The Star Entangled Banner: Commemorating 100 Years of Philippine (In)Dependence and Philippine-American Relations

Abstract

The Star Entangled Banner: Commemorating 100 Years of Philippine (In)dependence and Philippine-American Relations 1 Sharon Delmendo (bio) Figures “Thy friendship oft has made my heart to ache. Do be my enemy—for friendship’s sake.” (Adrian Cristobal, “Phil-Am Friendship Day?” June 27, 1996) 2 Commemorating the Philippine Centennial(s) Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. Centennial Logo. The official logo of the Philippine Centennial. The border of the logo is gold. The interior of the logo uses the colors of the Philippine flag: gold, red, blue, and white. A ribbon of red and blue intertwine to form “100.” Gold motifs complete symbolism from the Philippine flag: the three gold stars refer to the three geographical divisions of the Philippines: the North (main island, Luzon), the Visayas (the middle group of islands, and the South (main island, Mindanao). The gold sun rising over the “100” is the sun portrayed on the Philippine flag (whose eight rays refer to the eight provinces which originally participated in the Philippine Revolution against Spain). The Centennial logo’s motto, “Kalayaan Kayamanan ng Bayan” translates roughly to “Freedom is the wealth/treasure of the nation.” Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 2. 5-peso bill illustration. Emilio Aguinaldo’s Declaration of Philippine Independence, June 12, 1989. Aguinaldo flies the new Philippine flag for the first time from the porch of his house in Kawit. The new national anthem was played for the first time on this date. By permission of the Banko Sentral. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 3. Rene Aranda’s Aguinaldo/Declaration of Independence cartoon, June 12, 1996 Philippine Star. A spoof of Aguinaldo’s Declaration of Philippine Independence. Aguinaldo waves the Philippine flag from a window while crowds cheer below. Note one significant difference in this depiction of June 12, 1898: Aranda inserted the flag of the Katipunan roughly in the middle of the crowd. The addition of the Katipunan flag is particularly significant because a schism developed within the Katipunan: the Malolos faction was headed by elitist representative Aguinaldo. The Magdiwang faction was headed by Andres Bonifacio, “The Great Plebian.” Aguinaldo’s group accused Bonifacio of sedition and executed him in 1897. Thus the addition of the Katipunan flag reminds the reader of the schism within Philippine revolutionary/nationalist leadership as well as the Philippine-American War. In the foreground of the cartoon, Uncle Sam replaces the sign of Spanish colonial control (“Islas Filipinas”) with the American sign “Philippine Islands.” Thus the main point of the cartoon is the U.S.’ interruption and repression of the Philippine Revolution (and so looks toward the 1998 rather than 1996 centennial). By permission of Rene Aranda, Philippine Star. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 4. Liberty/Filipinas Program Cover. The cover illustration from the July 4, 1946 Independence Ceremony. This illustration was reprinted as one cover of the July 4, 1996 commemorative program. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 5. Philippine/American Flags Program Cover. Photograph from the July 4, 1946 Independence Ceremony: the flag ceremony. This photograph is often shown in Philippine history textbooks. A colorized version of this photograph formed the reverse cover of the July 4, 1996 commemorative program. Note that although the Philippine flag is shown ascendant, the American flag appears larger and is centered in the photograph. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 6. Fil-Am Friendship Day Logo. The official logo of Philippine-American Friendship Day, July 4, 1996. The imagery of the entwined Philippine and American flags was ironically manifested in the “Star Entangled Banner” during the re-enactment of the “Turn-Over” Ceremony. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 7. Star-Entangled Banner. Front page photograph of the “Star Entangled Banner,” The Manila Times, July 5, 1996. The photograph’s caption reads, “Uncannily reflecting Philippine-US relations, the flags of both countries fly separately but nevertheless get in a bind in yesterday’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Philippine independence from American colonial rule at Quirino Grandstand in Manila.” By permission of the Manila Times. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 8. Norman Isaac, Philippine...