Overview
The Philippine Red Cross was established through the initiative of Apolinario Mabini,
with Mrs. Hilaria del Rosario de Aguinaldo appointed as its first president.
The organization was recognized during the Filipino-American War and played
a crucial role in the establishment of the Philippine Red Cross Society.
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement History
The origins of the Red Cross traces back to 1859 during the Battle of Solferino, where the Swiss citizen
Jean Henri Dunant, while on a private trip, witnessed the aftermath of the battle that left more than
45,000 soldiers dead or wounded and abandoned without adequate medical assistance. Deeply moved,
Dunant documented his experience in the book “A Memory of Solferino” in 1862, in which he proposed
two key ideas: to train volunteers during war, and to establish an international humanitarian law
that would protect these volunteers and preserve human dignity in times of conflict.
This led to a meeting on February 17, 1863, where a five-member committee was formed to study Dunant’s proposals.
One of their main objectives was to adopt a distinctive emblem to symbolize protection and neutrality.
Later that year, the First International Conference was held, adopting the red cross on a white background
as the uniform emblem. In 1864, the first Geneva Convention was adopted, marking the birth of modern
international Humanitarian Law, with the red cross becoming a universal symbol.
During the war between Russia and Turkey from 1876 to 1878, the Ottoman Empire introduced the red crescent
on a white background as an alternative emblem, which was officially recognized in 1929.
In 1949, the four Geneva Conventions were revised to expand protection, including for civilians.
In 1992, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called for a new emblem
free of national, political, or religious associations, which led to the adoption of the red crystal in 2005
as an additional symbol of the movement.
Mission
We are the new Philippine Red Cross dedicated to provide an expanded and effective humanitarian service,
to build resilient communities, through a pool of well-trained and capable staff equipped with necessary
logistics and the use of information technology. We also aim to build a corps of volunteers all over the
country to help us deliver our services.
Vision
To be the foremost humanitarian organization ready to meet the challenges and capable of rapid delivery
of humanitarian services in order to prevent and alleviate human suffering and uplift the dignity of
the most vulnerable.
