National symbols of the Philippines

The national symbols of the Philippines consist of symbols that represent Philippine
traditions and ideals and convey the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity.[1]
Some of these symbols are stated in the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines !hich
is also "no!n as #ep$blic %ct &'(1.[1] The national lang$age of the Philippines is
Filipino as stated in the Constit$tion of the Philippines.[)] %side from those stated
symbols in the Constit$tion and in #ep$blic %ct &'(1 there are only five official national
symbols of the Philippines enacted thro$gh la! namely sampag$ita as national flo!er
narra as national tree the Philippine eagle as national bird Philippine pearl as national
gem and arnis as national sport.
There are symbols s$ch as the carabao *national animal+ mango *national fr$it+ and
anaha! *national leaf+ that are !idely "no!n as national symbols b$t have no la!s
recogni,ing them as official national symbols.[-] .ven /ose #i,al !ho is !idely
considered as a national hero has not been declared officially as a national hero in any
e0isting Philippine la!.[-]['] % National %rtist of the Philippines is a ran" or a title given
to a Filipino citi,en in recognition to the recipient1s contrib$tions to Philippine arts and
letters and they are not considered as a national symbol that represents traditions and
ideals.[2]
3n 14 Febr$ary )51' 6ohol First 7istrict #epresentative #ene #elampagos filed a bill at
the Philippine Ho$se of #epresentatives that see"s to declare or re8declare and to
recogni,e a n$mber of national symbols.[9] The proposed bill Ho$se 6ill -()9 or the
:Philippine National Symbols %ct of )51': aims also to enco$rage nationalism and
$nity; to g$arantee respect preservation and promotion of national symbols; and to
correct the :$nofficial: stat$s of the symbols.[9] %mong the proposed national symbols
listed in the meas$re are /ose #i,al as the only historical Filipino to be recogni,ed as
national hero adobo as national food and <eepney as national vehicle.[4] =t also incl$des
the previo$s ten official national symbols.[4]
7evelopment of the symbols
>overnor8>eneral Fran" ?$rphy declared sampag$ita and narra as national symbols
d$ring the Common!ealth era.
#ep$blic %ct &'(1 "no!n also as Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines stip$lates
the code for national flag anthem motto coat8of8arms and other heraldic items and
devices of the Philippines.[1] %ccording to %rticle @=A Section 9 of the Constit$tion of
the Philippines the national lang$age of the Philippines is Filipino.[)] %part from #%
&'(1 and the Constit$tion the Philippines has only five official national symbols enacted
either thro$gh a proclamation by the e0ec$tive department or thro$gh a #ep$blic %ct by
the legislative department namely sampag$ita narra the Philippine eagle the Philippine
pearl and arnis. =n 1(-' d$ring the Common!ealth era >overnor8>eneral Fran"
?$rphy declared sampag$ita[&] and narra[(] as national flo!er and national tree
respectively thro$gh Proclamation No. 92). Philippine President Fidel #amos
proclaimed the Philippine eagle as the national bird in 1((2 thro$gh Proclamation No.
912.[15] #amos also declared the So$th Sea Pearl or Philippine Pearl as the national gem
in 1((9 thro$gh Proclamation No. (52.[11] =n )55( President >loria ?acapagal8%rroyo
declared arnis as the national sport and martial art thro$gh #ep$blic %ct (&25.[1)]
=n Febr$ary )51- the Philippine Senate passes a bill declaring !aling8!aling *.$anthe
sanderiana+ as the national flo!er alongside !ith Sampag$ita.[1-] % similar bill in the
Ho$se of #epresentatives[1'] has already been passed in )51).[12] Normally the bill
!ill become a la! after the President signs the bill.[19] Ho!ever the bill that see"s to
declare !aling8!aling as the national flo!er alongside !ith the Sampag$ita !as vetoed
by President 6enigno %B$ino ===.[14] Th$s the veto made !aling8!aling an $nofficial
national symbol.
% year later on 14 Febr$ary )51' #epresentative #ene #elampagos a congressman
from the First 7istrict of 6ohol proposed a meas$re at the Philippine Ho$se of
#epresentatives that see"s to declare or re8declare and to recogni,e a n$mber of national
symbols.[9] The bill d$bbed as Ho$se 6ill -()9 or the :Philippine National Symbols %ct
of )51': aims also to enco$rage nationalism and $nity; to g$arantee respect preservation
and promotion of national symbols; and to correct the :$nofficial: stat$s of the symbols.
[9] =t lists )9 symbols incl$ding the previo$s ten official national symbols.[4]
?a"ing a national symbol official
% Philippine national symbol !ill be considered official once it is declared thro$gh a la!
or a proclamation. National symbols s$ch as the cariCosa carabao bang$s *mil"fish+ and
anaha! *footstool palm+ that are circ$lating thro$gh vario$s so$rces have no official
stat$s and have not established by la!.[-]['] %ccording to Nestor Castro a Filipino
c$lt$ral anthropologist most of these $nofficial symbols !ere passed on as tradition in
schools every start of the school year !hen st$dents !ere as"ed to b$y posters containing
the s$pposed national symbols.[-] Dhile official national symbols are declared thro$gh
la! Castro and National Historical Commission of the Philippines *NHCP+ Section Chief
Teodoro %tien,a considered[-] that the p$blic m$st be cons$lted first before declaration
of national symbol.[-]
Filipinos as national symbol
?ain articleE National hero of the Philippines
%ccording to %mbeth 3campo no historical Filipino declared officially as National Hero
thro$gh la!.
%ccording to the NHCP Section Chief Teodoro %tien,a[-] and Filipino historian %mbeth
3campo['] there is no Filipino historical fig$re officially declared as national hero
thro$gh la! or e0ec$tive order.[1&][1(] %ltho$gh there !ere la!s and proclamations
honoring Filipino heroes. =n the #i,al Fa! principally sponsored by Claro ?. #ecto and
enacted in 1(29 /ose #i,al is mentioned as a national hero in the :!hereas: cla$se of the
la!.[)5] %ltho$gh :!hereas: cla$ses f$nction as a preamble or introd$ction and it is not
part of the provisions.[)1] 3n 12 November 1((2 the Technical Committee of the
National Heroes Committee created thro$gh .0ec$tive 3rder No. 2 by former President
Fidel #amos recommended nine Filipino historical fig$res to be National HeroesE /ose
#i,al %ndres 6onifacio .milio %g$inaldo %polinario ?abini ?arcelo H. del Pilar
S$ltan 7ipat$an G$darat /$an F$na ?elchora %B$ino and >abriela Silang.[1(] No
action has been ta"en for these recommended National Heroes[1(] $ntil it !as revisited
in one of the proceedings of the 1'th Congress in )55(.[))]
3n - %$g$st )55( shortly after the death of former President Cora,on %B$ino !ido! of
6enigno %B$ino /r. legislative meas$res have been filed calling for her official
recognition as a national hero.[)-][)'] Congress!oman Fi!ay!ay Ain,ons8Chato filed a
ho$se resol$tion declaring Cora,on %B$ino a national hero.[))] %ltho$gh a !ee" after
she filed the resol$tion she reali,ed that there is no Filipino historical fig$re declared
thro$gh la!. 3n 15 %$g$st )55( she cited on her privilege speech in Congress the nine
Filipino heroes recommended by National Heroes Committee in 1((2. She then $rge
Congress to sign the resol$tions declaring the nine Filipinos recommended by the
National Heroes Committee pl$s 6enigno %B$ino /r. and Cora,on %B$ino as national
heroes.[)2] Congressman Salvador .sc$dero interpellated Ain,ons8Chato1s speech and
stated that heroes are made in the hearts and minds of people and not thro$gh legislation.
[)2] %fter the interpellation it !as moved by Ho$se of #epresentatives to refer the
privilege speech of Ain,ons8Chato to the Committee of 6asic .d$cation and C$lt$re. Hp
to no! these resol$tions have not been acted $pon.
% meas$re filed by Congressman #ene #elampagos from 6ohol in Febr$ary )51' see"s
to declare /ose #i,al as the sole Filipino national hero. %ccording to the bill he !as a
nationalist and !ell "no!n for his Philippine reforms advocacy d$ring the Spanish
colonial era.[9]
Filipinos a!arded !ith the ran" or title National %rtist of the Philippines are not
considered to be national symbols beca$se the title is given in recognition to the
recipient1s contrib$tions to Philippine arts and letters and not as a symbol that represents
traditions and ideals and convey the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity.[2]
Unofficial
Here are list of national symbols that have no official status.
From failed and proposed laws
Rice topped with chicken adobo. Adobo is being considered as the
National Dish.
he !hilippine "eepney is being considered as the National #ehicle.
hese heroes were recommended by echnical $ommittee of the
National Heroes $ommittee as national heroes
o ?elchora %B$ino I
o %ndrJs 6onifacio I
o ?arcelo H. del Pilar I
o S$ltan 7ipat$an G$darat I
o /$an F$na I
o %polinario ?abini I
o /osJ #i,al I
o >abriela Silang I
he review by the echnical $ommittee of National Heroes was
revisited during the %&th $ongress at the House of
Representatives. 'n a resolution( a congresswoman added the
following two historical figures to the nine heroes declared by the
National Heroes $ommittee( making the total to eleven national
heroes. his was referred to a $ongressional $ommittee and still
must be acted upon and passed into law to make it official.
o 6enigno %B$ino /r. I
o Cora,on %B$ino I
Daling8!aling Ias National Flower) passed by $ongress in *+%, but
was vetoed by the !resident -enigno A.uino '''.
he following are the list of proposed national symbols /e0cluding
the %+ official national symbols1 as per House -ill ,2*3 as proposed
by $ongressman Rene Relampagos.[9]
o %dobo Ias National FoodI
o %naha! Ias National 4eaf
o 6a"ya Ias National SlippersI
o 6ang$s Ias National Fish
o 6arong Iand 6aro1t sayaI as National Cost$meI
o 56ayan GoI5 as National 6ong
o Carabao Ias National %nimalI
o CariCosa Ias National Dance
o /eepney Ias National #ehicle
o 7ose Ri8al as National Hero
o ?alacaCang Palace Ias National Seat of >overnmentI
o ?ango Ias National Fr$itI
o ?anila Ias National CapitalI
o National 6eal /essentially modified version of the Coat of
arms of the PhilippinesI1
o Nipa h$t I/-ahay 9ubo1 as National House
o Philippine peso Ias National C$rrencyI
From various sources
5%"o ay PilipinoI5 and 5Pilipinas Gong ?ahalI5 as National 6ongs
/$an de la Cr$, I: symboli8ing the Filipino people
Fechon Iand SinigangI as National Food
Sipa Ias National 6port
Tini"ling Ias National Dance