(12 June 2013) BAGUIO CITY—A giant flag made of fresh flowers was unveiled inside SM Mall Baguio as part of the 115th Philippine Independence Day celebration in the city.

Measuring 11 feet by 22 feet, the flag—made of 14,000 fresh red roses and 6,000 Malaysian mums—was made public during the celebration of Philippine Independence Day here.

Mall manager Mark Jansen Pe said this is the fifth year that SM Malls nationwide have simultaneously unveiled Philippine flags on June 12.

He said, “Nakikiisa ang 47 SM Malls sa buong bansa sa pagdiriwang ng kalayaan ng Pilipinas,” adding that “it is the SM Malls’ way of uniting and being with the entire country in the commemoration of the independence of Filipinos from foreign colonialism.”

This city’s Vice Mayor Daniel Farinas, who was guest speaker, said, “Ang araw na ito ay nagsasagisag ng pagkakaisa at pagtutulungan na naging daan ng mahigit 115 taon na ngayon na naiwagayway ang bandila ng bansang Pilipinas na siyang simbolo ng kalayaan ng ating bansa.”

He said the country commemorates the martyrdom of many Filipinos who fought to attain the freedom which “we now enjoy.”

Pe said SM Malls Baguio came up with the idea of using fresh flowers for this city’s Philippine flag considering the abundance of fresh flowers in this part of the country.

SM North Luzon PR manager Karren Nobres said in various parts of the country, different flags were designed using different materials that abound in the particular areas.  She said SM Malls in Rosales, Pangasinan, used oyster shells while SM Malls Tarlac used slippers in completing the flag.

The giant Philippine flag in SM Malls Baguio was conceptualized by the SM management and reduced to a centerpiece by Zaparita florists and completed in one day by 16 workers.

Aside from the giant flag, another centerpiece showing the Philippine archipelago was created near the food court. Nobres said that coffee beans and red rice, both grown in the Cordilleras, made up the different islands in the country.