Coat of arms of the Philippines

Coat of arms of the Philippines
Details

The coat of arms of the Philippines was completed by a law dated July 2, 1946. The basic colors, sun and stars come from the flag of the Philippines . The eight-pointed sun in the high oval stands for the eight provinces of Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac as well as the independence of the country. The three five-pointed stars represent the three main geographic regions of Luzon , Visayas , and Mindanao . The lion commemorates Spanish rule from 1596 to 1898, while the eagle with the three arrows and the olive branch together in both claws commemorates the rule of the United States from 1898 to 1946. Often (as is the case here) the eagle is mistakenly depicted as on the obverse of the United States seal , with the olive branch in one muzzle and arrows in the other. The writing REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS has been on the tape below the coat of arms since 1986 .