127-year-old Philippine flag found in Antique
MANILA, Philippines — A 127-year-old Philippine flag was found by local historian Errol Santillan in Antique.
Santillan told government media outlet the Philippine News Agency that he's contacted the National Historical Commission of the Philippines for the flag to be declared a national treasure.
"We also intend to seek a resolution from the Antique provincial board so it can be declared as an important historical and cultural heritage and be preserved," Santillan added, himself a former board member.
According to Santillan, the flag — 53 inches in width and 93 inches in length, with fading colors — was found under the care of the family of 2nd Lieutenant Ruperto Abellon.
The lieutenant was the second-in-command in Visayas under General Leandro Fullon during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-United States War.
Fullon led the armed expedition by then-General Emilio Aguinaldo from Luzon to free Antique from Spanish regime in 1898, the year the Philippine declared indepedence.
"The flag was brought and hoisted in Libertad, Antique, as part of the armed expedition in 1898," Santillan said.
Abellon's 79-year-old granddaughter recalled the flag may have come from Hong Kong and was brought by Aguinaldo when he returned to the Philippines in May that year, several months before the Luzon reclamation attempt.
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