INTRODUCTION
Ang Pilipinas ay ang kauna-unahang bansang republika na naitatag sa asya. Ipinakita ng mga Pilipino sa buong daigdig na sa dakong ito, may lahing handang magbuwis ng buhay alang-alang sa kasarinlan, at sa hangaring mamuhay nang malaya sa piling ng kapuwa malalayang bansa sa daigdig.

Today, May 28, National Flag Day, marks the start of a two-week period leading to June 12 in which we pay special honor to our national symbol, the Philippine flag, by having all our offices, houses and establishments display a flag.

It is most fitting that we are kicking off this period here in Alapan, Imus, Cavite, where the Philippine flag had a baptism of fire one hundred years ago.

To commemorate the triumph of Filipino troops over the Spanish forces in that battle, General Aguinaldo hoisted the national flag in the presence of what he described as “a great crowd who greeted it with tremendous applause and loud, spontaneous and prolonged cheers for the Philippines.”
THE EVOLUTION OF THE PHILIPPINE FLAG
In the struggle of our forebears for independence, many flags were sewn as emblems of their aspirations. Foremost among these was the flag with a white sun above the three letters “K” used by Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros in their first battle against Spanish forces in 1896. Other leaders of the Revolution, such as generals Artemio Ricarte, Pio del Pilar, Mariano Llanera, and Gregorio del Pilar, had their own respective flags.

Upon the arrival of general Emilio Aguinaldo in Hong Kong at the conclusion of the pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897, he ordered a Philippine flag to be sewn. Marcela Agoncillo, 38 years old and wife of the head of the Central Revolutionary Committee in Hong Kong, assisted by her daughter Lorenza, 7 years old, and Delfina Rizal Herbosa, 19 years old, began the sewing of the flag on May 12, 1898 at the Agoncillo residence and finished it in five days.

The flag, made of silk and embroidered by hand, was handed to General Aguinaldo on May 17, 1898 before he left Hong Kong for the Philippines on board the US transport McCulloch. He reached Cavite two days later.
THE FIRST DISPLAY OF THE FLAG
The initial display of the flag here in Alapan culminated a battle which raged from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon, when the Spaniards ran out of ammunition and surrendered to the revolutionary forces of General Aguinaldo.

The flag also saw action in the battle of Polvorin, Binakayan; and to signal another triumph of our troops in Bacoor, the flag was flown over the steeple of the town’s church which was in full view of the vessels in manila bay.

The flag was first officially hoisted at about half past four in the afternoon of June 12, 1898 in the balcony of the Aguinaldo house in Kawit during the proclamation of Philippine independence. The flag-raising was accompanied with the playing of the “Himno Nacional Filipino” for the first time. The signatories to the declaration of Philippine independence following the proclamation solemnly swore allegiance to the flag which they vowed to “defend to the last drop of their blood.”

General Aguinaldo issued an order on September 1, 1898 for replicas of the June 12, 1898 flag to be raised on all Philippine vessels and used in the war campaigns that included those fought against the Americans. Thus began the wide acceptance of our flag.

On the first anniversary of the declaration of independence held in Angeles, Pampanga, General Aguinaldo made this exhortation:

“That flag which was hailed by a people, anxious of freedom and deserving a better fate, made our independence a reality; it obliges us to preserve and defend it until death. It imparts in us valor and unlimited endurance; it therefore requires sacrifices, and now that we are provoked and compelled to fight, let us go forward with eyes fixed on that flag of the sun and three stars which cheers us up and guides us in the pursuit of our dearest ideals.”
HONOR AND REVERE OUR FLAG
Our Republic, therefore, was born and advanced under the shelter of the Philippine flag. This national flag day that we observe today should remind us to always honor the cloth and colors which represent our past, our present and our future.

Republic Act No. 8491, the “Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines,” which I signed into law last February 12, provides that the period from May 28 to June 12 of each year shall be Flag Days, during which all offices, agencies and instrumentalities of government, business establishments, institutions of learning, and private homes are enjoined to display the flag.

Let me also emphasize here Section 8 of the Code which enjoins all government agencies and instrumentalities, government-owned corporations and local government units to observe Flag Day with appropriate ceremonies. The same provision exhorts socio-civic groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector to cooperate in making such ceremonies a success.

As the symbol of our struggle for independence, of the sacrifice and martyrdom of our revolutionary heroes, of the Filipino nation and the Republic of the Philippines, the national flag should occupy a prominent place in our lives every day and not only during the fourteen days leading to the Centennial.
CLOSING
Let us take part in the centennial celebrations wherever we are, whatever our status in life may be, and however our political persuasions may differ. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to show the world our unity and solidarity as a people, so let us all commemorate together the centennial of our nationhood.

On June 12, 1998, let us be one in the commitment to live up to the heroic acts of Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, Rizal and the other great Filipinos to ensure that the Philippine flag will continue to fly high — as it did here in Alapan a hundred years ago — with pride and dignity.

Mabuhay ang Sentenaryo ng ating Kalayaan!

Mabuhay ang Republika ng Pilipinas!

Maraming salamat at mabuhay tayong lahat!