Seal of the President of the Philippines
Encyclopedia
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
. Its was first used by President Manuel Roxas
in 1947.
The Seal of the President of the Philippines shall consist of the Coat-Of-Arms of the President of the Philippines, and a white
circle around the Coat-of-Arms enclosed by two (2) golden-yellow marginal rings. The white circle shall contain the words SAGISAG NG PANGULO NG PILIPINAS ("Seal of the President of the Philippines") in black letters on the upper arc, the lower arc divided by three (3) five-pointed golden-yellow stars.
The Philippine sun used in the coat-of-arms is adopted from the national flag
, the eight rays represent the eight provinces placed under martial law
at the onset of the revolution against Spain. On the sun there is an equilateral triangle, representing liberty, equality, and fraternity, which were the ideals of the Philippine revolution
. The stars at the corners of the triangle
represent Luzon
, Visayas
and Mindanao
, the three geographical island groups of the country.
At the center of the coat-of-arms is a sea lion, which is adopted from the coat-of-arms of the city of Manila
. It has the arms, head, and upper body of a lion, and the tail of a sea creature. The sea lion on the coat-of-arms was adopted from the coat-of-arms of the Spanish kingdoms of Castile
and León
and was granted in 1596. Because the Philippines was an overseas (Ultramar) colony, the lion became a sea lion.
in 1947. It was patterned after the Seal of the President of the United States
which in turn was patterned after the Great Seal of the United States
, and designed by Captain Galo B. Ocampo of the Philippine Heraldry Committee, who also designed the Coat of arms of the Philippines
. The seal was officially prescribed on January 7, 1947, when Executive Order No. 38 of 1947 was signed into law. It prescribed the seal as:
On July 4, 1951, President Elpidio Quirino
, signed Executive Order No. 457 into law prescribing that:
At the time of signing, the Philippines had 52 provinces.
On August 27, 1998, President Joseph Estrada
signed Executive Order No. 19, amending Executive Orders No. 38 of 1947, as amended, in view of the fact that since July 4, the number of provinces has increased to 78 and that there is a need to continuously change the number of stars in the amulet to match the number of provinces in the country at a given time.
After Estrada's Executive Order came into law, Roxas's Executive Order read:
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. 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
Seal of the President of the United States
The Seal of the President of the United States is used to mark correspondence from the U.S. president to the United States Congress, and is also used as a symbol of the presidency. The central design, based on the Great Seal of the United States, is the official coat of arms of the U.S...
. Its was first used by President Manuel Roxas
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948...
in 1947.
Description and Symbolism
The seal is composed of the coat-of-arms of the President, which, according to Executive Order No. 310 of 2004 consists of:The Seal of the President of the Philippines shall consist of the Coat-Of-Arms of the President of the Philippines, and a white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
circle around the Coat-of-Arms enclosed by two (2) golden-yellow marginal rings. The white circle shall contain the words SAGISAG NG PANGULO NG PILIPINAS ("Seal of the President of the Philippines") in black letters on the upper arc, the lower arc divided by three (3) five-pointed golden-yellow stars.
The Philippine sun used in the coat-of-arms is adopted from the national flag
Flag of the Philippines
The national flag of the Philippines is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, which represent...
, the eight rays represent the eight provinces placed under martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
at the onset of the revolution against Spain. On the sun there is an equilateral triangle, representing liberty, equality, and fraternity, which were the ideals of the Philippine revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
. The stars at the corners of the triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
represent Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, the three geographical island groups of the country.
At the center of the coat-of-arms is a sea lion, which is adopted from the coat-of-arms of the city of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. It has the arms, head, and upper body of a lion, and the tail of a sea creature. The sea lion on the coat-of-arms was adopted from the coat-of-arms of the Spanish kingdoms of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
and was granted in 1596. Because the Philippines was an overseas (Ultramar) colony, the lion became a sea lion.
History
The seal was first used by President Manuel RoxasManuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948...
in 1947. It was patterned after the Seal of the President of the United States
Seal of the President of the United States
The Seal of the President of the United States is used to mark correspondence from the U.S. president to the United States Congress, and is also used as a symbol of the presidency. The central design, based on the Great Seal of the United States, is the official coat of arms of the U.S...
which in turn was patterned after the Great Seal of the United States
Great Seal of the United States
The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself , and more generally for the design impressed upon it...
, and designed by Captain Galo B. Ocampo of the Philippine Heraldry Committee, who also designed the Coat of arms of the Philippines
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 during the Philippine Revolution, and the three five-pointed stars representing the three primary...
. The seal was officially prescribed on January 7, 1947, when Executive Order No. 38 of 1947 was signed into law. It prescribed the seal as:
On July 4, 1951, President Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Rivera Quirino was a Filipino politician, and the sixth President of the Philippines.A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 1925–1931...
, signed Executive Order No. 457 into law prescribing that:
At the time of signing, the Philippines had 52 provinces.
On August 27, 1998, President Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
signed Executive Order No. 19, amending Executive Orders No. 38 of 1947, as amended, in view of the fact that since July 4, the number of provinces has increased to 78 and that there is a need to continuously change the number of stars in the amulet to match the number of provinces in the country at a given time.
After Estrada's Executive Order came into law, Roxas's Executive Order read:
See also
- President of the PhilippinesPresident of the PhilippinesThe President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
- Seal of the Vice President of the PhilippinesSeal of the Vice President of the PhilippinesThe 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...
- Coat of arms of the PhilippinesCoat of arms of the PhilippinesThe 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 during the Philippine Revolution, and the three five-pointed stars representing the three primary...
- Flag of the President of the PhilippinesFlag of the President of the PhilippinesThe Flag of the President 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...
- Flag of the PhilippinesFlag of the PhilippinesThe national flag of the Philippines is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, which represent...