The Seal of the University

Blazon of the Seal
The seal of the University is a circular shield framed with fourteen triangles, depicting a sunbeam, with embossed inscription: "Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila 1965" all in gold.

The field within is divided quarterly. The upper dexter field (dexter chief) is in red, the lower sinister field (sinister base) in light blue, and the upper sinister field (sinister chief) and lower dexter field (dexter base) in white. On the upper dexter side (dexter chief), the sunburst in white and gold rays are placed on a red field. The upper sinister side (sinister chief) has a flaming torch on the tip of a bamboo handle superimposed over the symbol of the atomic orbits with electrons in red, placed on a white field.

On the lower center point (middle base) is a book superimposed with a bamboo scroll with ancient Tagala script balanced by a branch of the Nilad shrub in light green, all placed between the lower white and light blue fields. From the lower dexter side (dexter base) to the lower sinister side (sinister base) are inscribed in gold: "Karunungan, Kaunlaran, Kadakilaan."

The circular shield is divided into four quadrants, representing the then-four congressional districts* of Manila, while the fourteen triangles or radiating spires stand for the administrative districts of Manila, namely, Tondo, Binondo, Quiapo, San Nicolas, Santa Cruz, Sampaloc, San Miguel, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, Port Area and Santa Ana.

*The 1987 Philippine Constitution mandated that Manila's then-four congressional districts be increased to the current six to conform with the new provision on the determination of the number of representation of contiguous geographical units in the Congress.

Symbolism of Emblems

The sunburst signifies the oriental symbol of "Life, Energy & Power." The flaming torch signifies "Light and Truth." The green-bound book signifies modern knowledge. The bamboo scroll signifies the ancient Tagala culture. The atomic orbits signify modern science. The Nilad branch signifies the origin of the name of the ancient town of Maynilad. The fourteen pointed triangles framing the circular shield signify the then-fourteen districts of Manila. The word Motto on the Seal signifies the guiding principles of the University: Knowledge, Progress, Greatness - (Knowledge for Prosperity with Greatness).

The above heraldic description as proposed by Arch. Carlos da Silva was finally approved by the Board of Regents through BOR Resolution No. 39 during its 16th Official Meeting held on 17 June 1967 at the Mayor's Office in Maharnilad.

N.B.: The pioneer Board of Regents has approved, under BOR Res. No. 101 dated 03 June 1968, PLM's year of foundation as 1967 considering that the first ever class day in PLM's history was on 17 July 1967. This has been observed as the foundation day at the onset. Hence, 1967 was contained in the official blazon under BOR Res. No. 39. Hence, the existence of 1967 old versions of the Seal until these days in mainstream use.
On 10 February 1995, however, an official authentication was issued by the National Historical Institute, through the NHI Director Dr. Serafin D. Quiazon, selecting instead the formal signing of the University Charter by the Philippine President. This was taken cognizance of by the Board of Regents through BOR Res. No. 1799 on its 274th regular board meeting on 24 February 1995. Hence, the Seal was automatically modified to carry 1965 in lieu of 1967, although a version of this has emanated only in early 2000s.

Colors

The University colors are golden-yellow, flaming-red and light-blue.

Symbolism of Colors

Gold signifies Nobility, Wealth and Power.
White signifies Light, Truth and Faith.
Light-blue signifies Brotherly-Love and Peace.
Red signifies Patriotism, Bravery and Sacrifice.
Green signifies Hope.

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END NOTES
Posted after the formal public presentation of the new, correct seal on 19 June 2009

On the creator of the first emblazon:
There were suggestions that it was Arch. Carlos da Silva who may have created the first emblazon that was used for decades by the PLM community. There is no available record yet, however, that would at least positively attribute it to him, unless a first-hand account from the early administrators 45 years ago would attest to the same. It could have also been possible that the first emblazon was made by someone else -- even years after Arch. Da Silva formulated the official blazon in 1967.

On the need to replace the first emblazon:
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of emblems such as a seal or shield, from which the reader can construct a corresponding image, known as emblazon, which is the graphical representation or visual depiction of the blazon. The art and science of blazoning and emblazoning use a specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a verb, to the act of writing such a description. The time-honored formal system of rules in blazoning was developed since the Middle Ages. A thorough understanding of these rules is a key to the art of heraldry.

For many years shortly after its foundation, PLM has used various depictions (or emblazons) of its foremost emblem -- the PLM seal or escutcheon -- with basically similar renditions of its charges or elements. However, while great care could have been exerted in coming up with the basic design that was perpetuated through the years, all such emblazons were either designed in gross disregard of or with the lack of knowledge of the true rudiments of heraldry. Significantly, those previous designs have defied the most fundamental of all heraldry rules: that the blazon is constructed from the perspective of the person holding the shield (or the bearer), not the person viewing the same in front of the bearer. Hence, the sinister side (meaning left), instead of being placed at the left of the seal, means "at the left view of the bearer," which equate to the right side of the seal or emblazon. Similarly, the dexter side (meaning right) is placed at the left side of the emblazon, instead of the right side.

For about or more than four (4) decades, therefore, the PLM community has been using an incorrect emblazon, without even knowing that said seal was rendered inaccurately in the olden times. Away from the scrutiny of everyone as to its inaccuracy, this mistake in the past was perpetuated for many years, but was finally corrected when a correct emblazon was produced for the first time in PLM's history in mid-2009 (around April when this official institutional website was being developed). With the old seal having been deeply entrenched into the core operations of PLM since time immemorial, it remains to be used momentarily in the structures and effects of PLM that were forged or printed before the correct emblazon was created, but which cannot be thrown away nor destroyed but rather utilized as those were judiciously acquired using precious public funds, including transcript of records and some letterheads. It will just be a matter of time, however, until the incorrect seal is finally purged from all the official documents of PLM. On the other hand, the new seal is now almost universally used in the contemporary setting in various endeavors since it was first uploaded to the official institutional website on 19 April 2009 and later formally presented to the public on 19 June 2009.

Though the emblazon used through the years had been incorrect, the efforts exerted by the one who created the same, who remains incognito and lost in the annals of history of PLM, deserve to be appreciated. He had no sinister plot whatsoever to usher the PLM community to believe in the perceived truthfulness of the falsity that he himself may have not known he had actually created. His was only the fullness of a heart to serve PLM in providing the first graphical representation of our seal, albeit wrongly probably due to exigency, which may have served during those times the purpose of representing the noble values and characters that PLM stands for. Sadly though, since said early emblazon is a misrepresentation of the truth, it is of high import to correct it and be replaced by a rightful one. To be sure, the wide breadth and the length of time it was used do not at all ratify its sore defects and transform it over time as a truth which it cannot claim to be ab initio.

The history of the new Emblazon:
In 2006, sporadic discussions were rife that the color yellow, which is the dominant color in the then-existing seal in widespread use, did not actually form part of the official heraldic description. Such discussions questioned the authenticity of said seal, even expanding the doubts as describing the same seal as actually irreverent of the official blazon.

In April 2009, while developing the new official website shortly after the new management of the IT Center has ushered in, the Creative Multimedia Team under the Strategic Operations Group has revisited the actual blazon directly from the brittle decades-old archives of the Board of Regents. The efforts resulted to the discovery of further discrepancies between the official blazon and the then-existing emblazon. As a result, a correct emblazon was subsequently produced according to the specifications by the pioneer Board of Regents and consequently reported in mid-2009 before the then-Top Management Team (TMT).

The Team fused profound medieval knowledge and modern innovation in designing the new emblazon. It used real or actual images of the charges and elements, instead of comical graphics as is the case when computer graphics was not yet in the mainstream. The new seal was then used as the new official PLM logo during the 44th Foundation Day anniversary, and its design-making steps were formally presented in an audio-visual movie during the ceremonial launching of the official PLM website on 19 June 2009 at the Justo Albert Auditorium as among the highlights of the 44th Foundation Day celebration.

Recognizing the efforts at correcting certain age-old mistakes that have permeated into the core operations of PLM but may have remained undetected or complacently accepted through time, the same Team was entrusted by the TMT with correcting a few other "perpetuated mistakes." Among the lesser important but equally necessary items, part of the further undertakings were either modifying existing escutcheons or formulating new and inexistent blazons and corresponding emblazons of cooperative colleges that were officially used or unveiled in respective times. To ensure that the mistakes of the past may not be repeated nor perpetuated at all, careful precision is always exerted by the Team in performing its multifarious tasks.

For its unwavering commitment to public service excellence, the new ITC's Creative Multimedia Team (a.k.a. Web Team which used to be under the now-defunct CILO), as in the past and since time immemorial, carries crucial yet enviable roles as the enduring guardian of the official chronicles of the University and the sentinel of its institutional memory -- for the benefit of the knowledge of future generations and other stakeholders all over the globe, as well as for the nostalgic pleasure of the past and present breed of scholars, among other purposes. More important than those, however, is its role as the leading exponent of PLM's unbridled excellence -- all through the official institutional website and the other Communication Enhancement Program (CEP) tools of PLM that the ITC has pioneered since 2009.

From the bigger picture, the ITC and the official CEP tools (i.e., this official PLM website) support the pivotal role and the enduring efforts and endeavors of other members of the PLM community, including development partners, in enhancing the luster of excellence of PLM, improving on the gains of such excellence, and scaling greater heights as PLM continues to carve its deserved niche and mold its rightful place under the sun. Hand in hand with its development partners, the ITC is at the forefront of ensuring that the truth is scrupulously safeguarded as foremost among its guiding principles. Significantly, the WebTeam carries on with its time-honored role of correcting other forms of mistake committed by way of commission or omission by anyone, the same posing as a bane against the reputation of PLM. For these and other reasons, contents of this official institutional website, therefore, have become unassailable as profound products of and conforming with the highest standards of that espoused rigid principle.

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Further research referenced from the available official University Records
Posted: 26 July 2011

To date, there is no record that the old, incorrect seal was formally presented in public to usher into mainstream use. This incorrect emblazon only emanated more than 12 years after the official blazon was formally approved by the Board of Regents. It was not designed by the one who formulated the blazon and appears to have been designed more than a decade after by someone who has no adequate knowledge of the art and science of heraldry. This seal was emblazoned when the public, even most university officials then, did not have a direct access to the archives of the Board of Regents (BOR Res. No. 39), and hence, did not have any way of validating, criticizing, or at least comparing the emblazon with the official blazon. Early on, the incorrect seal could have been corrected soonest, even if it had sold like hotcake when it was first created and used in satisfaction of the hunger and thirst for a seal, should the official blazon had been available publicly.

The earliest available record of the first use of the old, incorrect seal, to date, was an undated administrative issuance but was received by the offices on 08 Nov 1979. The document was lifted from the brittle, decades-old collection of official Red Books (Administrative Issuances, Volume/Book 3 covering 22 Jun 1978 to 19 Dec 1980, page 201). It was a designation by the Executive Vice President of an acting Vice President for Administration (Mrs. Luningning C. Lorenzo, then University Treasurer) effective 16 Nov 1979.

This document was shortly followed by a memo from the Vice President for Academic Affairs dated 14 Nov 1979 stating that requests for permission to study by administrative employees shall be submitted for approval by the EVP through the newly designated VPA.

Both letterheads carried said old, incorrect seal on a dual tone rendition (black & white), without colors and which script resembled the font used in the Marcos regime's Bagong Lipunan or New Society emblems (including the Presidential Seal).
Said letterheads were used rather sparingly, and no office other than the EVP and the VPAA had a formal letterhead with such a seal, presumably due to austerity measures as enjoined in some memos that were periodically issued as the Red Book contains. Even the Board of Regents then did not use said seal.

The use of this old, incorrect seal has almost fallen into disuse over time. It resurrected in mid-1990s shortly after the publication of the set of University Catalogue (one complete catalogue for undergraduate, another complete catalogue for the graduate programs, and a Bulletin of Information for each of the existing colleges then). While all the undergraduate BOIs have the black & white rendition, the 2 undergraduate and graduate catalogues had a colored rendition. It is the first verifiable instance of a colored version of the PLM seal.
The surge on the availability of MS Office in late 1990s made said old, incorrect seal usable to anyone who has a computer. A colored rendition of several versions of said seal also emanated one by one in late 1990s and early 2000s.

For unknown reasons, despite having been corrected earlier in 1995 with the sudden change in the observance of the official foundation day from 17 July (1967) to 19 June (1965), the change in the seal's year of establishment did not immediately materialize or readily gain ground, though. Year 1967 used to be celebrated as the foundation year of PLM by virtue of BOR Res. No. 101 dated 03 June 1968. On 10 February 1995, however, an official authentication was issued by the National Historical Institute, through the NHI Director himself (Dr. Serafin D. Quiazon), and taken cognizance of by the PLM Board of Regents through BOR Res. No. 1799 on its 274th regular board meeting on 24 February 1995. Hence, the existence of 1967 versions that still persist nowadays even after more than a decade.

In 2000, when the then-CILO uploaded the official PLM website in a launching ceremony in line with the Coral (35th) PLM Anniversary at the Justo Albert Auditorium, it carried a colored seal, minus the yellow color, with 1967 as the PLM's establishment, which some quarters still continue to use today.

CILO came to know of the need to update the year in the seal in 2002 after learning of the official change in PLM's foundation date when its Director sifted through the old Red Book archives of the Board of Regents where he was then a special executive assistant. He was in-charge of the preparation of the minutes of the Board for half-a-decade since 2001. During said period, while reading through the old archives every night until late dawn, he stumbled upon the official act of the Board adopting the recommendations of the National Historical Institute. Hence, the emergence of a version of the new 1965 seal.

In 1995, then-President Dr. Tayabas has spearheaded the drive to determine the authentic date of foundation year, which eventually was determined to be 1965. He still used, however, the old seal with 1967, out of simple error, in most of his issuances until his last days as University President in 2007, a period of more than 12 years. When the Office of the President purchased a set of new letterheads in full-color, the printing press was erroneously given the old 1967 colored seal, instead of 1965. The Office of the President (OPres) and the Board of Regents, though, have since started to use the 1965 grayscale and colored seals in the official documents. Said OPres letterhead with the old 1967 seal was no longer used under the succeeding administrations of Atty. Jose M. Roy, Atty. Adel A. Tamano and Atty. Rafaelito M. Garayblas. In recent years, the Office of the University Registrar has also started to use the 1965 grayscale (black & white) seal in the transcripts of record of our alumni, though until this day the OUR still uses the old 1967 in its various documents and forms. Oddly enough, offices continue to use various renditions of the PLM seal, despite corrections made thereon.

In 2009, the old 1967 and 1965 versions of the seal in mainstream use were discovered to be not in conformity with the specifications of the pioneer Board of Regents because of the non-conformance with the essential rules of the centuries-old art and science of Heraldry in emblazoning the official blazon. The Top Management Team, thru the new ITC, released the first faithful emblazon of the official blazon when it resurrected in 2009 the PLM website that was lost in 2006. A formal public presentation and ceremonial launching on 19 June 2009, as one of the highlights of the 44th PLM Foundation Anniversary celebration, was presided by the Top Management Team led by the University President. Since then, the only correct emblazon has started to be in mainstream use.

Despite the correction in 1995 by the BOR of PLM's foundational year into 1965, strangely enough, the old seal with 1967 continues to be used by some offices and committees in combination with the much later old seal of 1965 (both seals are discovered to be incorrect in 2009), as well as that with the new, correct seal as shown above that was publicly presented by the Top Management Team in an apt ceremony. The new, correct seal is intended to supplant all renditions of the old, incorrect seal. The latter, as a perpetuated mistake of the past, are intended to be consigned into oblivion.

In summary, the old, incorrect seals were emblazoned without due knowledge of the art and science of Heraldry, and never had any kind of public presentation. On the other hand, the new seal, which carefully conformed with the rudiments of Heraldry, had the benefit of a formal public presentation presided by the Top Management Team on a very special occasion so that the public would be perfectly aware of the correction made on the perpetuated mistake of the past.

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Presidential Approval on the unified use of the Correct PLM Emblazon
Posted: 19 November 2011

On 21 July 2011, the University Registrar sought for enlightenment from the Acting President, thru the Executive Vice President (EVP), "as to which (seal) should be used officially by PLM since it is imperative for us to change, if ever, the logo that we are presently using in our TORs and other communications x x x, the employee/student IDs, the mace we are using during graduation, etc."

The EVP tasked her OULC lawyers to conduct an extensive research on heraldry, and as an offshoot of such research, the latter remanded to the EVP that "(T)he seal, as provided by Director Garry de Gracia, is reflective of (BOR) Resolution No. 39 x x x." On 15 August 2011, the EVP forwarded to the Acting President the request for enlightenment of the Registrar with the following recommendation: "From discussion and research on rules of heraldry, it appears that the "new emblem" of PLM is the accurate representation of Board Resolution No. 39."

On 16 August 2011, the Acting President stamped his official approval on the correct emblazon that was unveiled and publicly presented by his predecessor in an appropriate ceremony attended by hundreds of scholars, faculty/staff members, university officials and alumni. Said presidential approval is in response to the request for enlightenment by the University Registrar. The Acting President provided her such an enlightenment. A similar enlightenment on the unified use of the correct PLM seal was formally circulated to all the colleges and offices on even date.


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