Great Seal of the Philippines

Last updated

Great Seal of the Philippines
Seal of the Philippines.svg
Motto "Republika ng Pilipinas", "Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa"
("Republic of the Philippines", "For God, People, Nature and Country")
Badge Coat of arms of the Philippines surrounded by a double marginal circle where the name of the Philippines in Filipino as well as the country's national motto are inscribed.

The Great Seal of the Philippines (Filipino: Dakilang Sagisag ng Pilipinas) is used to authenticate official documents of the government of the Philippines.

Contents

It may refer to the physical seal itself or the design impressed upon it. By law, the President of the Philippines is given the custody of the seal.

Design and usage

Republic Act No. 8491 specifies a Great Seal for the Republic of the Philippines:

The Great Seal shall be circular in form. with the same specifications with the national Coat of Arms, surrounding the arms is a double marginal circle which the official name of the Philippines in Filipino was inscribed in. the color of the arms shall not be deemed essential but tincture representation must be used. The Great Seal must also bear the national motto of the Philippines. The Great Seal shall be affixed to or placed upon all commissions signed by the President and upon such other official documents and papers of the Republic of the Philippines as may be provided by law, or as may be required by custom and usage. The President shall have custody of the Great Seal. [1]

Historical designs

Seals of the Philippine Revolutionary states

The First Philippine Republic featured a seal composed of an equilateral triangle with three stars representing Luzon, Visayas, and "Mindanao and Sulu" and an eight-rayed sun. There were several variations of the seal such as different arrangement of the stars and the presence or absence of a face on the sun. The Republic of Biak-na-Bato, and Malolos Republic also used seals. [2]

American period

In 1903, a design by Melecio Figueroa, a Filipino engraver, for coinage was adopted for the design of the Great Seal under the United States-administered Insular Government. The seal featured Mayon Volcano and a Filipino woman in Filipiniana attire striking an anvil, surrounded by the text "United States of America, Government of the Philippine Islands". This seal has "never been legally adopted by the Philippine Commission" was supplanted by a design of John R.M. Taylor in 1905, when a new coat of arms was also adopted. [3]

The seal was revised when the Philippine Commonwealth was established in 1935, and the new coat of arms was patterned after the Philippine flag. The seal was composed of the arms inscribed in a circle with the text "United States of America, Commonwealth of the Philippines". President Manuel L. Quezon adopted a new coat of arms and seal in through Executive Order No. 313 on December 23, 1940. The seal was not used despite its official adoption, and the Commonwealth reverted to the 1935 seal on February 23, 1941. [3]

Second Philippine Republic

The Second Philippine Republic of 1943 to 1945, a puppet state of Imperial Japan, adopted a different seal in October 1943. President Jose P. Laurel issued Republic Act No. 5, which states that the design is a triangular emblem encircled by a double marginal circle. The law dictates the seal to be: [4]

The Great Seal of the Republic of the Philippines shall be circular in form with an equilateral triangle in the middle studded with three five-pointed stars in each corner and emblazoned at the 'center- with the eight-rayed sun, each ray flanked on both sides -by lesser and minor rays; the triangle to be enclosed by another equilateral triangle and between the lines of the two triangles there shall appear on the left side the word 'Kapayapaan,' on the right, 'Kalayaan,' and at the bottom 'Katarungan'; surrounding the whole a double marginal circle within which shall appear the words 'Republika ng Pilipinas' and the figures '1943'

Post–World War II

After the dissolution of the Philippine Commonwealth and the granting of the full independence of the Philippines by the United States in 1946, a new coat of arms was adopted along with a great seal. The seal was composed of the seal inscribed in a double marginal circle with the text "Republic of the Philippines". The seal had little revisions. In 1978, President Ferdinand Marcos, included the motto " Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa " (“One Nation, One Spirit”) and the inscription of the seal was in Filipino as "Republika ng Pilipinas, Opisyal na Tatak". [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupang Hinirang</span> National anthem of the Philippines

"Lupang Hinirang", originally titled in Spanish as "Marcha Nacional Filipina", and commonly and informally known by its incipit "Bayang Magiliw", is the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Julián Felipe, and the lyrics were adopted from the Spanish poem "Filipinas", written by José Palma in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine peso</span> Currency of the Philippines

The Philippine peso, also referred to by its Filipino name piso, is the official currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 sentimo, also called centavos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the Philippines</span> National coat of arms of the Philippines

The coat of arms of the Philippines features the eight-rayed sun of the Philippines with each ray representing the eight provinces which were placed under martial law by Governor-General Ramón Blanco Sr. during the Philippine Revolution, and the three five-pointed stars representing the three major island groups of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the Philippines</span> National flag of the Philippines

The national flag of the Philippines is a horizontal bicolor flag with equal bands of royal blue and crimson red, with a white, equilateral triangle at the hoist. In the center of the triangle is a golden-yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing a province. At each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed, golden-yellow star, each of which representing one of the country's three main island groups—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The white triangle at the hoist represents liberty, equality, and fraternity. A unique feature of this flag is its usage to indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top, which is effectively achieved by flipping the flag upside-down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Bulgaria</span> National coat of arms of Bulgaria

The coat of arms of Bulgaria consists of a crowned golden lion rampant over a dark red shield; above the shield is the Bulgarian historical crown. The shield is supported by two crowned golden lions rampant; below the shield there is compartment in the shape of oak twigs and white bands with the national motto "Unity makes strength" inscribed on them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal of the president of the Philippines</span> Seal

The seal of the president of the Philippines is a symbol used to represent the history and dignity of the president of the Philippines. Its original form was designed by Captain Galo B. Ocampo, secretary of the Philippine Heraldry Committee, and patterned after the seal of the president of the United States. It was first used by President Manuel Roxas in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Philippine Republic</span> 1943 puppet state during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines

The Second Philippine Republic, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines and also known as the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic, was a Japanese puppet state established on October 14, 1943 during the Japanese occupation of the islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of the Senate of the Philippines</span> Highest ranking-official of the Senate of the Philippines

The president of the Senate of the Philippines or is the presiding officer and the highest-ranking official of the Senate of the Philippines, and third highest and most powerful official in the government of the Philippines. They are elected by the entire body to be their leader. The Senate president is second in the line of succession to the presidency, behind only the vice president and ahead of the speaker of the House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal of the vice president of the Philippines</span> Seal

The seal of the vice president of the Philippines is a symbol used to represent the history and dignity of the vice president of the Philippines. Its design was prescribed by Executive Order No. 310 of 2004, and is similar in design to the seal of the president of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the president of the Philippines</span> Flag

The flag of the president of the Philippines or the presidential standard of the Philippines consists of the presidential coat of arms on a blue background. While having the same design as the presidential seal since 1947, the flag has a separate history, and the designs on the flag and seal have at different times influenced each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine twenty-peso note</span> Banknote of the Philippines

The Philippine twenty-peso note (₱20) is a denomination of Philippine currency. It is the smallest banknote denomination in general circulation in the Philippines. Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon is currently featured on the front side of the note, while the Banaue Rice Terraces and the Asian palm civet is featured on the reverse side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine five-centavo coin</span>

The five-sentimo coin (5¢) coin is the second-lowest denomination coin of the Philippine peso after the one sentimo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine twenty-five-centavo coin</span>

The twenty-five-sentimo coin (25¢) coin is the third-lowest denomination coin of the Philippine peso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine two-peso note</span>

The Philippine two-peso note (₱2) was a denomination of Philippine currency. On its final release, José Rizal was featured on the front side of the bill, while the Declaration of the Philippine Independence was featured on the reverse side.

The Ang Bagong Lipunan Series is the name used to refer to Philippine banknotes and coins issued by the Central Bank of the Philippines from 1973 to 1985. It was succeeded by the New Design series of banknotes. The lowest denomination of the series is 2-piso and the highest is 100-piso.

<i>Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa</i> National motto of the Philippines

Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa is the national motto of the Philippines. Derived from the last four lines of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag, it was adopted on February 12, 1998 with the passage of Republic Act No. 8491, the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, during the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos. Its adoption came twelve years after the abolition of the country's previous motto, "Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa", which was adopted during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal of Manila</span> Circle containing the coat of arms of the Philippine capital

The Seal of Manila is composed of the city's modern coat-of-arms, with colors mirroring those of the Philippine National Flag. It is a modified form of the city's historical arms bestowed in the 16th century.

<i>Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa</i> National motto of the Philippines (1978–1986)

Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa was the national motto of the Philippines from 1978 to 1986, during the presidency of President Ferdinand Marcos. It was adopted on June 9, 1978 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1413. The motto has been criticized and has been denounced as "the slogan of a fascist regime".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal of Quezon City</span>

The Seal of Quezon City is one of the official symbols of Quezon City. The current seal used by the city, adopted in 1975, is a triangular seal with the Quezon Memorial Shrine as its primary element.

Melecio Figueroa (1842-1903) was a Filipino sculptor and engraver whose design was featured in a previous coin series of the Philippine peso.

References

  1. "Chan Robles Virtual Law Library – Republic Act No. 8491" . Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  2. Heisser, David C.R. "Child of the Sun Returning State Arms and Seals of the Philippines" (PDF). International Congress of Vexillology. p. 104. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Heisser, David C.R. "Child of the Sun Returning State Arms and Seals of the Philippines" (PDF). International Congress of Vexillology. pp. 105–108. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  4. Heisser, David C.R. "Child of the Sun Returning State Arms and Seals of the Philippines" (PDF). International Congress of Vexillology. pp. 110–111. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  5. Heisser, David C.R. "Child of the Sun Returning State Arms and Seals of the Philippines" (PDF). International Congress of Vexillology. pp. 112–113. Retrieved June 4, 2018.