Philippine official heraldry

[V Beswick-Escanlar]

Philippine official heraldry is overseen by the National Historical Commission. While they register the blazon of officials seals and devices, the actual design is generally left up to the offices or agencies themselves. This is by design: to ensure that the designs are "a manifestation of the ideas and ideals of the offices or the people concerned... [they] encouraged all concerned to submit the designs of their coat of arms, limiting the work of the Heraldry Committee to putting in correct heraldic phraseology the designs submitted" (Symbols of the State).

The result is that official heraldry is a mix of some historic Spanish grants that could be considered heraldically correct in that tradition, but mainly more recent designs that reflect a more "local" style, such as landscapes, composite artwork or references to individual politicians in power when the design was revised:

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(from http://malacanang.gov.ph/75853-the-anci ... ilippines/)

Lubao.jpg

(from Trajano Dagala on the Philippine Heraldry and Vexillology Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/Philipp ... 968279726/

There is also law promoting the inclusion of pre-colonial script, Baybayin, in seals and other government logos, to promote national heritage:

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(from he Baybayin scripts in our government seals https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture ... seals.html

The best reference is the 1970s book Symbols of the State, which includes a history of official heraldry in the country, and a collection of official seals, arms and flags originally recorded by the Heraldry Committee.