Fernando Amorsolo's "Palay Maiden" (Ayala Museum Collection) was painted in 1920. Look beyond the beauty of the painting and its subject, pay attention to her red skirt, white blouse, and blue head scarf. Then, focus on the golden, freshly harvested rice in her arms. All these elements together prefigure the Philippine flag.Long before Ferdinand Marcos and KBL appropriated red, white, and blue as their political colors, these were largely neutral colors first associated with the U.S. Stars and Stripes, then the Philippine flag. Colors that were originally meant to unite a nation under one flag were cheapened by partisan politics, and became colors that separate and divide.How and when can we return to the innocence of Amorsolo's Palay Maiden and reclaim the colors of the flag as our own.
© Ambeth Ocampo
