NATIONAL SYMBOLS

OF THE PHILIPPINES
Life and Works of Rizal

Prepared By:
Camille Perez
Allysa Grace Piamonte
Aida Madia
Ljay Malupa
INTRODUCTION
In the Philippines, the House of Congress
issued House Bill No. 3926 authored by Hon.
Rene L. Relampagos and with the help of
the Department of Education (DepEd), the
Commimages on Higher Education (CHED),
National Commission for the Culture and
Arts (NCCA), and the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
The following are the recognized official national
symbols in the country according to the National
Commission for the Culture and the Arts:

National Flag- The flag of the Philippines shall be

blue, white, and red with an eight-rayed golden
yellow sun and three five-pointed stars.

National Anthem- Lupang Hinirang is the official

title of the national anthem, This anthem will always
be sung in the national language within or without
the country.
National Tree- The Narra tree is identified as the
national tree of the Philippines. This tree
represents resilience.

National Flower- Sampaguita or known as the

Arabian Jasmine is a white, star-shaped blossom
which has a sweet fragrance.

National Bird- The Philippine Eagle that can be

found in rainforests in the Davao region is
considered to be the largest, strongest and most
powerful eagle in the world.
National Gem- It is known as the South Sea Pearl
and is considered as the oldest valued gem in the
Philippines. The Philippines is symbolically known
as the "Pearl of the Orient Seas".

National Sport- It is considered as one of the

oldest forms of martial arts in the Philippines, Arnis
or Arnis de Mano. Arnis has multiple names across
the Philippines such as Eskrima, Kali, and Garrote.
The House of Congress had pushed for other
national symbols to be recognized. Other symbols
are noted as unofficial or "colorums", or symbols
that have no legal basis.

National Leaf- The Anahaw leaf is a large type of

leaf with a round fan-shaped that is glossy and in
green color.

National Fruit- An aromatic, delicious, and

nutritious fruit, the Mango is considered to be the
national fruit of the Philippines.
National House- The known bahay-kubo or nipa
hut shall be recognized as the national house.

National Animal- The Carabao or Water Buffalo

or best known as kalabaw is a gentle but hard-
working type of a mammal.

National Fish- The Milk fish or bangus is widely

popular in the Philippines and in Asia.
National Food- The Filipinos' fondness of
Adobo had earned the title as the unofficial
national food of the Philippines.

National Dance- According to House Bill No.

3926, carinosa is a Philippine folk dance with
Hispanic origins.
House Bill No. 3926 also promotes other
symbols:

• City of Manila (as the National Capital),

• The Malacanan Palace (as the National Seat of
the Government),
• Filipino (as the National Language of the
Philippines),
• Bayan Ko (as the National Song),
• "Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Maka-kalikasan, at
Maka-bansa (For God, People, Nature and
Country" (as the National Motto),
• The National Coat-of-Arms and the National Seal
• Philippine Peso (as the national Currency),
• The Barong Tagalog for the male and the
baro't saya for the female (as the national
costumes),
• The bakya (as the National Slippers),
• And the Philippine Jeepney (as the National
Vehicle).

It is the aim of this bill to integrate and promote

patriotism and nationalism that these symbols
represent in the development of history and
identity as Filipinos and as one nation (Philippine
Congress, H.B No. 3926, 2014).
CRITERIA FOR NATIONAL HEROES: EXECUTIVE ORDER
NO. 75, 1993

There are no laws nor executive orders on proclamation

of any personalities as heroes in our nation. It was then in
1993, when President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive
Order No. 75, which created the National Heroes
Committee.

The Technical Committee of the National Heroes

Committee held a series of meetings on June 3, 1993;
August 19,1993; September 12, 1994, and November 15,
1995, defining, discussing and deliberating upon the
merits of the various definitions and criteria of a hero.
The Committee adopted the following criteria as
basis for historical researchers in determining who
among the great Filipinos will be officially
proclaimed as national heroes:

1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation

and thereafter aspire and struggle for the nation's
freedom.
2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a
system or life of freedom and order for a nation.
3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of
life and destiny of a nation.
Additional criteria for heroes were added and
adopted by the Technical Committee of the
National Heroes Committee on November 15,
1995:

1. Heroes are part of the people's expression.

2. Heroes think of the future, especially of the
future generations.
3. The choice of heroes involves the entire process
that made a particular person a hero.
Galang (2012) in an article concerning the selection
process of national heroes in the Philippines shared
a new set of criteria:

• First is the extent of a person's sacrifices for the

welfare of the country.

• Second, the motive and methods employed in

the attainment of the ideal (was his ideal purely
for the welfare of the country and without any
taint of self-interested motives, most of all the
method of attainment should be morally valid).
• The third is the moral character of the person
concerned (the person should not have any
immorality issue that affected his ideal).

• The fourth is the influence of the person

concerned on his age and or the succeeding age.

• Fifth is that heroes are those who have a concept

of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for
the nation's freedom (they must have desired the
country's freedom in any situation especially
when there's a threat of invasion in any form).
• Sixth is that heroes are those who define and
contribute to a system of life of freedom and
order for a nation (one who helps in the
orderliness and betterment of the country).

• Seventh is, heroes are those who contribute to

the quality of life and destiny of a nation.

• Eight, a hero is part of the people's expression

(the citizen must have recognized and
acknowledged the person as a hero).
• Ninth, a hero thinks of the future, especially
the future generations, his concern for the
future generations must be seen in his
decisions and ideals).

• Lastly, the choice of a hero involves not only

the recounting of an episode or events in
history, but of the entire process that made
this particular person a hero (NCPH.gov.ph).
In the later years, the Commission studied various
recommendations and evaluated based on the
criteria that the technical committee set. After
further deliberation, the following personalities
were recommended to be our National Heroes:

1. Dr. Jose Rizal 6. Sultan Dipatuan

2. Gat Andres Bonifacio Kudarat
3. Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo 7. Juan Luna
4. Apolinario Mabini 8. Melchora "Tandang
5. Marcelo H. del Pilar Sora" Aquino
9. Gabriela Silang
CHOOSING JOSE RIZAL AS OUR
NATIONAL HERO AND SYMBOL

• The preceding paragraphs cited national

symbols, both official and unofficial. As of
the moment, Dr. Jose Rizal is included as
one of the unofficial national symbols. But
for many Filipinos, his life and writings
raised him to the qualifications of being
our hero and as part of our national
symbols.
• A known historian, Teodoro Agoncillo wrote
that Jose Rizal is acceptable as a national
hero because he is the symbol of
assimilation. The American policy is for the
Philippines to observe assimilation. Jose
Rizal did not favor achieving peace through
armed means.

• Another is Renato Constantino who

mentioned that there are following reasons
for Jose Rizal to be a national hero.
• First, Jose Rizal already passed away at that
time the Americans began their occupation or
aggression in the Philippines. Another is there
was no single word embarrassment or any anti-
American quotation that could ever be
attributed to Jose Rizal.

• Lastly, Jose Rizal's martyrdom already made him

the symbol of Spanish oppression. These only
prove Jose Rizal's worthiness to be called or
addressed as our national hero (Garcia, De
Viana, and Cruz, 2015).
• Despite the lack of official declaration choosing and
recognizing Dr. Jose Rizal as our national hero Dr. Jose
Rizal who is acclaimed as great Filipino, who had served
his countrymen undoubtedly and wholeheartedly.

• Understanding the context of the situation of the Filipinos

and the Philippines during the Spanish colonization is one
of the best keys to explain Jose Rizal's Importance to our
nation.

• Dr. Jose Rizal and his fellow propagandists had written

numerous realizations on how Spain managed the
Philippines. Jose Rizal wrote two novels, the Noli Me
Tangere and the El Filibusterismo.
• Rizal wrote essays for the La Solidaridad, a
periodical that circulated in Spain and promoted
liberal ideas, such as"On the Indolence of the
Filipino" and "The Philippines Within a Century"
and printed an annotated edition of Antonio de
Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events in
the Philippine Islands) to emphasize what Morga, a
Spaniard, wrote and observed:
• Though unofficially as our hero, Jose Rizal made
his part in providing a nationalistic spirit that
Filipinos deserved. Jose Rizal thought of only one
thing his fatherland and its people.
• In one of his letters compiled by historian Ambeth
Ocampo, Jose Rizal mentioned: "I have always loved
my poor country and I am sure that I shall love her
until my last moment. Perhaps some people will be
unjust to me; well, my future, my life, my joys,
everything. I have sacrificed for love of her.
Whatever my fate may be, I shall die blessing my
country and wishing her the dawn of her redemption
(Ocampo, 2016).

• Andres Bonifacio is maybe one of the Filipinos that

recognized Jose Rizal as an inspiration and a Guiding
force of the revolution.
• Jose Rizal's heroism is always commemorated
every 30 of December... This memorial was
started by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. He issued a
decree on December 20, 1898 announcing the
date December 30, not only as the date of his
death but also as a "national day of mourning."

• This decree appeared in the government

organ, El Heraldo de la Revolucion issued on
December 25, 1898 in two languages, Tagalog
and Spanish.
• On February 1, 1902, the Philippine Commission
enacted Act. No. 345, which set December 30 of
each year as Rizal Day, and made it one of the
ten official holidays of the Philippines.

• Republic Act No. 229 was enacted by President

Elpidio Quirino on June 9, 1948 to create a
committee to take charge of the proper
celebration of Rizal Day in every municipality
and chartered city
• On November 8, 2002, Pres. Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo enacted Administrative Order No. 44
directing the chairman of the National Historical
Institute to spearhead the observance of the
106th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose P.
Rizal on December 30, 2002 (NHCP, 2012).

In an article published online, historian and

expert to the life of Jose Rizal, Michael "Xiao"
Chua (2018) mentioned and concluded that:
Therefore, Rizal is the national hero because he
contributed greatly in the creation of a new idea
to replace the old idea a national sentiment
among Filipinos: that we have one misfortune and
one identity of our own. And that we can be, as
stated in the aims of his "La Liga Filipina," an
archipelago united into "one, compact, vigorous
and homogenous body where the people protect
and defend each other, educate each other about
agriculture and commerce, and from among
themselves, implement reform.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS PERPETUAL
LEGACY

On December 30, 1896, our great Jose Rizal was

sentenced to death by firing squad at
Bagumbayan (now Luneta Park). Died at the age
of 35, Jose Rizal's legacies are perpetuated deeply
in our minds and hearts today. Throughout his life,
Jose Rizal showcased virtues and values of being a
Filipino.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS PERPETUAL
LEGACY

• Love of God
Jose Rizal was born and raised as a Catholic. During
his childhood years, his mother Dona Teodora,
taught him basic prayers in Latin. The Mercado
family was a devout catholic.
• Nationalism and Patriotism
Jose Rizal's great works taught the Filipinos how to
attain the freedom and independence that they
have longed for so many years.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS
PERPETUAL LEGACY
• Courage
Jose Rizal was very courageous in expressing his love for
the country, a valuable act that is relevant today. His
moral courage to do only what is best for the Filipinos and
securing the welfare of the citizens in order to keep their
trust and love for the nation.
• Honesty
Integrity is the uprightness or a state of being of sound
moral principle. Jose Rizal was honest to himself,
especially in dedicating himself in the service of his
fellowmen.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS PERPETUAL
LEGACY

• Noble Conduct
Jose Rizal possessed a noble character. This purity of
thoughts and clean behavior enabled Rizal to have
clean conscience and upright thinking.
• Love of Fellowmen
Jose Rizal had taught us to always consider the welfare
of others as he said: let us not be hasty in our
judgment but let us think well for our fellowmen. He
reminded everyone who have lost the spirit of helping
others.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS
PERPETUAL LEGACY

• Self-Sacrifice
Jose Rizal is valued because of his self-denial. This
means he gave up his own desire for a better reason
or cause.

• Fortitude or Perseverance
Jose Rizal practiced fortitude particularly in serving
the country. It means he conditioned the strength of
his mind in enduring or meeting pain. Fortitude in
any undertaking requires faith and hope.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS PERPETUAL
LEGACY

• Love of Parents
Jose Rizal always admired his parents. He is so fond of
his father, even recalling him as "model of all fathers,"
and his mother being so devout and diligent.

• Charity
Jose Rizal's sacrifices were done because of charity. It is
the greatest of all virtues because it inclines everyone
to love God above all things for His own sake, and our
neighbors, for the sake of God.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS PERPETUAL
LEGACY
• Love of Country
Jose Rizal was so focused on dedicating himself to his
fatherland. His sacrifices are his greatest
manifestations of the fullness of his pag-ibig sa
tinubuang lupa.
• Devotion to Truth
Jose Rizal never stopped in searching for truth when
he was still alive. Admired by many because of this
value, he continued to seek for what is right and
looked for solutions for the country's enduring
problems.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS PERPETUAL
LEGACY
• Serenity
A man is serene if he has an unruffled mind. Serenity of
spirit stems from a strong personal discipline. Rizal
related a conversation between a schoolteacher and
Crisostomo Ibarra to know the problems of learning and
teaching.

• Self-Direction
It is a person's readiness to think of conduct and ability
to carry out his own responsibility. One's initiative is a
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS
PERPETUAL LEGACY

• Self-Control
This value or lesson is needed by everyone. The will
acts only in seeking what is good. This is the reason
why we must take great care in presenting only
good ideas to the will.
• Courtesy and Politeness
Politeness and courtesy are virtues that give
harmony and charm in our daily life. Courtesy is
graceful and considerate behavior toward others.
JOSE RIZAL'S LIFE VALUES: HIS PERPETUAL
LEGACY

• Gratitude
Jose Rizal was thankful during his lifetime. He was
grateful to his family, friend, and comrades for the
time shared. Gratitude is the value for all the blessings
received from God.
• Love for Justice
Justice is the moral habit by which a man gives to
another what he is due. A man with a good conscience
finds joy in being just. In Jose Rizal's time, he sought
for justice particularly for his family and for his
Chapter Summary
Symbols are objects, words, or even a person that
represents values or meaning. Dr. Jose Rizal is
remarkably a figure and a symbol that unites us
Filipinos through his values and principles. He was
the first Filipino who taught his fellowmen to love the
country. The writings and values that Jose Rizal
taught will linger in the hearts and minds of the
Filipinos. Using his time to the fullest was a lesson
that he wanted to teach to all people.
Thank you.