Philippines Flag

The Philippine flag has equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red (bottom), with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist. Inside the triangle is a golden sun with eight rays — representing the eight provinces that first revolted against Spain — and a golden five-pointed star at each triangle corner representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Uniquely, the flag is flown with red on top during wartime. In peacetime, blue is on top.

Emilio Aguinaldo designed the flag in 1897 while in exile in Hong Kong, and it was first displayed on 28 May 1898 during the Battle of Alapan in the Philippine Revolution. It became the official flag when independence was proclaimed on 12 June 1898.

The flag was banned during American colonial rule (1901–1919) and Japanese occupation (1941–1944). It was restored at full independence on 4 July 1946. The current specifications were standardised by the Flag and Heraldic Code of 1998.