ANTIQUE — In a momentous ceremony that bridged more than a century of heritage, the family of Colonel Ruperto Abellon formally turned over the 1898 Philippine Revolutionary Flag to the Province of Antique on Sunday, October 27, marking the end of 127 years of family guardianship and the beginning of official provincial custodianship.
The historic turnover, titled “Pagtugyan — The Sacred Transfer of Antique’s Revolutionary Legacy,” was held at the Patnongon Municipal Covered Court and Casa Tribunal de Patnongon, the birthplace of Col. Abellon — one of the key figures who helped establish the First Philippine Republic’s presence in the Visayas.
According to research by former Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Errol Santillan, who traced the flag’s lineage, General Leandro Fullon and Colonel Ruperto Abellon Sr. brought the same revolutionary banner from Luzon to Panay on September 21, 1898, after Aguinaldo’s declaration of independence in Cavite. Fullon later entrusted the flag to Abellon “for safekeeping during the Philippine Revolution,” beginning the Abellon family’s generational stewardship.
Speaking for the family during the ceremony, Danny Abellon-Elizalde said they had guarded the flag “not as owners, but as humble stewards of a legacy far greater than ourselves.”
“For 127 years, our family carried the responsibility of guarding this revolutionary flag. We believed it belonged not to one of us in the family, but to the entire people of Antique,” he said.
Abellon-Elizalde added that their family now feels a “sense of fulfillment” as the province assumes legal custodianship through legislation, saying,
“From our family to yours, to all of you, we entrust this revolutionary flag — the flag of Antique — to the care of the province with faith in our hearts that it will be honored for generations to come.”
The turnover was made official through Ordinance No. 2025–429, authored by SP Member Vincent H. Piccio III and co-sponsored by SP Member Dante Beriong, which institutionalized the flag’s preservation program and provided funds for its conservation. A companion Resolution No. 606-2025(1) authorized Governor Paolo Everardo S. Javier to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Abellon-Elizalde as the heritage custodian.
Accepting the flag on behalf of the provincial government, Gov. Javier said it was an honor to be entrusted with such a significant piece of the nation’s history.
“As we pay tribute to this revolutionary legacy, it is an honor for me, as your governor, to accept this from the family of the much-respected Ruperto Abellon. This flag symbolizes equality, purity, and the Filipino spirit that revolted against Spanish rule,” he said.
The governor pledged to protect and preserve the flag, vowing, “We pledge to keep and treasure this legacy as sacredly as we can. I solemnly swear to recognize this legacy and defend this flag until the last drop of my blood.”
The event was witnessed by Maj. Gen. Michael G. Samson of the Philippine Army, Vice Governor Genevive Lim-Reyes, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, municipal mayors, and representatives from the PNP, PCG, BFP, PAF, and local civic and cultural sectors.
With the “Pagtugyan” ceremony completed, the 1898 Philippine Revolutionary Flag — once carried ashore by General Fullon and safeguarded for more than a century by a single family — now rests in the hands of the Antiqueño people, restored to its rightful place as a symbol of freedom, unity, and enduring heritage./PN
