After 333 years of Spanish rule on 12 June 1898 the Philippines gained independence, and today is the 121st Philippines Independence Day. To mark the occasion the world’s tallest building, The Burj Khalifa, will be lit up in the colours of the Philippine flag.
At 9.40pm, the 828 metre high Burj Khalifa will be lit up in the red, white and blue colours of the flag and also incorporate the symbol of the sun and the three yellow stars.
All the colours of the flag of the Philippines have significance, the red symbolises patriotism and valour, the white represents equality and the blue stands for peace, truth, and justice.
The three stars on the flag represent the three different group of islands that make up the Philippines,Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas, and the sun with its eight rays is symbolic of the eight provinces that together revolted against the Spanish to gain independence.
As well as the flag lighting up The Burj Khalifa, Dubai, which is home to the majority of the over 700,000 Filipinos that live jn the UAE, will also mark the occasion at Dubai Festival City, where the laser show Imagine will feature a presentation over the next four days on the history of the Philippine’s. The special show will be on at 9.00pm on 12 June and hourly from 7.00pm each evening from 13 June to 15 June.