Eufemio O. Agbayani III
Historic Sites Development Officer II
As the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Philippine independence draws near, it is worth looking back at some of the historic flags that showed our pride as an independent and sovereign nation.
One of these flags have a rather unique history. Instead of being waved on the battle field or displayed in the offices of the First Republic, the Williams-Dubois flag was given as a token from an independent sovereign nation to another.
Williams-Dubois Flag
NHCP MUSEO NI EMILIO AGUINALDO
How The Flag Got Home
On 5 October 1990, a lady in her sixties from Rochester, New York approached the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. carrying an unlikely gift: a Flag of the Philippines made of silk. Its sun was gold with a red-orange hue and its rays were more than the usual eight. Like the rays, its five-pointed stars are also embroidered.
The historic flag entered the collection of the Museo ni Emilio Aguinaldo in 1991. It joined a roster of illustrious historic flags such as the flag of the Katipunan owned personally by Aguinaldo and the flag of Luciano San Miguel which had an iconic large and white inscription, “¡¡¡Viva la Republica Filipina Viva!!!”
National Historical Institute Chairman Serafin Quiason holds the Williams-Dubois Flag after it was presented by representatives of the Filipino diplomatic corps, 1991
NHCP SERAFIN QUIASON RESOURCE CENTER
Arabelle’s Grandfather
The donor was Arabelle Williams Dubois, a granddaughter of Oscar F. Williams who was United States Consul to Manila from 1897 to 1899. He befriended Aguinaldo, believing that supporting him would make it easier for the United States to take possession of the Philippines by weakening Spain.
Arabelle Williams DuBois
LEGACY.COM
Oscar F. Williams
FRIENDS OF MT. HOPE CEMETERY
Although Williams had not made a commitment that the United States would recognize Philippine independence, Aguinaldo let him stay in Cavite where he had begun sending reports since 12 May 1898. In turn, he used his powers as a Consul to assist Aguinaldo. For example, on 24 May 1898 he executed a power of attorney from Aguinaldo which authorized two representatives to pay for 300,000 weapons.
Williams later moved to Manila and stayed there until December 1899 when he was recalled. By then, the Americans had firmly established its presence in the city and was on its way to conquering the rest of the archipelago—thus making the position of a U.S. Consul in Manila redundant.
Flags and Diplomacy
It is not a remote possibility that Dubois’ grandfather received the flag as a token of friendship. After all, Aguinaldo sent one to Edward Spencer Pratt, United States Consul to Singapore, on 8 August 1898. Pratt earlier gave an American flag to Isidoro de Santos, a leader of the Filipino community in Singapore, during a toast for him on 8 June 1898. Appreciating the gesture, Santos waved it enthusiastically in front of the assembly. He had good reason to celebrate Pratt’s gesture, as he wore a ‘Liga Filipina’ badge personally given to him by Aguinaldo in a previous visit.
It is also worth mentioning that the Philippine flag sent in August 1898 to Pratt was not just any flag. It was chosen from two options offered by Apolinario Mabini who was serving as Aguinaldo’s chief adviser.
Therefore, the National Flag had not only became a rallying point in the battlefield and a sign of pride in government offices and homes. It had also become a token of friendship and an object with which the young Filipino nation called the world’s attention.
Mariano Ponce, acting as diplomat of the Philippines to Japan, also gave tokens with designs inspired by the National Flag. He sent a scarf pin to Mr. Y. Fukushima on 21 February 1899 and a hat embroidered with a flag to Ferdinand Blumentritt on 1 March 1900.
Meanwhile in Europe, Juan Luna gave known scholar Ferdinand Blumentritt a watercolor sketch on 21 May 1899. Luna together with Felipe Agoncillo, deemed by many as the first Filipino diplomat, had visited him in Litoměřice (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), hoping to raise awareness in Central Europe of the ongoing Filipino struggle to defend independence. The artwork later became iconic as it showed the flag flying victoriously in the wind. If one squints hard enough at the bottom of the watercolor, there is smoke and a United States flag in the distance.
Luna’s sketch was among the reference images that the National Historical Institute (now National Historical Commission of the Philippines) used to designate royal blue as the official shade of blue on our National Flags today.
Souvenir de 1899, also known as Bandera Filipina
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES
(Re)Gifts to the Nation
Like the Williams-Dubois flag, the Souvenir de Filipinas watercolor sketch was donated to the Filipino people by descendants of its recipient. It entered the collection of the National Library of the Philippines and is currently on display at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila.
These foreigners made the good choice: rather than allow these symbols of Philippine independence and nationhood to remain in obscurity within their attics, they decided to share the objects with people who would appreciate them most.
Arabelle Dubois passed away on 28 May 2014, 116 years after the first specimen of the National Flag she donated was happily unfurled by Emilio Aguinaldo in front of his fellow Filipinos, Spanish prisoners-of-war and American soldiers stationed in Cavite City.
References
Aguinaldo, Emilio. Letter to Consul E. Spencer Pratt, 8 August 1898. In J.R.M. Taylor, ed. The Philippine Insurrection Against the United States. Pasay City: Eugenio Lopez Foundation, 1971. 301-302.
“Arabelle Dubois Obituary.” Legacy.com, 30 May 2014. Accessed on 1 May 2023. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/democratandchronicle/name/arabelle-dubois-obituary?id=9924503.
“Arabelle Williams DuBois July 14, 1925 – May 28, 2014.” Anthony Funeral & Cremation Chapels, c. 2014. Accessed on 1 May 2023. https://www.anthonychapels.com/obituaries/Arabelle-Williams-DuBois?obId=8396498.
“Mr. Spencer Pratt and the Philippinos of Singapore.” The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly), 16 June 1898. Copy retrieved online from the National Library Board of Singapore.
Ocampo, Ambeth R. “Learning history from primary sources.” Inquirer.net, 3 June 2020. Accessed on 1 May 2023. https://opinion.inquirer.net/130414/learning-history-from-primary-sources.
“Oscar F. Williams (1843-1909).” The Friends of Mt. Hope Cemetery 9(2), Spring 1989. 2-3.
Paraiso, Bryan Anthony C. “The flag of our fathers and mothers.” Inquirer.net. 13 June 2012. Accessed on 1 May 2023. https://opinion.inquirer.net/30573/the-flag-of-our-fathers-and-mothers.
Ponce, Mariano. Cartas sobre la revolucion, 1897-1900. Manila: Bureau of Printing, 1932.
Quirino, Carlos, ed. The Letters of Apolinario Mabini. Manila: National Historical Institute, 1965.
Tomas, Jindřich. José Rizal, Ferdinand Blumentritt and the Philippines in the New Age. Litoměřice: The City of Litoměřice, 1998.