A historian from Antique is working with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to have a 127-year-old Philippine flag officially recognized as a national treasure.
“We also intend to seek a resolution from the Antique provincial board so it can be declared as an important historical and cultural heritage and be preserved,” former Antique board member and historian Errol Santillan said on Tuesday.
The flag is currently in the possession of the family of 2nd Lt. Ruperto Abellon, who served as second-in-command in the Visayas under General Leandro Fullon during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War.
Fullon led an armed expedition sent by General Emilio Aguinaldo from Luzon to liberate the island from Spanish control on September 6, 1898. According to historians, the force—composed of 140 officers and 340 men—arrived in Pandan, Antique on September 21, 1898.
“The flag was brought and hoisted in Libertad, Antique as part of the armed expedition in 1898,” Santillan said in an interview.
Based on the recollection of the 79-year-old granddaughter of Abellon, the flag is believed to have come from Hong Kong and was brought by Aguinaldo when he returned to the Philippines on May 19, 1898.
Santillan sought permission of the family to disclose the flag in their possession.
“The century-old Philippine flag measures 53 inches in width and 93 inches in length,” Santillan said, adding it is made of a special material.
Like the modern-day flag, it has the colors red, blue and white; and the three stars that symbolize Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
