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The Philippines are at war! Facebook flag gaffe suggests the nation has a fight on its hands

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

June 13, 2016 | 2 min read

Facebook has made another gaffe with its regionalised messages, this time implying that the Philippines are at war with a message of congratulations.

Indy

A message for those in the region wished a ‘Happy Independence Day’ flaunting the nation's flag - well one of them. The flag used by the social network however is only ever drawn out in times of war, juxtaposing with the celebratory message and visuals.

As it turns out, the normal flag is blue atop red in times of peace, and red atop blue in times of war – Facebook of course used the wrong one.

Facebook apologised to the Philippine state for the mistake: “We care deeply about the community in the Philippines and, in an attempt to connect people on Independence Day, we made a mistake.”

Similarly, last year Scottish users were served with the Romanian flag when celebrating St Andrews Day despite both nations celebrating the holiday.

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