| Coat of arms of the Philippines | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
.svg) Version with the colonial charges removed, as passed byCongress in 1998. It remains unofficial as noreferendum has been called. | |
| Armiger | Republic of the Philippines |
| Adopted | 1946 |
| Shield | Paleways of two pieces, azure and gules; a chief argent studded with three mullets equidistant from each other; and, in point of honor, ovoid argent over all the sun rayonnant with eight minor and lesser rays |
| Compartment | Beneath shall be the scroll with the Name of the Country inFilipino inscribed thereon |
| Motto | Republika ng Pilipinas |
| Other elements | Bald eagle of the United States and lion rampant of Spain (the charge of theKingdom of León) |
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Thecoat of arms of the Philippines (Filipino:Sagisag ng Pilipinas;Spanish:Escudo de Filipinas) features the eight-rayed sun of thePhilippines with each ray representing the eight provinces (Batangas,Bulacan,Cavite,Manila,Laguna,Nueva Ecija,Pampanga, andTarlac) which were placed undermartial law byGovernor-GeneralRamón Blanco Sr. during thePhilippine Revolution, and the three five-pointed stars representing thethree major island groups ofLuzon, theVisayas, andMindanao.[1]
On the blue field on thedexter side is theNorth American bald eagle of theUnited States, and on the red field on thesinister side is thelion rampant of the coat of arms of theKingdom of León ofSpain, both representing the country's colonial past. The current arms, which shares many features of thenational flag, was designed by Filipino artist and heraldist Captain Galo B. Ocampo.
Theblazon of the coat of arms from Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (Republic Act 8491)[2] is as follows:
...Paleways of two (2) pieces, azure and gules; a chief argent studded with three (3) mullets equidistant from each other; and, in point of honor, ovoid argent over all the sun rayonnant with eight minor and lesser rays. Beneath shall be the scroll with the words "REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS", inscribed thereon.
Its original blazoning according to Commonwealth Act No. 731 is:
Pale ways of two pieces, azure and gules; a chief argent studded with three golden stars equidistant from each other; in point of honor, ovoid argent over all the sun rayonnant with eight minor and lesser rays; in sinister base gules, the Lion Rampant of Spain; in dexter base azure, the American eagle displayed proper. Beneath, a scroll with the words 'Republic of the Philippines' inscribed thereon.
.svg)
The Philippines' codified heraldry whenKing Philip II of Spain authorized the first coat of arms to theCity of Manila through a royal decree issued on 20 March 1596 is, in part, as follows:
"... By these presents I assign, as the special coat-of-arms of the said city of Manila in the Filipinas Islands, a shield which shall have in the center of its upper part a golden castle on a red field, closed by a blue door and windows, and which shall be surmounted by a crown; and in the lower half on a blue field a half lion and half dolphin of silver, armed and langued gules–that is to say, with red nails and tongue. The said lion shall hold in his paw a sword with guard and hilt. ... "
— English translation from Blair and Robertson'sThe Philippine Islands, 1493–1898
The design of the arms of Manila had changed throughout the years, the castle had adopted various different forms, a crowned sea lion was present later, and in the 19th century, KingFerdinand VII granted the use and placement of the royal crown above the castle itself as anaugmentation of honor by royal cedula of April 23, 1826.[3]
Along with this, the lesser arms of the Spanish monarch was used. The design patterned after the national standard of Spain consisted of threefleur-de-lis surrounded by a quartered flag of Castille, represented by two golden castles located on the red field and two red lions on a white field. Minor details of the arms had changed over the years but the basic design elements remained.
During the 1896Philippine Revolution, the Filipino leaders adopted as a common symbol the Baybayin character "ka" emanating indefinite rays of light.[4] Upon GeneralEmilio Aguinaldo's resumption of the Revolution, the emblem of the triangle with three stars and a mythological sun was adopted as an official symbol, ultimately becoming the coat of arms of thePhilippine Republic.[5]
During theAmerican Occupation, a law was enacted prescribing a new coat of arms for the islands. The Spanish-era arms of theCity of Manila were used until 1905, when thePhilippine Commission adopted the "new arms and great seal of the Philippine Islands" designed by Gaillard Hunt of the US State Department. It consisted of thirteen alternating red-and-white stripes representing theThirteen Colonies; a chief blue above, the honor color, and over them in an oval the arms of Manila with the castle of Spain and the sea lion prominently displayed. It also bore as its crest an American eagle, the symbol of United States. Beneath the shield was the scroll with the wordsPhilippine Islands. It remained unaltered until the inauguration ofCommonwealth of the Philippines in 1935.
During the Commonwealth, extensive reform was made to the government in preparation for Philippine independence. One of major changes was changing the symbol for Filipinos. "The Arms and Great Seal of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines" was approved in 1935, the number of stripes reduced from thirteen to two and three five-pointed stars added. The sea lion was made gold instead of silver and the eagle was slightly enlarged and placed closer to the arm. The wordCommonwealth of the Philippines replacedPhilippine Islands in the scroll below; it also incorporated the modified coat of arms of the City of Manila.
On December 15, 1938,PresidentManuel L. Quezon created the Special Committee of Arms of the Philippines. After almost two years of study, the committee recommended certain modifications to the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. They recommended that the eight-ray Philippine sun must be the point of honor. It was revised in 1940. It featured two stripes, blue on the sinister (left) side and red on the dexter (right) side of the shield; a white field above, studded with three five-pointed stars equidistant from each other; over them, the eight-rayed sun with each ray flanked on both sides by minor rays inside an oval. On the crest is the American eagle, its talon grasping an olive branch with eight leaves and eight fruits, and the left talon grasping three spears. Beneath the shield was the scroll with the inscriptionPhilippines.
After providing the various branches of the government with their own symbols, President Quezon created the Philippine Heraldic Committee in 1940. The committee was assigned the studying and recommending the designs and symbolism for official seals of Philippines' political subdivision, cities, and government institutions.
The 1941 coat of arms was short-lived and the 1938 iteration of the symbol was restored. Both symbols were also used as a presidential symbol through executive orders.[6][7]
The heraldic work of the committee was suspended during thePacific War.
During theSecond Philippine Republic, a more nationalistic policy were adopted and the seal was revised. Foreign components of the Filipino heraldic symbol which previously represented its colonial links to Spain and United States were removed. Instead, salient features of the flag and seal of the short-livedPhilippine Republic were incorporated, consisting of the eight-ray mythological sun and three stars located beneath the equilateral triangle. Written within three sets of two marginal lines of the three sides of the triangle wereKalayaan, Kapayapaan, Katarungan (Liberty, Peace, Justice). Around the seal was a double marginal circle within which was writtenRepublika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines).
After World War II, PresidentSergio Osmeña reactivated the Philippine Heraldic Committee. The current design pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 731 was approved by theCongress of the Philippines on July 3, 1946. It was designed by CaptainGalo B. Ocampo, Secretary of thePhilippine Heraldry Committee.
During the administration of PresidentFerdinand Marcos,Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa (One Nation, One Spirit) became the national motto of the Philippines. It was immediately incorporated into the national seal, replacing the wordsRepublic of the Philippines, which were originally inscribed in a scroll beneath the arms. The decree for this purpose was approved by the Office of the President on June 9, 1978.[8] However, during the administration of PresidentCorazon Aquino in 1986, the decree was revoked and reinstated the full English name of the country.[9] The Administrative Code of 1987 provided that the inscription on the scroll could also be rendered in the national language.
The original English words were replaced by its Filipino translation,Republika ng Pilipinas, pursuant to Republic Act No. 8491 on February 12, 1998, coinciding with thecentennial of the Philippine declaration of independence.[10]
During theSpanish colonial period, the lesser arms of theSpanish Sovereign were used. The seal of Manila was also issued under royal decree byPhilip II (for whom the islands were named) in 1596. Note that thePillars of Hercules or theGolden Fleece were not always displayed and the arms themselves were sometimes solely used.
| Image | Description | Year/Period | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish East Indies (1565–1898) | |||
.svg) | Arms under theHouse of Habsburg. | 1565–1580 | |
.svg) | The Habsburg arms, withhalf-arches added to the crown. | 1580–1668 | |
.svg) | Same arms, with crown's arches bent. | 1668–1700 | |
_Pillars_of_Hercules_Variant.svg) | Arms under theHouse of Bourbon. | 1700–1868 1874–1898 | |
.svg) | Arms of the Provisional Government and theFirst Spanish Republic; royal crown replaced withmural crown andinescutcheon with Bourbon Arms removed. | 1868–1870 1873–1874 | |
_Pillars_of_Hercules_Variant.svg) | Inescutcheon shows arms of theHouse of Savoy during the brief reign ofAmadeo I. | 1871–1873 | |
| Image | Description | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Captaincy General of the Philippines (1565–1898) | ||
 | Lesser coat of arms of the Captaincy General of the Philippines | |
.svg) | Middle coat of arms of the Captaincy General of the Philippines | |
.svg) | Greater coat of arms of the Captaincy General of the Philippines | |
After the expulsion of the Spanish colonial government by thePhilippine Revolutionary Army and the promulgation of theMalolos Constitution, theFirst Philippine Republic continued to use the emblem of the triangle with the sun and stars.
| Image | Description | Year/Period | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Philippine Republic (1898–1901) | |||
.svg) | Emblem of the Philippine Republic, the independent sovereign state established in Filipino-controlled Philippines. It shows an equilateral triangle in the center of which is the sun with eight rays and at each angle a five-pointed star. Used by the national government until its collapse with the capture of PresidentEmilio Aguinaldo in 1901 during thePhilippine-American War.[11] | 1898–1901 | Malolos Constitution |
After the signing of the1898 Treaty of Paris that ended theSpanish–American War, Spain ceded control of the Philippines and several other possessions to theUnited States of America. The following arms were used in the period after the cession, during theCommonwealth, and throughout theSecond World War.
| Image | Description | Year/Period | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| American period (1898–1946) | |||
.svg) | Coat of arms of the Philippine Islands designed by Gaillard Hunt. Used by theInsular Government, which reported to the U.S.Bureau of Insular Affairs. Thebanderole bore the words "Philippine Islands". | 1905–1935 | Act No. 1365 |
.svg) | First version of the Commonwealth arms, used by theCommonwealth of the Philippines. First used under PresidentManuel Quezon, it was also used by the Philippine government-in-exile when thecountry was occupied by Japan during theSecond World War. This version had the sea-lion change tincture fromArgent toOr, while the banderole was revised to read "Commonwealth of the Philippines". After World War II, the Commonwealth retained its coat of arms, which was used until the dissolution of the Commonwealth.[12] | 1935–1940 | Act No. 4258 |
.svg) | Short-lived second version of the Commonwealth arms, approved on August 19, 1940, under Commonwealth Act No. 602. Its use was not widespread and the previous arms were restored on February 23, 1941, by Commonwealth Act No. 614. | 1940–1941 | Commonwealth Act No. 602 |
| The restored first version of the coat of arms. It was also used by the Philippine government-in-exile when thecountry was occupied by Japan during theSecond World War. | 1941–1946 | Commonwealth Act No. 614 |
| Japanese period (1942–1945) | |||
.svg) | Emblem of theSecond Philippine Republic. | 1943–1945 | Act No. 5 |
.svg) | Coat of arms of theSecond Philippine Republic. Introduced by theJapanese puppet state's government. The inscription on the banderole was "Pilipinas" (Philippines). The left side of shield is red while the right side is blue as per Act No. 17. Adopted on December 24, 1943.[12] | 1943–1945 | Act No. 17 |
The following were used upon the Islands' achievement of fullsovereignty in 1946. The arms as designed by CaptainGalo B. Ocampo have retained their basic design since, with only minor alterations made due to political and cultural considerations.
| Image | Description | Year/Period | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty (1946–present) | |||
.svg) | Arms of the then-newly independent Republic of the Philippines, used throughout theThird Republic and the earlyFourth Republic. Prior to 1955, the shade of blue used in the coat of arms was said to be similar to that of the United States flag. Following the recommendations submitted by the Philippine Heraldry Committee in 1955, the colors of the flag were standardized and the shade of blue adopted by thePhilippine Heraldry Committee was TCCACable No. 70077 or "National Flag Blue". The same color specifications was applied to the coat of arms.[13] | 1946–1978 | Commonwealth Act No. 731 |
.svg) | In 1978, PresidentFerdinand Marcos changed the inscription to the national motto at the time,Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa (One Nation, One Spirit). | 1978–1985 | Presidential Decree No. 1413, s. 1978 |
.png) .svg) | In 1985, the shade of blue was changed from "National Flag Blue" (Cable No. 80077) standardized in 1955 to "Oriental Blue" (Cable No. 80176), the same change was made on theflag of the Philippines.[14] | 1985–1986 | Executive Order No. 1010, s. 1985 |
| The pre-1978 coat of arms was restored on September 10, 1986, by Memorandum Order No. 34 following the 1986People Power Revolution. The scroll bore the country's official name in English. The Administrative Code of 1987 provided that the inscription on the scroll could also be rendered in the national language.[15] Upon the changes of its coat of arms in 1998, the name of the country at the scroll is shown in Filipino. | 1986–1998 | Memorandum Order No. 34, s. 1986 |
| The arms as per the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (Republic Act 8491), the scroll's inscription bears the country's official name inFilipino,Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines) and the lion and eagle charges were removed. These arms, however, remain unused since the referendum legally required to ratify them has not yet been called. | 1998 (introduced) | Republic Act 8491 |
| The standardized version of the Arms currently in use. The banderole bears the country's official name inFilipino,Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines), with slightly lighter shades of blue and red on the shield with the old symbols. | 1998–present | |
A stylized form of the arms was formerly used on thejersey of thePhilippine men's national basketball team (until 2012), and appears with the word "Pilipinas" emblazoned above it. In addition, many coats of arms of national and private institutions, as well as Philippine towns and cities, are inspired by the national coat of arms.
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