How to Fold the National Flag of the Philippines

In accord with its stated purpose of insuring that its national flag is accorded "reverence and respect...at all times," Philippine national law specifies exactly how one must display and handle the flag. While the law does not describe the actual technique of flag folding, it does specify that the flags be handled and folded "solemnly." The technique in common use, paralleling U.S. tradition, is a legacy of the Philippines' history as a US possession for nearly fifty years.

Things You'll Need

• Proper flag folding requires at least two people, one person to fold the flag while the other person holds it taut.

Instructions

The Steps

1. Hold the flag at each of its four corners and pull it taut. The folder holds the corners at the end with the blue and red fields.

2. Fold the flag in half, lengthwise, with the red field covering the blue field. Pull it taut again making sure the open side's edges are flush with one another.

3. Fold it in half again, the closed side over the open side, again maintaining the flattening tension and parallel, flush edges on the open side. The blue field should now be displayed face up.

4. Take the closed side's blue field corner and fold it over the open side such that what was the bottom edge is now parallel and flush with the open side forming a right triangle (a triangle with a ninety-degree angle).

5. At the right angle, fold the flag again such that a new right triangle is formed, still keeping the open edges parallel.

6. Fold the right-angled corner of the new triangle over such that it forms a new right triangle with what had been the bottom edge now flush with the side of the flag below it.

7. Continue this sequence of folds creating right triangles until the flag is completely folded into a right triangular bundle. The white field and yellow sun should now predominate in the visible areas of the flag.

Tips & Warnings

• The stiffer the flag is held, the easier it is to create clean, crisp folds.

• The flag must never touch anything below it such as the ground or standing water. The instructions above assume a peacetime flag folding with a hoisted flag having its blue field on top (and on the right side of a draped casket). In time of war, the flag's red field is flown and displayed at the top (and would have the red field over the casket's right side). Thus, the folding of a wartime flag would have the blue field being folded over the red to begin the process. While Philippine flag folding is derived from U.S. tradition, note that in folding a Philippine flag that has draped a casket, the folding begins on the opposite side to that of the U.S. flag. This is because the top of the U.S. flag goes over the left shoulder of the deceased while the top of the peacetime Philippine flag goes over the right.

References

• Republic Act No. 8491 - Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines
• Video of President Corazon Aquino's Funeral

Resources

• U.S. Flag Folding Tradition