Seal of the President of the Philippines
The Seal of the President of the Philippines is a symbol used to represent and authenticate documents coming from the president of the Philippines. It was designed by artist Galo Ocampo, and patterned after the Seal of the President of the United States. Its first use was by President Manuel Roxas in 1947.
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Description and Symbolism
The seal is composed of the coat-of-arms of the President of the Philippines surrounded by an outer rim with the words "Sagisag ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas" ("Seal of the President of the Philippines"). The bottom of the outer rim is marked with three yellow stars which represent Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the three geographical island groups of the country.
A blue circle serves as the shield in the center of the seal. Lining the blue field is a circle of stars equal to the number of provinces in the country (as the number of provinces increases, the number of stars must be updates).
At the center of the blue field is the eight-rayed Philippine Sun. 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 a red triangle, which represents liberty, equality, and fraternity (the ideals of the Philippine revolution). Three yellow stars punctuate the corners of the triangle, again representing the country's three geographical island groups.
At the center of the seal there is a sealion, adopted from the Manila coat-of-arms. It has the arms, head, and upper body of a lion, and the tail of a sea creature. The sea lion on the Manila coat-of-arms was adopted from the coat-of-arms of the Spanish kingdoms of Castile and Leon. Because the Philippines was an overseas colony, the lion became a sealion.
History
The seal was first used by President Manuel Roxas in 1947. It was patterned after the Seal of the President of the United States, and designed by artist Galo Ocampo, who also designed the Coat of Arms of the Philippines.
During the term of President Elpidio Quirino, the American presidential seal was modified to include a ring of stars that represented the states of the union. Quirino similarly modified the Philippine presidential seal to include a ring of stars representing the provinces of the Philippines (fifty-two at the time).
During the administration of President Joseph Estrada, the seal was further modified to feature 72 stars, reflecting the increase in the number of provinces.
Related topics
- President of the Philippines
- Coat of Arms of the Philippines
- Flag of the Philippines
- Seal of the President of the United States