Philippine Society and Culture

Exactly 123 years ago, a group of Filipino revolutionists led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo triumphantly hoisted the national symbol in Kawit, Cavite, the Philippines on June 12, 1898, that marked the country’s independence from more than 300 years of colonial rule. The symbolic raising of the national flag was witnessed by hundreds of captive Spanish soldiers along with their captors, the American soldiers.  The Filipinos’ hard-earned independence was the fruit of years of bloody battles against the colonizers. In those sporadic, yet bloody battles, thousands of Filipino revolutionists lost their lives. Outgunned and outnumbered by their foreign enemies, the Filipinos bravely fought them with determination and patriotism. Sadly, after more than a century of independence, the Filipinos are still embroiled in controversies and debates surrounding their independence particularly on the existence of the original national flag hoisted on June 12, 1898.  On Existence of Real Flag  ...