Flag Act (Philippines)

Act 1696, or the Flag Law Act , (Philippine Commission Act № 1696, August 23, 1907) is an act of the Philippine Commission that outlawed the display of the Philippine flag or any flag against American rule, and Katipunan flags, banners, emblems, or devices in the American-controlled Philippine Islands.^[1]

On August 23, 1907, American community members held a meeting at the Manila Grand Opera House and passed a resolution urging the proscription of the Filipino flag. On September 6, 1907, the Philippine Commission passed Act No. 1696, commonly known as the Flag Act or Flag Law of 1907.^[2] Both the current national anthem, Lupang Hinirang, and the present-day Flag of the Philippines, would have been covered by this ban.^[3][4][5]

The Flag Act was repealed by the Philippine Legislature in October 1919.^[6]

References

1. Act No. 1696 (August 23, 1907), Flag Law of 1907, Official Gazette, retrieved July 24, 2024
2. Quirino, Jose A. (June 9, 1956). "How our flag flew again". Philippines Free Press. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
3. Pomeroy, William J. (1992). The Philippines: Colonialism, Collaboration, and Resistance. International Publishers Co. p. 10. ISBN 0-7178-0692-8. Retrieved January 26, 2008. In 1909 an entire band was sent to prison for playing the Philippine National Anthem at a festival in Quiapo, Manila.
4. Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (2005). The Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press. ISBN 9789715420976. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
5. Piedad-Pugay, Chris Antonette (September 5, 2012). "The Controversial Philippine National Flag". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
6. "Act No. 2871, s. 1919". Official Gazette of the Philippine Government. October 22, 1919.