The national symbols of the Philippines consist of symbols that represent Philippine traditions and ideals and convey the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity of the Filipino people.[1] Some of these symbols namely the national flag, the Great Seal, the coat of arms and the national motto are stated in the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, which is also known as Republic Act 8491.[1] In the Constitution of the Philippines, the Filipino language is stated as the national language of the Philippines.[2] Aside from those stated symbols in the Constitution and in Republic Act 8491, there are only six official national symbols of the Philippines enacted through law, namely sampaguita as national flower, narra as national tree, the Philippine eagle as national bird, Philippine pearl as national gem, arnis as national martial art and sport and the Filipino Sign Language as the national sign language. Thus, there is a total of twelve official national symbols passed through Philippine laws.
There are symbols such as the carabao (national animal), mango (national fruit) and anahaw (national leaf) that are widely known as national symbols but have no laws recognizing them as official national symbols.[3] Even Jose Rizal, who is widely considered a national hero, has not been declared officially as a national hero in any existing Philippine law according to historical experts.[3][4] Although in 2003, Benigno Aquino Jr. was officially declared by the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as a national hero by an executive order.[5] A National Artist of the Philippines is a rank or a title given to a Filipino citizen in recognition to the recipient's contributions to Philippine arts and letters and they are not considered a national symbol that represents traditions and ideals.[6]
Through the years, there were attempts to make those traditional symbols official. One of them is House Bill 3926, a bill proposed on February 17, 2014, by Bohol First District Representative Rene Relampagos of the Philippine House of Representatives that sought to declare, re-declare or recognize a number of national symbols.[7] House Bill 3926 ("Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014"), aimed to encourage nationalism and unity; to guarantee respect, preservation and promotion of national symbols; and to correct the "unofficial" status of the symbols.[7] Among the national symbols listed in the measure are Jose Rizal as the only historical Filipino to be recognized as national hero, adobo as national food and jeepney as national vehicle.[8] It also includes the previous official national symbols, which were eleven during the filing of the bill.[8] As of February 2014, the bill is still pending with the Committee on Revision Laws of the House of Representatives and is not yet a law that would make the proposed symbols as official national symbols.[9]
^ ab"Republic Act No. 8491 of the Philippines". Official Gazette of the Philippine Government. Philippine government. February 12, 1998. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
^"THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES – ARTICLE XIV". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
^ abCite error: The named reference gma was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference ambeth was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference benignoashero was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Briefer on the Order of National Artists". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
^ ab"House Bill No. 3926 – Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014" (PDF). Philippine House of Representatives. Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
^ abBacani, Louis (February 28, 2014). "House bill officially declares adobo as national food". The Philippine Star. Philippines: Philstar Daily Inc. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
^Calonzo, Andreo (February 28, 2014). "House bill wants adobo as national food, jeepney as national vehicle". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
and 26 Related for: National symbols of the Philippines information
Thenational flag ofthePhilippines (Filipino: pambansang watawat ng Pilipinas) is a horizontal bicolor flag with equal bands of royal blue and crimson...
("Philippine National March"), and commonly and informally known by its incipit "Bayang Magiliw" ("Beloved Country"), is thenational anthem ofthePhilippines. Its...
This is a list of flags used in thePhilippines. Among the country's 17 regions, only the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has its own officially...
Malaysia. It was declared thenational tree ofthePhilippines in 1934 by Governor-General Frank Murphy ofthe Insular Government ofthe Philippine Islands through...
The Great Seal ofthePhilippines (Filipino: Dakilang Sagisag ng Pilipinas) is used to authenticate official documents ofthe government ofthe Philippines...
Austronesian language family. It is thenational language (Wikang pambansa / Pambansang wika) ofthePhilippines, and one ofthe two official languages (Wikang...
NationalSymbols Act of 2014, was proposed in Philippine Congress with the aim of officially declaring the country's nationalsymbols, including the carabao...
Philippine Flag (Filipino: Panunumpa sa Watawat), is the pledge to the flag ofthePhilippines. It is one of two national pledges, the other being the Patriotic...
The seal ofthe vice president ofthePhilippines (Filipino: Sagisag ng Pangalawang Pangulo ng Pilipinas) is a symbol used to represent the history and...
fragrant flowers. The flowers may be used as a fragrant ingredient in perfumes and jasmine tea. It is thenational flower ofthePhilippines, where it is known...
Nationalsymbolsof Turkey are symbols used to represent the citizens ofthe Republic of Turkey in Turkey and around the world. The Turkish flag is the...
Focus: 9 Facts You May Not Know About Philippine NationalSymbols". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved January 8, 2019. Media related...
ancestors. 0.23% ofthe population ofthePhilippines are affiliated with the Indigenous Philippine folk religions according to the 2020 national census, an...
is thenational martial art ofthePhilippines. These three terms are, sometimes, interchangeable in referring to traditional martial arts ofthe Philippines...
women in the Philippines. It is an aristocratic version ofthe baro't saya. It takes its name from María Clara, the mestiza protagonist ofthe novel Noli...
variant(s) – yellow symbols on gray background 1964 – the text above the serial number reads "MABINI CENTENNIAL" Standard format – white symbols on blue background...
sea eagle and the Harpy eagle being larger in terms of weight and bulk. It has been declared thenational bird ofthePhilippines. The most significant...
A solar symbol is a symbol representing the Sun. Common solar symbols include circles (with or without rays), crosses, and spirals. In religious iconography...
ThePhilippines, officially the Republic ofthePhilippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. In the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of...
the street and other essays. National Book Store. p. 216. Retrieved 27 July 2018. "2009 Traditional Costume Show". Filipino-American Cultural Organization...
question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of currency signs. The Philippine peso, also referred to by its Filipino name piso (Philippine English:...
Global Information
