☀️ You’ve seen the sun on the Philippine flag, but did you know it may have roots long before the First Philippine Republic? In this video, I explore how ancient symbols, indigenous deities like Apung Sinukuan, and even Bonifacio’s alias connect to the revolutionary sun we see today. 🎥 Join my channel! — https://youtube.com/kirbyaraullo/join 🔔 Subscribe — http://goo.gl/yDgQmK 🍿 Be my Patron — https://www.patreon.com/kirbynoodle 📚 Books, merch, etc. — https://www.kirbyaraullo.com/books Related Videos & Playlists: 🇵🇭 Philippine Revolutions & Independence: http://bit.ly/KalayaanPH 🌞 Precolonial & Early Philippine History https://bit.ly/EarlyPhilippines 🌏 Demystifying Southeast Asia: https://bit.ly/KnowSoutheastAsia 🔍 Featured Topics: 00:00 The Forgotten Origins of the Filipino Sun 01:39 What History Books Say About the Flag 02:45 Bonifacio and the Sun God Sinukuan 04:39 Katipuneros and Kapampangan Mysticism 06:39 Precolonial Flags and Sun Emblems 07:50 Maupayang Pandi and Royal Color Symbolism 09:51 Sun Tattoos, Catholic Syncretism, and the Singsing 11:46 Shared Sun Symbols Across Southeast Asia 13:00 Luzones and the Royal Sun 14:57 The Many Katipunan Flags 16:17 The Sunflower Flag and Colonial Suppression 17:37 The Revolutionary Filipino Sun We Salute Today 📺 About This Video: This video uncovers the deeper meaning behind the sun on the Philippine flag — tracing its origins from revolutionary symbols used by Bonifacio and the Katipunan, to even older indigenous and Southeast Asian traditions. We explore how sun deities like Apung Sinukuan, sacred banners like the Panji and Maupayang Pandi, and motifs found in tattoos, textiles, and temples reflect a long history of sovereignty and resistance across the islands. ☀️ About Kirby: Kirby Araullo is a distinguished Filipino American historian, culture bearer, and content creator based in California. He is a direct descendant of the indigenous Paramount Kings of Luzon—Lakandúlâ of Tondo and Rája Matandá of Maynílâ—as well as the anti-colonial Katipuneros and World War II Guerilyeras who fought for Philippine liberation. His rich heritage also includes Kapampángan, Tagálog, Indigenous Áytá, Pangasinan, and Spanish-Basque-Portuguese-Irish Mestizo roots. Kirby co-founded the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at the University of California, Davis, where he has authored works on Asian American, Philippine, and Southeast Asian histories. With education from UC Davis and Harvard University, Kirby teaches Filipino history and culture through indigenous scripts like Kulitan and Baybayin. His popular YouTube channel features educational content on historical narratives and cultural insights, attracting a global audience eager to explore Filipino and Southeast Asian histories, and the stories of revolutionaries and freedom fighters from the Philippines.

The Philippine Flag Was Once Illegal? 🇵🇭 For 12 years, Filipinos could be jailed just for owning the flag. This video unpacks the forgotten history of the Philippine flag — why it was banned, how it became a revolutionary symbol, and what its colors, stars, and sun really meant to the people who fought under it. 🎥 Join my channel! — https://youtube.com/kirbyaraullo/join 🔔 Subscribe — http://goo.gl/yDgQmK 🍿 Be my Patron — https://www.patreon.com/kirbynoodle 📚 Books, merch, etc. — https://www.kirbyaraullo.com/books Related Videos & Playlists: 🇵🇭 Philippine Revolutions & Independence: http://bit.ly/KalayaanPH 🌞 Precolonial & Early Philippine History https://bit.ly/EarlyPhilippines 🌏 Demystifying Southeast Asia: https://bit.ly/KnowSoutheastAsia 🔍 Featured Topics: 00:00 Why Was the Philippine Flag Banned? 01:27 The Hidden History of the Philippine Flag 02:57 When Waving the Philippine Flag Was Illegal 04:58 How the Philippine Flag Was Created in Exile 05:49 The Meaning Behind the Symbols, 3 Stars, and the Sun 08:03 Why the Philippine Flag Flips in Times of War 10:05 The Meaning Behind the Colors of the Philippine Flag 12:17 The ‘Evolution’ & Other Revolutionary Flags of the Philippines 14:15 The People’s Flag 15:24 The Precolonial Origins of the Sun and the Flag 📺 About This Video: This episode explores the hidden story of the Philippine flag — from its birth in exile to its banning under colonial law. This vide looks into why the flag was once illegal, the forgotten revolutionary flags that flew alongside it, and the deeper Indigenous and cultural roots behind its symbols. It’s a story of resistance, identity, and a flag that still carries the weight of a nation’s fight for freedom. ☀️ About Kirby: Kirby Araullo is a distinguished Filipino American historian, culture bearer, and content creator based in California. He is a direct descendant of the indigenous Paramount Kings of Luzon—Lakandúlâ of Tondo and Rája Matandá of Maynílâ—as well as the anti-colonial Katipuneros and World War II Guerilyeras who fought for Philippine liberation. His rich heritage also includes Kapampángan, Tagálog, Indigenous Áytá, Pangasinan, and Spanish-Basque-Portuguese-Irish Mestizo roots. Kirby co-founded the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at the University of California, Davis, where he has authored works on Asian American, Philippine, and Southeast Asian histories. With education from UC Davis and Harvard University, Kirby teaches Filipino history and culture through indigenous scripts like Kulitan and Baybayin. His popular YouTube channel features educational content on historical narratives and cultural insights, attracting a global audience eager to explore Filipino and Southeast Asian histories, and the stories of revolutionaries and freedom fighters from the Philippines.

🇵🇭 Asian? Pacific Islander? 🏝️ Why Filipinos still don’t fit the box! 🎥 FULL VIDEO 👉🏼 https://youtu.be/afz2PbTxfjA 👈🏼 breaking down the messy history of identity, politics, and why it still matters.

Over 68 million Filipinos just voted in the 2025 midterm elections, but did it actually change anything? This video unpacks how colonial systems shaped our democracy into a cycle of dynasties and dead ends. From Spanish rule to today’s political families, here’s why democracy still feels rigged and what our ancestors did differently. 🎥 Join my channel! — https://youtube.com/kirbyaraullo/join 🔔 Subscribe — http://goo.gl/yDgQmK 🍿 Be my Patron — https://www.patreon.com/kirbynoodle 📚 Books, merch, etc. — https://www.kirbyaraullo.com/books Related Videos & Playlists: 🌞 Precolonial & Early Philippine History https://bit.ly/EarlyPhilippines 🌏 Demystifying Southeast Asia - https://bit.ly/KnowSoutheastAsia 🔥 ‘Discovery’ & Conquest of the Philippines: https://bit.ly/DiscoveringPH 🔍 Featured Topics: 00:00 The Myth of Filipino Democracy 01:29 What You’ll Learn in This Video 02:46 Political Dynasties & the Rigged System We Inherited 04:51 How the U.S. Rigged Our Democracy 07:03 Spain’s Principalia System of Control 09:43 Precolonial Leadership Was Based on Consent 12:37 The Indigenous Systems They Erased 15:06 What Reclaiming Democracy Actually Means 📺 About This Video: This episode examines how the 2025 Philippine midterm elections reflect deeper historical patterns of elite rule, voter frustration, and inherited political power. Historian Kirby Araullo traces how the U.S. and Spanish colonial governments rewired Indigenous systems of leadership into structures that preserved elite control, leading to the rise of political dynasties. It explores the gap between the promise of democracy and the lived reality of voters, and reveals how our ancestors practiced governance rooted in merit, service, and community consent — long before colonial ballots. This is about reclaiming what was erased, and rethinking what democracy should look like today. ☀️ About Kirby: Kirby Araullo is a distinguished Filipino American historian, culture bearer, and content creator based in California. He is a direct descendant of the indigenous Paramount Kings of Luzon—Lakandúlâ of Tondo and Rája Matandá of Maynílâ—as well as the anti-colonial Katipuneros and World War II Guerilyeras who fought for Philippine liberation. His rich heritage also includes Kapampángan, Tagálog, Indigenous Áytá, Pangasinan, and Spanish-Basque-Portuguese-Irish Mestizo roots. Kirby co-founded the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at the University of California, Davis, where he has authored works on Asian American, Philippine, and Southeast Asian histories. With education from UC Davis and Harvard University, Kirby teaches Filipino history and culture through indigenous scripts like Kulitan and Baybayin. His popular YouTube channel features educational content on historical narratives and cultural insights, attracting a global audience eager to explore Filipino and Southeast Asian histories, and the stories of revolutionaries and freedom fighters from the Philippines.