June 12: Flag and Anthem Day or Independence Day?

Join us for our Independence Day episode as we talk about historical facts and myths this Monday, June 9, 9pm for the Brewrats Educational Mondays with DAKILA, Campus 99.5 FM.

June 12 Flag and Anthem Day or Independence Day?
by Ed Aurelio C. Reyes
Kampanya para sa Kamalayan sa Kasaysayan

Government insistence on marking June 12 as independence day and as the establishment day for the first republic in this continent has run into serious controversy, nay debate, with historians.

The historians are saying that the June 12 declaration in Kawit, Cavite, was one of a protectorate (or "independence" that was "under the protection of the mighty and humane North American nation"). And the government that was formed was a dictatorial government, which, upon the advice of Apolonario Mabini, was changed later into a revolutionary government. It was only in September 1898 that a constituent assembly (called "Malolos Congress") was converned, and it was in January of the following year that upon the resultant Constitution hammered out by that assembly the first Philippine Republic (also called "Malolos Republic") was inaugurated.

KAMALAYSAYAN (Kampanya para sa Kamalayan sa Kasaysayan) has chosen to take side of historicity or historical accuracy. If we are to awaken in our contrymen an interest in our history, why feed them myths? June 12 as Independence Day is a myth. It has always been. Earlier, we had another myth: that of celebrating Independence on the fourth of July. In 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal moved Independence Day from one false date to another.
But let me not be quoted as saying June 12, 1898 is not at all a significant date in the history of our nation, the nation that was born two years before at the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in August 1896.

June 12 can somehow be considered our "Flag and Anthem Day." It was on that date when the gathering before the Aguinaldo balcony in Kawit, Cavite, the same crowd that heard General Aguinaldo proclaim the Philippines as a protectorate of the "Mighty and Humane North American nation," first heard the melody of the Marcha Magdalo, which was given lyrics years afterwards to finally evolve into the Lupang Hinirang that is our present national anthem. The march was played then by a brass band. The occasion also witnessed the first public unfurling of the Philippine flag very very similar to the one we have now.

My mention of the Philippine flag cannot be complete without citing a historical background to its "reverse evolution." And for readers to understand and appreciate this point, the following points must first be clear.

1. Andres Bonifacio has been criticized for allegedly being regionalistic, having led "only the Tagalogs," while Aguinaldo has been projected as a statesman of the entire nation beause he led in forming and inaugurating the "Republica Filipina." The correction of these impressions has to cite the official Katipunan meaning in using the word "Tagalog" and also well-documented researches on the actual nationwide coverage of the Philippine Revolution before its leadership was grabbed by Aguinaldo.

The footnote to be found on the cover page of Emilio Jacinto's Sa May Nais Makisanib sa Katipunang Ito (For Those Who Want to Join this Association - Ken), the Katipunan primer known more widely by its nickname, "Kartilya ng Katipunan," we find the following clarification, as worded and spelled (italics in the original): "Sa salitang tagalog katutura'y ang lahat ng tumubo sa Sangkapuluang ito; sa matawuid, bisaya man, iloko man, kapangpangan man, etc. ay tagalog din."

In November 1992, the University of the Philippines Department of History and the Asosasyon ng mga Dalubhasa at May-hilig sa Kasaysayan (ADHIKA) jointly convened in Batac, Ilocos Norte, a national conference on the actual geographical scope of the Katipuan-led 1896 Revolution. The converence, supported by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), established in no uncertain terms the presence of the Katipunan in provinces as far north as the Batanes in Luzon, in the Visayan islands and as far south as Cotabato in Mindanao. The convenors have published the proceedings in book form, titled Katipunan: Isang Pambansang Kilusan (Katipunan: Nationwide Movement - Ken.).

2. With regards to the evolution of our flag, President Ramos would not have any reason recently suggest changes (like putting a crescent or a ninth ray) if the orginal sun in bonifacio's flag had been maintained up to the sewing of our present tricolor. Bonifacio's Katagalugan (named to aptly describe people who lived near rivers and other bodies of water) covered the entire archipelago, and the sun in his flag had an indefinite number of rays. Aguinaldo's flags had only eight rays, clarified in the 1898 Kawit Declaration to represent the first eight provinces that rose up against Spain. And how did Aguinaldo decide to honor the "first eight", and not the first seven, the first nine or the first ten in a field of more than 20 provinces? He based his decision on the martial law proclamation of Governor Ramon Blanco covering eight provinces.

It was bad enought that the designation of the number of rays in our flag had to be based on a martial law proclamation of a foreign colonial overlord. What was worse was that the shrinking of the number of rays from indefinite to onoly eight also shrunk in the people's minds the application of the world "Tagalog" from the katipunan's archipelago-wide coverage to Aguinaldo's (or Blanco's?) "first eight provinces" that roughly correspond now to the present-day Tagalog-speaking provinces.

It may be argued that the Moros, and the Cordillera tribes, who were never conquered by Spain, were not categorically mentioned in the "Kartilya" footnote, and may have been covered only by the word etcetera in the enumeration. But neither are the Bicolanos, the Warays, or all the other lumad groups, not even the Boholanos who had maintained an independent regime for 85 years! Neither are they represented in Aguinaldo's (Blanco's) eight rays.

Had we kept the orignal Katipunan sun, with an indefinite number of rays, there would have been not feelings of exclusion on the part of those who cannot be contented with representation by one of three stars (historically, representing Luzon, Panay and Mindanao!).

This is not to say we should now redesign the flag. After all, it has had its own place in the heroic sturggles of our people. We are just taking the opportunity to discuss what I called earlier in this article the "reverse evolution" of our flag. Or, in other words, we have to know how this symnbol actually evolved from the broad to the narrow.

Source: http://www.tribo.org