Flag of the Philippines

The national flag of the Philippines features an eight-rayed sun and three stars, all in gold, on a white equilateral triangle on the mast. The upper half of the remaining area is royal blue while the lower half is red. The proportion of the flag is 2:1.

The eight rays represent the eight provinces who first participated in the revolution[?] against colonial Spain: Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. The three stars represent Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the three island groupings of the archipelago.

The Philippine flag is unique in that it can indicate a state of war. When the flag is upside-down such that the red is on top (or the red is at the left when displayed vertically), it means that the Philippines is at war.

The flag was first conceptualized by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. The first flag was sewn in Hong Kong by Marcela de Agoncillo[?], her daughter Lorenza, and Josefina Herbosa de Natividad[?], niece of José Rizal.