Southern Leyte Province

Southern Leyte
Country	Philippines
Flag of Southern Leyte
Adopted	ca. 1970s
Wikipedia article

Southern Leyte is one of the 82 provinces of the Philippines. It is one of the few provinces that deviates from a seal-on-a-bedsheet flag.

Description

The flag has a 13:25 proportion with a solid green background. Design elements include an uneven cross located at the hoist of the flag with abaca leaves and a palm frond forming a wreath at the intersection of the cross, followed by four orchid flowers arranged in a descending diagonal order. There is also a golden fringe included onto the borders of flag.

Symbolism

The Provincial Government of Southern Leyte includes various design elements on its flag, the symbolism for each design element is as followed:

• The green field represents agriculture, the primary industry of the province.
• The golden fringe represents hope and prayer for bountiful harvests in the midst of unpredictable natural events.
• The cross alludes to the province's most significant historical event: the first Catholic mass in the Philippines, which is widely thought to have been celebrated in Limasawa.
• The coconut palm frond and abaca leaf represent the province's most important agricultural products.
• The four Phalaenopsis x intermedia ("Star of Leyte") orchid flowers, which are endemic to the province, represent the four major geographical divisions of the province:
  • Maasin—Macrohon—Padre Burgos area (also includes Limasawa, which was part of Padre Burgos until 1989)
  • Sogod Bay area — Bontoc, Libagon, Malitbog, Sogod and Tomas Oppus
  • Pacific area — Anahawan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Saint Bernard, San Juan and Silago
  • Panaon area — Liloan, Pintuyan, San Francisco and San Ricardo.

Variants