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image by Ivan Sache, 3 June 2019See also:
The current national flag was confirmed by Law 48 of 1925, and
ratified by law 28 of 28 March 1941. The blue and red is for the
Conservative Party and Liberal Party; the white is for peace; the
blue star is the purity and honesty of the life of the country;
the red star is for authority and law in the country.
Jaume Ollé, 4 September 1996
The national symbols of Panamá are prescribed by the Single Text of Law No.
34 of 1949 "Adopting the flag, the anthem and the coat of arms as national
symbols and regulating their use", which includes the amendments prescribed by
Law No. 2 of 2012, and was published on 27 February 2012 in the Panamá official
gazette, No. 26,981-A.
Article 1. [unchanged]
The coat of arms, the
flag and the anthem, as described in this Law, are adopted as the national
symbols.
[…]
Article 4. [added]
The national flag, designed by
Manuel E. Amador T., consists of a rectangle quartered as follows: the upper
first quarter, at hoist, white with a blue five-pointed star in the center,
pointing upwards; the second upper quarter, continuing the previously described
one, red; the lower first quarter, at hoist, blue; and the lower second quarter,
continuing the previously described one, white with a red five-pointed star in
the center, pointing upwards.
Article 5. [unchanged]
The national flag
has a rectangular shape with a proportion of one unit in width on one and a half
unit in length, and the size shall be in accordance with the flag’s use or aim.
The stars shall be one quarter of the flag’s width or one sixth of its length.
In exceptional cases, duly recognized by the Manual, the flag’s representation
shall have shapes different from those prescribed in the previous paragraphs,
for example for the flag designed for naval use or according to international
agreements signed by the Republic of Panamá, and shall be manufactured in a
proportional manner.
Article 6. [added]
The colors and elements of the
national flag have the following meaning: blue represents the Conservative
Party, red represents the Liberal Party, and white represents the field of peace
of the new nation. The blue star symbolizes purity and honesty as the norms of
the nation’s civic life and the red star represents authority and law imposed by
these virtues.
Article 7. [added]
A flag with the specifications
established in Article 5, made of silk, shall be kept in the presidency of each
State body, in the Panamá History Museum, and in the head offices of the
Ministry of Education and of the Ministry of Government, as references for color
reproductions.
Article 11. [unchanged]
The national coat of arms,
imagined by Nicanor Villalaz L. and artistically interpreted by Max Lemm, is
heraldically described as follows:
In Gothic shape, tierced in fess, in
proportions three in width on 2 in length, field beret (green); a symbol of
vegetation, and a bordure or (yellow). The central fess features the isthmus
with its seas and sky on which appears: the sun starting to rise above the
mountains in the west, the moon starting to rise above nightly waves, in the
east, to represent the solemn hour of the Separations of Panamá from Colombia on
3 November 1903.
The chief or upper part is divided into two quarters:
dexter, a field argent (white) charged with a saber and a rifle crossed in a
position of disbanding, meaning the definitive end of civil wars; and sinister,
a field gules (red) charged with a crossed shovel and hoe, symbolizing work.The
shield’s base or lower part is divided into two quarters: dexter, a field azure
(blue) charged with a cornucopia or pouring coins, a symbol of wealth; and
sinister, a field argent charged with a wooden wheel with wings or, a symbol of
progress.
The shield surmounted by an adult harpy eagle, national emblem of
sovereignty, with spread wings, the head turned to left, as a symbol of
autonomy, and holding in its claws a scroll argent engraved in letters sable
(black) the motto "PRO MUNDI BENEFICIO", which means "For the World’s Benefit".
Above the eagle, golden stars pointing upwards and forming an arch, match the
country’s number of provinces.
The shield supported, dexter and sinister, by
two national flag hoisted on lances and tied red and white at the shield’s base.
https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/26981_A/37116.pdf
Law No.
34, promulgated on 15 December 1949 by the President of the Republic, was
published on 4 January 1950 in the Panamá official gazette, No. 11,085
https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/gacetas/11085_1950.pdf
Law No. 2
"Amending Law No. 34 of 1949 that adopts the flag, the anthem and the coat of
arms as national symbols and regulate their use", promulgated on 23 January 2012
by the President of the Republic, was published on 26 January 2012 in the Panamá
official gazette, No. 26,959.
https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/26959/36588.pdf]
Chapter
VIII of the aforementioned Law prescribes the set-up of a National Commission of
the Nation’s Symbols, which has among his duties (Article 44.2):
To elaborate
and submit to the Executive the Manuel on Procedure, Design and Use of the
Nation’s Symbols, which should be approved by an Executive Decree. Article 45
states that the Manual shall be amended when necessary.
The last edition
of the Manuel on Procedure, Design and Use of the Symbols of the Nation is
prescribed by Executive Decree No. 337, promulgated on 22 December 2017 and
published on 26 December 2017 in the Panamá official gazette, No. 28432-A.
The colors of the flag are specified in Article X, Paragraph 5a and in
Chapter I of the Appendix.
Blue
RGB 7 35 87
Hex #072357
Pantone 295C
/ 296U
CMYK 100 46 0 70
Red
RGB 218 18 26
Hex #DA121A
Pantone
187C / 186U
CMYK 0 100 79 20
The colors of the coat of arms are
prescribed in Article X, Paragraph 8b.
Black / sable Process Black
Green /
vert 343C / 3425U
Brown 1605C / 1675U
Yellow 114C / 107U
https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/28432_A/65219.pdf
Ivan Sache, 3 June 2019