The roof of the first Philippine houses, nipa huts, or bahay kubo, were high pitched and usually open gabled to allow for ventilation. The steeply sloping pitch also protected from the wind and rain in the typhoon season. The roof also provided wide overhang eaves, to provide shade from the hot sun.
The flower called Sampaguita (Jasmine variety) was adopted as the National Flower of Philippines in 1934. It also happens to be the National Flower of Indonesia.
The National Bird of the Philippines is the Philippine Eagle (also known as the monkey eating eagle). The Philippine Eagle is a giant forest raptor endemic to the Philippines. It is considered one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the world's rarest and certainly among its most critically endangered vertebrate species.
At present, the Philippine Eagle is one of the most endangered birds of the planet, with only about 500 birds in the wild.
The carabao (kalabaw in Filipino) is a domesticated type of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis or sometimes bubalus carabanesis) used in the Philippines. Carabaos are highly associated with farmers, being the farm animal of choice for pulling the plow and cart used to haul farm produce to the market.
The large and shady Narra Tree is the national tree of Philippines. The Narra trees grow all over the islands and are abundant in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests.
The Barong Tagalog exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the ornamental restraint of European men's clothing.
The barong appears to have retained its essential look since it was first worn. Through the years, almost imperceptibly, the barong's round neck, straight long sleeves and mid-thigh hemline were ingeniously modified with collar, cuffs and side slits.
Maria Clara, the name of the mestiza heroine of martyr Dr. Jose Rizal's 1890 novel, Noli Me Tangere, is the eponym for the resplendent Filipino costume in vogue at the turn of the century. The appellation is apropós for the ensemble, like the heroine, is delicate and feminine but clearly self-assured in terms of its projected sense of identity. It is, in fact, the only national costume that carries a literary name, and for this reason calls the attention to the apparel's subtle nationalist aesthitics.
- 123independenceday.dgreetings.com