As the nation marks its 113th Independence Day, the Philippine flag, a symbol of sovereignty and triumphs of hundreds and thousands of martyred souls, is waving high in major streets and bridges, offices, schools, as well as in various embassies in the country.

But for so many years, the whereabouts of the Philippine flag hoisted by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898, when the first Philippine Republic was proclaimed, remains a mystery.

Placed inside a glass display case in a rarely visited corner of the Emilio Aguinaldo Museum in the mountain resort city of Baguio is a weathered silk banner believed by the Aguinaldo heirs as the original flag. It has been at the center of a controversy surrounding its authenticity.

The first Philippine President’s great-grandson, Emilio Aguinaldo Suntay III, lamented that despite years of probing by the National Historical Institute, the flag remains unacknowledged as a historical artifact.

The six-foot flag was discovered by Suntay’s grandmother, Cristina Aguinaldo Suntay, on the general’s deathbed in 1964. Since then, the Suntay family has been its custodian. The flag was coated with a chemical retardant to prevent deterioration.

Unlike the modern flag, this banner has a deeper shade of blue and red. Its sun icon also has a face. Government historians have not acknowledged its authenticity, despite numerous studies undertaken to prove the flag’s age and possible origins.

Across the sides of the weathered flag, revolutionary words were embroidered on its sides—a phrase “Fuerzas Expedicionarias del Norte de Luzon” and the words “Libertad” and “Justicia.”

Suntay feared that the tattered flag might not last another generation, so the family resolved to use it instead as a symbol to unite Filipinos.

“We are more concerned now on the preservation of the flag, as well as with the other centuries-old flags in our possession,” Suntay told the BusinessMirror. “Considering that the flags we have are all extremely delicate and too frail to handle, display and transport, we have installed systems and processes to control lighting, humidity and temperature as well as other environmental factors that adversely affect our artifacts.”

In fact, Suntay said that on Independence Day the family will unveil the country’s first historical Experience Museum featuring the attaction entitled “The Road to Independence.”

The Aguinaldo Museum’s redevelopment, which started more than a year ago involving artists and specialists, features the environment-friendly and state-of-the-art technologies in audiovisual and sensual arts storytelling of the history. It is sponsored by the Aguinaldo Foundation and the Mawmag Computers.

Suntay added that the museum now showcases not just Aguinaldo’s first flag of 1898 but the other century-old historical flags, such as the flag captured in Palanan, and artifacts in the past 50 years.

“This dynamic and high-tech attraction is our gift to the nation as it celebrates its Independence Day,” he said. “We are dedicating our efforts as inspired by the flags the love of country and freedom, as well as justice, liberty and equality, to grow even more fervently our hearts and minds. The flag is but a symbol of the patriotism that is and should be in our hearts.”

As the whereabouts of the original flag of 1898 remains at the heart of controversy, the whole nation must continue to celebrate its Independence Day and glorify the flag as a great symbol of freedom and unity.