The Making of the

Philippine Flag
By: FERNANDO AMORSOLO
 The making of Philippine flag is a masterpiece
painting by Fernando Amorsolo in Philippines.
Fernando Amorsolo was one of the most
important artists in the history of painting in the
Philippines.
The painting shows three women namely
Marcella Marino de Agoncillo (on the right side)
refer as the mother of the Philippine flag, with
the help of Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa de
Natividad which is actually the daughter of
Marcela.
They was tasked by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo to
sew the first flag for the new republic.
The three women are sewing passionately
which demonstrates elegance. The painting
was not that kind of vibrant in the eyes but can
set your mood in calm. The setting is inside of a
house which is more like a “Bahay Kubo” The
main colors that was used in painting was
brown, red, blue and yellow. The mood and
visual effect that this painting can be
considered is calm and serene.
 It is believed that Fernando Amorsolo
made this painting to show the citizen of
the Philippines of how the Philippine flag
was made and to remind them the
traditions and customs that we did not
realize it becomes faded.
To take care and give importance the
National flag which it symbolizes as white
triangle stands for equality and fraternity; the
blue field for peace, truth and justice; and the
red field for patriotism and valor.
 The eight rays of the sun stand for the first
eight provinces that the colonizers have put
under martial law. The three stars symbolize
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. 
 These just shows us to loved our country, be
proud of it do not be ashamed because our
ancestors risked their lives for the freedom
from the hands of the colonizers. It is really
shown in the painting of Amorsolo that he is a
nationalistic person some his paintings portray
and commemorate the different tradition,
cultures and customs of Filipino.
• The text in the obverse reads Fuerzas
Expeditionarias del Norte de
Luzon (Expeditionary Forces of Northern Luzon)
while the reverse shows the words Libertad
Justicia e Ygualdad (Liberty, Justice, and
Equality).
• Doña Marcela personally delivered the flag to
Aguinaldo on May 17, 1898 shortly before he
set sail for Manila on board the ship McCulloch.
Several days later, the same flag was unfurled
from the window of Aguinaldo’s house in
Kawit, Cavite, during which Philippine
independence as we know it today was
officially proclaimed.
 Evolution of
Philippine Flag
The first Filipino flag can be traced from the time of
the Andres Bonifacio's secret society named: Kataastaasang
Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Highest
and Most Honorable Society of the Sons of the Nation) or
the Katipunan or KKK for short. Benita Rodriquez and
Bonifacio's wife, Gregoria de Jesus, made the first Filipino
flag.
The first Philippine flags was made of red cloth
with white KKK initials sewn in white. The red
color symbolized the blood of the members of the
Katipunan in which inductee to the society signed
in their names with their own blood.
The Filipino flag had variations (from
1892 to 1896). Some
members arranged the KKK in a
triangle while some generals of the
revolution designed their own flags.
Of note is the black banner of General
Mariano Llanera in Nueva Ecija with a
letter K and a skull with two cross
bones underneath.
Another variation of the Filipino flag was
that of General Pio del Pilar. It had
an equilateral triangle with a K at each angle
with a rising sun behind a mountain.
In this Philippine flag picture, the
Sun with the KKK underneath was
also a derivative of previous
Filipino flags
In 1896, the Magdalo faction of the
Katipunan in Cavite headed by General
Emilio Aguinaldo had a red ensign with a
sun and at the center of the sun is the letter
K written in the ancient Filipino alphabet.
Another variation is the Sun of
Liberty of the Naic Assembly in
1897 and the flag used by the 
Republic of Biak-na Bato.
General Gregorio del Pilar also used another
flag during the Battle of Pasong Balite and at
the Battle of Tirad Pass. This Filipino flag is
similar to the flag of Cuba, according to del
Pilar.
In 1898 Emilio Aguinaldo while in exile in Hong Kong had a
banner sewn with the triangle of the Masonry with the
mythical sun and face with 8 rays representing the 8
provinces that revolted against the Spanish rule (Manila,
Cavite, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bataan, Laguna,
and Batangas) and 3 stars representing the main island
groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
In 1936, Manuel L. Quezon as president of the
commonwealth, issued Executive Order 23
which contained the specifications of the national flag.
The banner is almost unchanged with a few exceptions,
the most notable is the use of a plain sun without the face.
Retained were the while triangle, the sun and the stars
and the blue and red stripes. The triangle stood
for equality and it's white color stood for purity. The blue
stripe stood for peace and the red for courage.