National symbols of the Philippines

The national symbols of the Philippines consist of symbols that represent Philippine traditions and ideals and convey the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity of the Filipino people. Some of these symbols are stated in the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, which is also known as Republic Act 8491. The national language of the Philippines is Filipino as stated in the Constitution of the Philippines. Aside from those stated symbols in the Constitution and in Republic Act 8491, there are only five official national symbols of the Philippines enacted through law, namely sampaguita as national flower, narra as national tree, the Philippine eagle as national bird, Philippine pearl as national gem and arnis as national martial art and sport.

There are symbols such as the carabao (national animal), mango (national fruit) and anahaw (national leaf) that are widely known as national symbols but have no laws recognizing them as official national symbols. Even Jose Rizal, who is widely considered as a national hero, has not been declared officially as a national hero in any existing Philippine law according to historical experts. Although in 2003, Benigno Aquino, Jr. was officially declared by the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a national hero by an executive order. A National Artist of the Philippines is a rank or a title given to a Filipino citizen in recognition to the recipient's contributions to Philippine arts and letters and they are not considered as a national symbol that represents traditions and ideals.

On 17 February 2014, Bohol First District Representative Rene Relampagos filed a bill at the Philippine House of Representatives that sought to declare or re-declare and to recognize a number of national symbols. The proposed bill, House Bill 3926 or the "Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014", aims also to encourage nationalism and unity; to guarantee respect, preservation and promotion of national symbols; and to correct the "unofficial" status of the symbols. Among the proposed national symbols listed in the measure are Jose Rizal as the only historical Filipino to be recognized as national hero, adobo as national food and jeepney as national vehicle. It also includes the previous ten official national symbols. The bill is still pending to become a law and once the bill turned into law, all the symbols stated in the bill would be official national symbols of the Philippines.

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