12.3 National Symbols, Geography, and Landmarks

Why Symbols and Geography Matter for the PUPCET

Symbol and geography items are pure-memory questions — a symbol's name, a record-holder, a flag rule — and they appear on the PUPCET every year. Because they cannot be figured out on test day (unlike math), they must be memorized beforehand. The tables in this section contain nearly everything exam writers draw from.

Republic Act No. 8491: The Flag and Heraldic Code

Republic Act No. 8491 (1998), the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, governs the national flag, the anthem Lupang Hinirang, the national motto, and the coat of arms, and prescribes how each must be treated.

The national motto is Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa — For God, People, Nature, and Country. The anthem was composed in 1898 by Julian Felipe as the Marcha Nacional Filipina; its lyrics came from Jose Palma's 1899 poem Filipinas. Under RA 8491, the anthem must be sung in Filipino with fervor, and during its playing everyone must stand at attention with the right palm placed over the left chest. Vehicles must stop while it is played outdoors.

The Flag and Its Symbolism

The national flag has a white equilateral triangle at the hoist, a blue stripe above, and a red stripe below, with a golden sun and three golden stars inside the triangle.

Basic flag protocol from RA 8491:

• In peacetime the blue stripe is on top; flying the flag with red on top signals that the nation is in a state of war.
• The flag is flown from sunrise to sunset; it may fly at night only if properly illuminated.
• It must never touch the ground and must not be used as a drapery, covering, tablecloth, or costume.
• It is flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning.
• National Flag Day is observed from May 28 to June 12, when homes and establishments are encouraged to display the flag.
• Worn-out flags are not thrown away; they are solemnly burned to avoid desecration.

Proclaimed National Symbols

Beyond RA 8491, many national symbols were proclaimed at different times. Exam writers love this table, so memorize it column by column.

One important nuance: no law officially names a single national hero. Dr. Jose Rizal is honored as the national hero by long tradition and official practice, while Bonifacio and others are venerated alongside him. If a PUPCET item asks for the national hero, the expected answer is Rizal — but understand that his status rests on veneration rather than a specific statute.

Geography: The Lay of the Land

The Philippines is an archipelago of about 7,641 islands — the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) updated the long-taught figure of 7,107 in 2016. Only about 2,000 of these islands are inhabited. They form three great groups:

• Luzon — the largest and northernmost group; site of Manila, the national capital.
• Visayas — the central island cluster, including Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar.
• Mindanao — the large southern group; site of Davao City and the Bangsamoro region.

Administratively, the country is divided into regions. For decades there were 17, including the National Capital Region (NCR) — Metropolitan Manila — and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), created in 2019 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (RA 11054) to replace the older ARMM. In 2024, the Negros Island Region (NIR) was re-established, bringing the count to 18. Regions you should recognize on sight: Ilocos (I), Cagayan Valley (II), Central Luzon (III), CALABARZON (IV-A), MIMAROPA, Bicol (V), Western Visayas (VI), Central Visayas (VII), Eastern Visayas (VIII), Zamboanga Peninsula (IX), Northern Mindanao (X), Davao (XI), SOCCSKSARGEN (XII), Caraga (XIII), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Philippine Geographic Records

Climate and hazards: the country lies in the Pacific typhoon belt and on the Ring of Fire, so it averages about 20 tropical cyclones a year and hosts around two dozen active volcanoes. Mayon Volcano in Albay is world-famous for its near-perfect cone, and the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo was one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century.

Major Landmarks

• Rizal Park (Luneta), Manila — where Jose Rizal was executed; site of his monument and the kilometer-zero marker for Philippine roads.
• Intramuros, Manila — the Spanish-era walled city; within it stands Fort Santiago, where Rizal was imprisoned.
• Banaue Rice Terraces, Ifugao — a UNESCO World Heritage Site, carved into the mountains over 2,000 years ago and often called the Eighth Wonder of the World.
• Vigan, Ilocos Sur — a UNESCO-listed town preserving Spanish colonial architecture along Calle Crisologo.
• Chocolate Hills, Bohol — more than a thousand grass-covered mounds that turn chocolate-brown in the dry season.
• Taal Volcano, Batangas — a volcano on an island within a lake, among the country's smallest and most active volcanoes.
• Tubbataha Reefs, Sulu Sea — a UNESCO-listed marine park and world-class dive site.
• Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) — the country's longest bridge (about 8.9 kilometers), opened in April 2022, linking Cebu City to Cordova on Mactan Island.
• San Juanico Bridge — the country's second-longest bridge (about 2.16 kilometers), opened in 1973 during the Marcos era, linking Leyte and Samar; for decades it was the longest bridge spanning a body of seawater in the Philippines.
• Corregidor Island — the fortress island at the mouth of Manila Bay, a key World War II battleground.

City facts worth memorizing: Manila is the capital; Quezon City is the most populous city; Davao City is the largest city in land area; Cebu City is the oldest city in the country.

Common Traps and Exam Tips

• The national flower is the sampaguita — Jasminum sambac. Simply jasmine is imprecise.
• The national bird is the Philippine eagle (haribon), not the maya; the maya was once informally called the national bird, a favorite trap.
• Arnis — not basketball or sipa — is the officially declared national sport and martial art under RA 9850.
• Longest river = Cagayan; longest bridge = Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), with San Juanico now second; highest peak = Apo. Exam writers shuffle these categories — and often still offer the outdated San Juanico-as-longest claim — so attach each record to its category.
• The flag with red on top means a state of war — the single most-asked flag fact.
• For the island count, both 7,107 (classic) and 7,641 (updated) appear in reviewers; if both are offered, choose the updated NAMRIA figure.