the
original light blue and red of the Cuban flag in 1985, but this was immediately rescinded after
the 1986 People Power Revolutionthat removed him from power. For the 1998 independence
centennial celebrations, the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (RA 8491) was passed,
designating royal blue as the official variant.[18]
The flag's colors are specified by Republic Act 8491 in terms of their cable number in the system
developed by the Color Association of the United States.[15][19] 

The Philippine national flag has a rectangular design that consists of a white equilateral triangle,
symbolizing liberty, equality and fraternity; a horizontal blue stripe for peace, truth, and justice; and
a horizontal red stripe for patriotism and valor. In the center of the white triangle is an eight-rayed
golden sun symbolizing unity, freedom, people's democracy, and sovereignty. Each ray
represents a province with significant involvement in the 1896 Philippine Revolution against
Spain; these provinces are Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Morong (modern-day province
of Rizal), Laguna, Batangas, and Nueva Ecija(some sources specify other provinces as alternatives
to some of these[a]).[8][9] However, according to the Declaration of Independence and a
research by Ateneo de Manila University Professor Ambeth Ocampo, the rays of the sun
symbolized the first eight provinces of the Philippines which was declared under martial law
during the Philippine Revolution (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Laguna, Nueva
Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac).[21] Three five-pointed stars, one at each of the triangle's points,
stand for the three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.[22]
The flag's original symbolism is enumerated in the text of the independence proclamation,
which makes reference to an attached drawing, though no record of the drawing has surfaced.
[23] The proclamation explains the flag as follows:
And finally it was resolved unanimously that this Nation, already independent
from today should use the same flag which it has used, whose shape and colors
are described in the attached drawing rendering realistically the three
aforementioned forces representing the white triangle as the distinctive symbol
of the famed Society of the Katipunan, which through the blood compact
impelled the masses to rise in revolt; the three stars representing the three
principal islands of this Archipelago — Luzon, Mindanao, and Panay (Visayas)
in which the revolutionary movement broke out; the sun indicating the gigantic
steps taken by the children of this country on the road to progress and
civilization; the eight rays symbolizing the eight provinces of the Philippines,
[a] and the colors of blue, red and white commemorating the flag of the United
States of North America as a manifestation of our profound gratitude towards
this Great Nation for its disinterested protection which it lends us, and
continues to lend us. And, carrying this flag, I unfurl it before the gentlemen
assembled here—[List of names of the delegates]—and we all solemnly swear
to acknowledge and defend it to the last drop of our blood.
The symbolism given in the 1898 Proclamation of Philippine Independence differs from the current
official explanation. According to the document, the white triangle signifies the emblem of
the Katipunan, the secret society that opposed Spanish rule. It says the flag's colors
commemorate the flag of the United States as a manifestation of gratitude for American aid
against the Spanish during the Philippine Revolution. It also says that one of the three stars
represents the island of Panay, rather than the entire Visayan islands. Panay, which recent
interpretations call as "as representative of the entire Visayas region".[24] The proclamation also
declares that the sun represents the gigantic steps made by the sons of the country along the
path of Progress and Civilization, and lists Bataan instead of Tarlac among the eight provinces
symbolized by the sun's rays.