A Tale of Two Flags
A 1919 photo of two Filipina that I found in my search in a vintage store in Cubao, Quezon City.
When I was working on a research about Cubao, Quezon City, I chanxce upon this photo of two women against a backdrop of an American flag. The photo was dated 1919. I was surprised by the photo since we already have a Philippine flag at the time. It piqued my interest in why Filipinos would choose to display an American flag or even have their picture taken. In June 12, 1898, President Emilio Aguinaldo unveiled the Philippine flag of the First Philippine Republic to signal our independence from Spain. So I dig further if there is a story behind this photo.
In 1898, during the start of the American occupation, the American flag was raised in the University of Santo Tomas. Since we've become an American colony, the American flag is on full display on official establishments. From the photo above, it seems that either the photo was taken at home or a business establishment. It might be that as part of an American colony, an American flag is as ubiquitous as the Philippine flag is today.
A book by Saul Hofileña Jr.'s book entitled "Under the Stack" recounts how there was a time that it was a crime to display the Philippine flag. A law was passed on September 6, 1907, the Philippine Commission prohibits the display of the Philippine flag or any semblance or article that was used in the Philippine-American War. The Act. No. 1696 or Flag Law means that the national flag that we used today, including any flag or banner that was used by the Katipuneros are not allowed to be displayed. It was considered a symbol of rebellion and was often used by late insurgents that fought the American. Anyone caught is penalized with a fine amounting to five hundred pesos but no more than five thousand pesos; it also includes a prison sentence of three months but no more than five years with the discretion of the court.
Luckily, the American Governor-General Francis B. Harrison, who is distinctly regarded as pro-Filipino, urged the repeal of the Flag Law. President Woodrow Wilson gave him the mandate to let the Filipinos have the right of self-government. In response, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the Act. No. 2871 on October 22, 1919, to repel the Flag Law.
This was followed with the proclamation that October 30, 1919, as the Dia de la Bandera Filipina or the Philippine Flag Day. By 1919 until the Japanese occupation, the American flag was on display side-by-side with the Philippine flag. But during the Japanese occupation, the Japanese flag and Philippine flag was displayed together during the wartime Puppet Republic.
On March 25, 1936, The shade of blue used for the Philippine flag was navy blue based on the American flag. The triangle was made equilateral, and the sun's ray was also simplified. This current form was used during the Commonwealth government-in-exile from 1942-1945 during the Japanese occupation. The shade of red and blue would later change again but the simplified version of the ray remain until today.
Prominent women in the Filipino society doing the finishing touches on the last American flag that will be displayed in the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Presidential Museum and Library Archive.
The last time the American flag was displayed in Malacañan was on July 4, 1946. On June 30, 1946, Vice President Elpidio Quirino requested that the three First Ladies, Mrs. Manuel L. Quezon, Mrs. Sergio Osmeña, and Mrs. Manuel Roxas preside with the finishing sewing touches of the American flag. Joining the three First Ladies are Pura Villanueva Kalaw (a feminist, activist, writer, journalist and the first "Queen of the Manila carnival), Dr. Encarnacion Alzona, Mrs. Jose Avelino (wife of the President of the Philippine Senate), Mrs. Eugenio Perez (wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives), Mrs. Hermenegildo Atienza (wife of the Representative from the South District of Manila), Mrs. Jose Zulueta (wife of the Secretary of the Interior) and Mrs. Rosario Acuña Picazo (the mother of President Manuel Roxas). There were also prominent women in the society such as Mrs. Francisca Tirona Benitez (President of the Philippine Women's University), Mrs. Natividad Almeda Lopez (woman judge of the Municipal Court of Manila), Mrs. Asuncion Perez (Director of the Welfare Bureau), several women lawyers, writers, newspaperwomen, pharmacists, and doctors. This historical flag was to be sent to America as a souvenir from the Filipino people.
That was the last time that the American flag who stood for half a century and was displayed alongside the Philippine flag after the Flag Law was repealed. There are few cases of flag violation due to ignorance of the Flag Law, and some incorporated forbidden symbols trying to circumvent the law to no avail. It is interesting to hear about the struggle of getting our national flag to be displayed. It is no small feat, indeed.
President Roosevelt accepting a set of beautiful handmade flags of the US and the Philippines as token of goodwill from the Filipino people. The gift was presented by Paul V. McNutt, former Governor-General of the Philippines in August 1, 1939. Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress.