Headquarters

Driving around the other day, I came across the headquarters of the Philippine Army, in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. I never knew what the Army's insignia meant, and a little research reveals what the yellow, red, white and green colors symbolize: Within the shield is a red triangle with three stars, representing the Philippines' three major islands: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At the center of the triangle is eight-rayed sun, which stands for the eight provinces that revolted against Spanish colonial rule. This emblem is bordered by the color white, which signifies the Army's mission of securing peace. The emblem is also the historic coat-of-arm of the Philippine Revolutionary Army of 1897. You can't see it here, but at the center of the sun is an ancient Filipino script representing the letter "K," which stands for the Katipunan Army raised by Andres Bonifacio, a hero during the fight for Philippine Independence (where the name Fort Bonifacio comes from, incidentally). It all rests on a green patch, symbolic of the country's verdant lands.

You may notice the small plane behind the structure also. It is because the headquarters is near Villamor Air Base, where the Philippine Air Force sits and in which the Terminal III of Manila's domestic and international airport is also located.