Question & AnswerQ&A (Act No. 1696)
The main purpose of Act No. 1696 is to prohibit the display of flags, banners, emblems, or devices used in the Philippine Islands for the purpose of rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States, including the Katipunan flags, banners, emblems, or devices.
The Act prohibits exposing to public view any flag, banner, emblem, or device used during the late insurrection in the Philippine Islands to designate or identify armed rebellion against the United States, or used by public enemies of the United States for rebellion or insurrection, including those of the Katipunan Society.
Any person who exposes or causes the exposure to public view of any prohibited flags, banners, emblems, or devices on their own premises or elsewhere can be punished under Section 1.
The penalties include a fine ranging from five hundred pesos to five thousand pesos, or imprisonment from three months to five years, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Section 2 covers banquets, public entertainments, meetings, reunions, parades, processions, or reviews where prohibited flags, banners, emblems, or devices are displayed or exposed to public view.
Persons in charge of such events must not display or allow the display of any prohibited flags, banners, emblems, or devices; otherwise, they are subject to the penalties provided by the Act.
The Governor-General can issue executive orders prohibiting the use or display of certain flags or banners, and it is unlawful to violate such orders. However, the Governor-General cannot permit the display of flags, emblems, or devices already prohibited under previous sections of the Act.
Section 4 prohibits wearing, using, or exposing to public view any uniform or dress, or part thereof, used during the insurrection to identify those in armed rebellion against the United States or used by public enemies of the United States for disorder, rebellion, or insurrection.
The penalties include a fine between five hundred to five thousand pesos, imprisonment from three months to five years, or both, at the court's discretion.
The Act took effect immediately upon its passage on August 23, 1907.
The Act reflects the principle of expedited enactment and immediate effectivity due to the public good requiring speedy enforcement of the law.