PHILIPPINE SYMBOLS

INTRODUCTION

The National symbols of the Philippines consist of symbols that represent Philippine traditions and ideals and convey the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity. Republic Act 8491, known also as Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, stipulates the code for national flag, anthem, motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic items and devices of the Philippines. Apart from RA 8491, the Philippines has only four official national symbols enacted through a proclamation by the executive department, namely sampaguita, narra, the Philippine eagle, and arnis. In 1934, during the Commonwealth era, Governor-General Frank Murphy declared sampaguita and narra as national flower and national tree, respectively, through Proclamation No. 652. Philippine President Fidel Ramos proclaimed the Philippine eagle as the national bird in 1995 through Proclamation No. 615. In 2009, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared arnis as the national sport and martial art through Republic Act 9850.

The national flag of the Philippines is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, which represent the country's provinces; and at each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star, each of which, represent the country's 3 main islands, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This flag can indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top.

Lupang Hinirang is the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Julián Felipe, with lyrics in Spanish adapted from the poem Filipinas, written by José Palma in 1899.

Originally written as incidental music, it did not have words when it was adopted as the national anthem of the Philippines and subsequently played during the proclamation of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898. During the American occupation of the Philippines, the colonial government banned the song from being played with the passage of the Flag Law. The law was repealed in 1919 and the song was translated into English and would be legalized as the "Philippine Hymn". The anthem was translated into Tagalog beginning in the 1940s. A 1956 Pilipino (standardised Tagalog) version, revised in the 1960s, serves as the present anthem.

Lupang Hinirang in Filipino or Tagalog means "Chosen Land" in English. Some English sources erroneously translate Lupang Hinirang as "Beloved Land" or "Beloved Country";however, "Beloved Land" is a translation of the first line of Filipinas, which would be Tiérra adorada, and "Beloved Country" is likewise a translation of the first line of the current version of the anthem, which would be Bayang Magiliw. The anthem is also colloquially known as Bayang Magiliw.

Jasminum sambac is a species of jasmine native to South and Southeast Asia. It is a small shrub or vine growing up to 0.5 to 3 m (1.6 to 9.8 ft) in height. It is widely cultivated for its attractive and sweetly fragrant flowers. The flowers are also used for perfumes and for making tea. It is known as the Arabian jasmine in English. It is the national flower of the Philippines, where it is known as Sampaguita. It is also one of the three national flowers of Indonesia, where it is known as Melati Putih.

It is the national tree of the Philippines, as well as the provincial tree of Chonburi and Phuket in Thailand.
"Narra" which can refer to several Pterocarpus species) is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. Other names include Narra (Philippines), Sonokembang (Indonesia), Angsana or Sena (Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore), Tnug (Cambodia).

The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), also known as the Monkey-eating Eagle, is an eagle of the family Accipitridae that is endemic to forests in the Philippines. It has brown and white-coloured plumage, and a shaggy crest, and generally measures 86–102 centimetres (2.82–3.35 ft) in length and weighs 4.7 to 8 kilograms (10 to 18 lb). Among the rarest, largest, and most powerful birds in the world, it has been declared the Philippines national bird. It is critically endangered, mainly due to massive loss of habitat due to deforestation in most of its range. Killing a Philippine Eagle is punishable under Philippine law by twelve years in jail and heavy fines.

Eskrima (also known as Arnis and in the West sometimes as Kali) is the umbrella term for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons. It also include disarming weapons and various hand-to-hand combat components.

Livistona rotundifolia is a round-leaf fountain palm found in Southeast Asia. It is a member of the genus Livistona. It is also called Footstool palm (English) and Anáhaw (Filipino). It is the unofficial national leaf of the Philippines.

It is a common landscaping plant in the region. It can grow in sub-tropical climates and humid, tropical areas.

The leaves are used for thatching and food wrapping. Overharvesting of leaves of wild plants have reduced leaf size. The leaves do grow faster after harvest but tend to be smaller.

The carabao (Filipino: kalabaw; Malay: kerbau) or Bubalus bubalis carabanesis is a subspecies of the domesticated water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) found in the Philippines, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and various parts of Southeast Asia. Carabaos are associated with farmers, being the farm animal of choice for pulling both a plow and the cart used to haul produce to the market

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896, Bagumbayan), was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by National Heroes Committee. His execution by the Spanish in 1896, a date marked annually as Rizal Day, a Philippine national holiday, was one of the causes of the Philippine Revolution.

Cariñosa , meaning the loving or affectionate one) is a Philippine dance of Hispanic origin from the Maria Clara suite of Philippine folk dances, where the fan or handkerchief plays an instrumental role as it places the couple in romance scenario.

The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While other Mangifera species (e.g. horse mango, M. foetida) are also grown on a more localized.