Adopted in 1898. The flag of the Philippines has two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red. A white equilateral triangle is based on the hoist side. The center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays. Each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star. Blue stands for peace and justice, red symbolizes courage, the white equal-sided triangle represents equality. The rays recall the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain, while the stars represent the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag dates to 1897. (ref: CIA World Factbook) History; Independence: 1946, former self-governing commonwealth (1935) of the United States. The United States gained control in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. Spain had previously controlled the Philippine Islands since the16th century.