From scattered pre-colonial polities, through three and a third centuries as a Spanish colony administered from Mexico City and then Madrid, a brief revolutionary republic crushed by a new colonial power, nearly four decades of American rule, brutal Japanese wartime occupation, and finally full sovereignty in 1946 — eight flags tracing one of the longest colonial histories in Southeast Asia.
The Philippine flag itself is unusual in the region: the same sun-and-stars design, first raised in 1898, has survived every regime change since — including a US colonial administration that permitted it only from 1919 onward, and a wartime Japanese-sponsored republic that flew it too.
Scope of this page: the lands of present-day Philippines, pre-1565–present, eight political entities. No single flag unified the pre-colonial archipelago's many competing polities, so that era is shown honestly blank rather than with an invented banner. Part of a larger atlas — see the linked pages at the bottom.
One archipelago, eight flags over it
The Philippines' own real coastline, traced whole — every major island from Luzon to Mindanao answered to the same government in every era below, so there's no genuinely separate internal region to carve out honestly. Press play, or drag the slider, to watch who held it all at once.
This is a single-region page. The pre-1565 era was fragmented among many competing polities, but none of them controlled a distinct, stable piece of today's national territory long enough to trace as its own honest border — and every government since 1565, Spanish, American, Japanese, or Filipino, ruled the archipelago as one administrative unit. What changes here is only who held it all.
pre-1565
Pre-colonial polities
Real traced coastline (Luzon, the Visayas, Mindanao, and the archipelago's major islands), no internal partition — see the rule box above for why.
How we know this. 8 of 8 eras on this page carry an evidence panel (5 attested, 1 placeholder image, 2 not yet checked). Only the ones marked attested are confirmed by the sources named under them; where sources disagree or a claim could not be confirmed, the panel says so.
the sun-and-three-stars flag of 1898, with its specification set in 1936 and 1998
1946 – present
Republic of the Philippines
Republic, independentManuel RoxasNo official state religion (Catholic majority)
Migration & conquest:Emigration: to the United States (surging after 1965)Emigration: overseas Filipino workers (1970s–)
Who & why: the United States grants full independence on 4 July 1946, honoring a commitment made in the 1934 Tydings–McDuffie Act, delayed by the war. The republic goes on to endure Ferdinand Marcos's martial-law dictatorship (1972–1981, with Marcos remaining in power until the 1986 "People Power" revolution) before returning to democratic rule.
What it represents: the flag first unfurled in 1898 — a white triangle (for the Katipunan, per FOTW), a golden sun with eight rays said to stand for the first provinces to rebel, and three stars — hoisted at independence on 4 July 1946. Executive Order No. 23 of 1936 set its specifications, E.O. No. 321 of 12 June 1950 fixed the peace and war orientation, and Republic Act No. 8491 of 12 February 1998 governs its display and codified the colours, with Royal Blue as the blue; the exact blue has changed several times. The page's earlier claim of an unchanged design glosses over those.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia: 1936 E.O. 23 standardised specifications; 4 July 1946 hoisted at independence; RA 8491 of 1998 codified colours; eight-rayed sun for the provinces that rebelled. FOTW: E.O. 23 (25 March 1936); E.O. 321 of 12 June 1950; RA 8491 of 12 February 1998; white triangle for the Katipunan.
Philippines — Flags of the World (CRW Flags) compiled
Not established: The blue shade changed several times (1955, 1985, 1998).
Paint guide
Proportions1:2, white triangle at hoist, blue over red field (reversed to red-over-blue in wartime).
LayoutGold sun (8 rays) centered in the triangle, one small gold star at each triangle corner.
Blue#0038A8
Red#CE1126
Gold#FCD116
flown again once the Commonwealth government returns
1945 – 1946
Commonwealth of the Philippines (restored)
Colonial (US), autonomousSergio OsmeñaNo official state religion
Who & why: US and Filipino forces liberate the islands from Japanese occupation through 1944–45; the exiled Commonwealth government, which had continued operating from Washington throughout the war, returns to Manila under President Sergio Osmeña and then Manuel Roxas to prepare the transition to full independence already promised for 1946.
What it represents: the same national flag, flown again once the Commonwealth government returned: Flags of the World says the 1936 flag with the navy blue was restored when American forces returned in 1944 and was hoisted at independence on 4 July 1946. Wikipedia says the flag is flown red-side up in wartime and Flags of the World that the Commonwealth flew it upside down from 8 December 1941 until Japan's surrender; neither states the orientation in 1945-1946.
Attestedhow we know this
FOTW (explanation of the flag): the 1936 flag, with the navy blue, was restored upon the return of American forces in 1944 and was hoisted at the recognition of Philippine independence on 4 July 1946; FOTW (flag history) says the Commonwealth flew it upside down from 8 December 1941 to Japan's surrender. Wikipedia: the flag is flown red-side up in wartime and was the national flag of the Commonwealth; its Flag of the Philippines article says the flag was legally adopted in 1920 (Act 2928).
Not established: The orientation flown in 1945-46 is not stated; the page's 'peacetime blue-over-red' is an inference from the 4 July 1946 hoisting.
Paint guide
Proportions1:2, as above.
Blue#0038A8
Red#CE1126
the same flag, permitted by Japan under a puppet republic
1942 – 1945
Japanese occupation (Second Republic)
Occupation (Japan)José P. LaurelNo official state religion
Migration & conquest:Occupied by: Japan (1942–45)
Who & why: Japanese forces invade in December 1941 and complete their conquest by mid-1942, despite fierce Filipino-American resistance at Bataan and Corregidor. Japan installs a nominally independent puppet republic under President José P. Laurel in October 1943, while the exiled Commonwealth government continues abroad and Filipino guerrillas wage sustained resistance throughout the occupation.
What it represents: Wikipedia says the flag was banned during the Japanese occupation and then used by the Japanese-backed Second Republic; FOTW says the Second Republic revived it on 14 October 1943, and that the Commonwealth had flown it upside down, the wartime position, from 8 December 1941, with the Republic flying it in wartime position in 1944.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia: flag banned during the occupation, then used by the Second Republic. FOTW: Second Republic revived it 14 October 1943; upside-down from 8 December 1941; wartime position in 1944.
Philippines — Flags of the World (CRW Flags) compiled
Not established: The two sources describe the occupation differently.
Paint guide
Proportions1:2, red field uppermost (wartime convention).
Red#CE1126
Gold#FCD116
legally flown for the first time under US rule from 1919
1935 – 1942
Commonwealth of the Philippines
Colonial (US), autonomousManuel L. QuezonNo official state religion
Migration & conquest:Emigration: US quota cuts Filipino immigration to 50/yr (1934)
Who & why: the 1934 Tydings–McDuffie Act creates a self-governing Commonwealth under Manuel Quezon as an intermediate step toward the full independence promised within ten years, with the United States retaining control of defense and foreign affairs throughout.
What it represents: the same 1898 design as the Commonwealth's flag. The 1907 law that banned it was repealed on 30 October 1919, Wikipedia says the flag was legally adopted on 26 March 1920, and E.O. No. 23 (25 March 1936 per FOTW) set its specifications.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia: ban repealed 30 October 1919; legally adopted 26 March 1920; E.O. 23 standardised specifications in 1936. FOTW: 1919 Flag Day order; E.O. 23 of 25 March 1936.
Philippines — Flags of the World (CRW Flags) compiled
Not established: The Commonwealth's start date (1935) is not covered.
Paint guide
Proportions1:2, as above.
Blue#0038A8
Red#CE1126
US insular ensign, red-white-blue stripes without a canton
1898 – 1935
United States colonial administration
Colonial (US)William Howard TaftNo official state religion
Migration & conquest:Emigration: sakada laborers to Hawaii/US (1906–)
Who & why: Spain cedes the Philippines to the United States in the December 1898 Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish-American War; Filipino revolutionaries, who had already declared independence, refuse to accept the new colonial power, and the brutal Philippine-American War (1899–1902) kills hundreds of thousands before US civil administration consolidates control. The Philippine flag itself is banned as seditious until an 1919 act permits it.
What it represents: Wikipedia says the Flag Law of 1907 banned display of the Philippine flag and Katipunan emblems (it cites both Act No. 1696 and No. 1697) until the repeal of 30 October 1919. The page's earlier description of a US insular ensign is not in the sources read.
Not yet checked against sourceshow we know this
Wikipedia: the Flag Act of 1907 made display of the Philippine flag and Katipunan emblems illegal; it was repealed (24 October 1919 per Wikipedia, 30 October 1919 per FOTW's history), and Act No. 2928 of 26 March 1920 legally adopted the flag as the official flag of the Philippine Islands. FOTW (Quezon's history): the Civil Commission declared the Filipino flag illegal in the Sedition Act of 23 August 1907 after a nationalist election celebration; Governor General Harrison signed the repeal on 30 October 1919. FOTW's 1956 article (Quirino) puts the proscription at 6 September 1907 and says it lasted twelve years.
Not established: The sources agree on the 1907-1919 ban (with differing day dates) but none describes a 'US insular ensign' or says which flag the administration flew; the American flag over the islands is implied rather than stated. Next: a source on US flag use in the Philippines (e.g. US Navy or War Department flag orders).
Paint guide
Proportions2:3, five horizontal stripes.
Red#CE1126
Blue#0038A8
first raised 12 June 1898 — still the national flag today
1898
First Philippine Republic (Malolos)
Republic, contestedEmilio AguinaldoNo official state religion (separation established)
Who & why: revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo proclaims independence from Spain on 12 June 1898 at Kawit, and a congress at Malolos ratifies Asia's first democratic constitution in January 1899. The nascent republic's sovereignty is recognized by neither Spain, which cedes the islands to the US instead, nor the incoming Americans, whose war against it snuffs it out within a few years.
What it represents: Emilio Aguinaldo conceived the flag in Hong Kong exile in 1897, where it was sewn; it was reportedly adopted on 19 May 1898, first saw action at the Battle of Alapan on 28 May 1898, and was unfurled at the Proclamation of Independence at Kawit, Cavite, on 12 June 1898.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia: unfurled at Kawit on 12 June 1898, first displayed in battle on 28 May 1898. FOTW: conceived by Aguinaldo in Hong Kong in 1897, sewn there; adopted 19 May 1898; Battle of Alapan 28 May 1898; proclaimed 12 June 1898 at Kawit.
Philippines — Flags of the World (CRW Flags) compiled
Not established: The era title says Malolos; the proclamation was at Kawit.
Paint guide
Proportions1:2, as above.
Blue#0038A8
Red#CE1126
Gold#FCD116
Cross of Burgundy ensign, flown over the Spanish colonial administration
1565 – 1898
Captaincy General of the Philippines (Spain)
Colonial (Spain)Miguel López de LegazpiRoman Catholic (established)
Migration & conquest:Immigration: Chinese merchants to Manila (from 1580s)Emigration: Chinese massacres & expulsions (1603, 1639, 1662, 1686)
Ruling house:House of HabsburgHouse of Bourbon
Who & why: Miguel López de Legazpi establishes the first permanent Spanish settlement at Cebu in 1565, and Manila becomes the colonial capital from 1571, governed for over two centuries as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain via the Manila galleon trade before passing to direct Madrid control after Mexican independence in 1821. Spanish rule Christianizes most of the archipelago and lasts 333 years, ending only when the Philippine Revolution and the Spanish-American War combine to end it in 1898.
What it represents: the red saltire Cross of Burgundy on white, the Spanish empire's own military and naval ensign flown across its colonial possessions, shown here on a red field as commonly used in the Philippines. The sources read do not cover Spanish-era flags: Flags of the World says it has no detailed Spanish-era flags, and Wikipedia mentions Spain only in the context of the 1896 revolt.
Not yet checked against sourceshow we know this
Wikipedia (Spanish East Indies; Captaincy General of the Philippines): the colony ran from 1565 to 1898/1901, governed from Manila, under New Spain until 1821 and then Madrid; neither article read has flag text. FOTW (Quezon): the triangle and stripes of the Philippine flag may trace to Spanish colonial navigational flags for the Philippines.
Not established: No source read describes the flag flown in the Spanish period, and the Cross of Burgundy is not mentioned by any of them; FOTW says it has no detailed Spanish-era flags. Next: a Spanish naval-history source (e.g. Museo Naval) on ensigns in Manila.
Paint guide
ProportionsNo fixed civil ratio recorded; shown at 3:2.
Red#CE1126
White#F4EFE1
placeholder — many independent polities, no shared banner
pre-1565
Pre-colonial polities
Fragmented politiesNo single ruler documentedAnimism / Islam (no unified religion)
Migration & conquest:Immigration: Chinese traders at coastal ports (pre-Hispanic)
Who & why: before Spanish arrival, the archipelago holds a patchwork of independent polities — the Hindu-Buddhist-influenced Rajahnate of Tondo near Manila Bay, Islamic sultanates such as Sulu and Maguindanao in the south, and numerous smaller barangay chiefdoms — connected by trade with China, other Southeast Asian kingdoms, and later Islamic traders, but never politically unified.
What it represents: no single flag can honestly represent this genuinely fragmented era; individual polities kept their own banners and none held archipelago-wide authority, so this entry is shown deliberately blank rather than inventing a false unifying symbol.
Placeholder imagehow we know this
This page's own caption calls the image a placeholder: «placeholder — many independent polities, no shared banner».
Not established: Whether a flag, banner or standard existed in this period was not checked. The colour shown is not evidence of one.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no single attested flag for this fragmented era.
Reading the tags
Fragmented polities — no single ruling power
Colonial (Spain) — direct Spanish rule
Republic, contested — sovereignty declared but not recognized
Colonial (US) — direct or autonomous US rule
Occupation (Japan) — wartime military rule
Republic, independent — sovereign and recognized
Leader — the named ruler most associated with the era's start
State religion — the official/established faith, not the population's
Find the records
Family history research for Philippines lives in a different project, Record Atlas, which maps which archive actually holds the paper for a given place and era.