ILOILO CITY — More than a century after it fluttered in defiance against colonial rule, a 127-year-old Philippine flag that once led the march of freedom in Antique is finally coming home.
The historic banner, once carried by the forces of 2Lt. Ruperto Abellon, will soon be turned over by his descendants to the Provincial Government of Antique, marking a symbolic reunion between the province and one of its most cherished relics of revolution.
Local historian Errol Santillan said Abellon’s family — whose lineage now spans continents — has agreed to donate the flag so it can be enshrined as a provincial treasure.
“We are fixing the date for the formal turnover of the flag that will become part of Antique’s living history,” Santillan said.
Abellon served as second-in-command under Gen. Leandro Fullon, the Visayan general who led the expeditionary forces sent by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo to liberate Antique from Spanish rule in 1898.
When the group landed in Pandan and raised the flag in Libertad on 21 September 1898, its folds caught not just the wind—but the birth of a nation. Measuring 53 by 93 inches, the flag became a silent witness to the Visayas’ fiery stand for independence.
Now, that same flag is set to return home under the care of the Antique provincial government. A memorandum of agreement is being finalized by the Provincial Legal Office to ensure its preservation, with plans to display it at the old Antique capitol building for public viewing.
Abellon’s great-grandson, who flew in from Australia, personally coordinated the turnover preparations — a gesture that bridges past and present across generations and oceans.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan is also crafting a resolution declaring the flag as a historical and cultural treasure, securing its place in the province’s identity.
For Antiqueños, the flag’s return is more than a ceremony. It is a homecoming — a reminder that freedom, once fought for on their soil, still lives in its people’s memory.