12 things you may not know about June 12

By Kim Arveen Patria | Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom

History books and teachers lectures taught us that Independence Day is celebrated on June 12 to
commemorate the day the Philippines was declared a free nation. But they may have missed out on
some detailsor may have misled us into believing some facts.
Here are so of the not-so-commonly known bits and pieces of the story behind Independence Day:
1. Independence was not declared from a balcony
Contrary to popular belief, the declaration of Philippine independence was not declared from a grand
balcony. General Emilio Aguinaldo made such declaration from his homes window. The balcony was
added years later to honor the historic moment.
2. It was not Aguinaldo who unfurled the flag on June 12, 1898
On the historic day of the declaration of independence, it was Aguinaldos war counselor, Ambrosio
Rianzares Bautista, who unfurled the Philippine flag. He also authored and read the Declaration of
Independence in the Aguinaldo home.
3. The flag has flown even before Independence Day
The Philippine flag was first formally announced on June 12, 1898, but it has been flown even before
the declaration of independence. The red, blue, white and yellow stars of the flag were first seen
carried by Filipino troops in the Battle of Alapan in Cavite.
4. The music for the national anthem is a mash-up
When Aguinaldo declared independence and presented the Philippine flag, Marcha Nacional
Filipina, composed by Julian Felipe, was played. The music had no lyrics then. It was derived from
the Spanish National Anthem, the Aida, and the La Marseillaise.
5. Aguinaldo and Mabini met only on June 12, 1898
It is known to many that Aguinaldo admired the intellect and followed the counsel of Apolinario
Mabini through correspondence, but it was only on the day of the declaration of independence that
the two men met. Mabini even arrived late for the occasion.
6. Mabini disagreed with Aguinaldos declaration
Mabini felt that Aguinaldo, or no other man by himself for that matter, can declare a nation free.
This is why Mabini pushed for more Filipino representatives to ratify the proclamation. It was
ratified in August 1, 1898 by 190 municipal presidents.
7. Aguinaldo was once officially a dictator
When Aguinaldo took over the revolutionary government he was, for all intents and purposes, a
dictator. From May 24, 1898 to June 22, 1898, Aguinaldo headed the dictatorial government of the
Philippines.
8. Alternative Independence Days?
June 12 is the official Independence Day by law, but other dates have been put forward. The earliest

date broached is April 12, 1895, which marked the day Andres Bonifacio wrote Viva la
Independencia Filipino on the walls of Pamitinan Cave in Montalban.
9. Bonifacios preferred weapon
While the popular image of Andres Bonifacio has him holding a bolo, historical accounts claim he
preferred his revolver in battle. The depiction of him wearing a katipunero attire also deviates
fromthe only known photo of him, where he was wearing an coat.
10. Flag flown red over blue
The Philippine flag is displayed with the red strip on top of the blue one only if the country is in a
state of war. It has been flown this way thrice: during Aguinaldos campaign against the Americans,
World War II and during the Japanese war. Malacanang apologized in 2011 for posting an inverted
photo of the flag by mistake on its website.
11. Light blue-colored flag
President Ferdinand Marcos in 1985 ordered changing the shade of blue of the Philippine Flag from
navy blue to light blue. This was amid a longstanding debate on whether the flag should follow the
shade of blue in the Cuban flag or in the American flag.
12. You cant just fold the Philippine flag as you wish
There is a proper way of folding the Philippine flag, and it should be done by two persons, who
should not allow the flag to touch the ground. The flag should be folded diagonally to form small
triangles. When fully folded, only a star and a sliver of blue should appear.