PH Flag from 1900s Preserved in Michigan Museum

PH Flag from 1900s Preserved in Michigan Museum

Story by the SPOT.ph team 
17 June 2024

(SPOT.ph) A Philippine flag from a time of quiet resistance in the early 1900s has been preserved at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology (UMMA), a relic from the past when Filipinos had yet to gain independence and could only express patriotism in secret.

Renowned Filipino historian Ambeth Ocampo recently gained access to the Philippine flag, which he said was collected by American constabulary officer Owen Tomlinson who was deployed in the Philippine highlands in the early 1900s, when the Philippines was held by the Americans.

He shared this on his Facebook page just a few days after the celebration of Philippine Independence on June 12.

On its website, the UMMA talks about the origin of the flag, noting how it served as an expression of defiance against the American occupation of the Philippines. It was a time of resistance in the country, and the US banned images of the Philippine flag, which was already hoisted upon the declaration of independence from Spain in 1898.

That original flag bears three stars and the sun in the middle of a white equilateral triangle, with equal blue and red strips.

"This flag originated from the Ifugao Province in Northern Philippines between 1909 and 1915, during a time of great political turmoil: The Philippines had just declared independence from Spain in 1898 and was ready to establish itself as a new nation, even boasting a new national flag designed by its first President, Emilio Aguinaldo," UMMA says.

"It is likely that this flag was created as a way for rebel groups in Ifugao and other areas in the northern Philippines to proudly display their defiance against the US Occupation of the Philippines while intentionally flipping the flag upside down as a declaration of war, symbolizing courage and valor."

Ocampo adds further insights, saying the flag, while found in Ifugao, actually came from lowland Bulacan, as explained by the inscription "Kabinataang Baliwag" in the middle of the triangle on the flag, in place of the sun. This means the flag was from the Youth of Baliwag town in Bulacan.

The edges of the triangle, meanwhile, bears the inscription "Magbangon Bayan" (Rise Motherland), while the apex of the triangle bears the letters KA, which stands for the revolutionary group Katipunan.  

"It is a significant relic from a time described by my history teachers as the Period of Suppressed Nationalism, when it was forbidden to display our flag that was a symbol of resistance against Spanish and U.S. rule. This flag reminded young people of the independence stolen from the Filipinos in 1898 and returned in 1946," said Ocampo, the latter year in reference to the Philippines’ liberation from Japanese rule.

Ocampo's post about the relic has drawn several calls for the flag to be returned home.

"Shouldn’t it be returned to the Philippines?" read one comment.

Another echoed this sentiment, saying: "Dapat isauli sa Pilipinas ang mga bagay na ‘yan."    

Still, another commenter said: "I hope that, just like the Balangiga Bells, this precious flag would be returned to our country." The Balangiga Bells, church bells taken by US soldiers as war trophies from a church in Eastern Samar in 1901, were returned to the Philippines in 2018 following adamant calls from then President Rodrigo Duterte.

For Ocampo, however, a digital repatriation of the flag might be good enough for now. Besides, it's best to make sure we first have the capacity to preserve the item. "Maaalagaan ba natin gaya ng nasa larawan?" asked the historian. To another comment, he said: "We have physical and soon digital access already. Let's see what comes next."