Philippine Revolutionary Army

Philippine Revolutionary Army
Panghimagsikang Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas
Ejército Revolucionario Filipino

Ejercito en la República dela Filipina Emblem, 1897
Founded March 22, 1897
Country First Philippine Republic Philippine Republic
Type Army
Role Military Force
Size 80,000 to 100,000 (1898)[1]
Garrison/HQ Kawit, Cavite
Nickname(s) "Republican Army"
"Philippine Army"
Colors Blue, Red, Gold and White
Anniversaries March 22
Engagements

Philippine Revolution

Spanish–American War

Philippine–American War

Commanders
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines President General Emilio Aguinaldo
Notable
commanders
Artemio Ricarte
Antonio Luna
Pío del Pilar
Mariano Noriel
Gregorio del Pilar
Miguel Malvar
Marching Filipino soldiers during the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic in Malolos on January 23, 1899.

The Philippine Revolutionary Army (Filipino: Panghimagsikang Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas; Spanish: Ejército Revolucionario Filipino) was founded on March 22, 1897 in Cavite. General Artemio Ricarte was designated as its first Captain General during the Tejeros Convention.[2] This armed force of General Emilio Aguinaldo's central revolutionary government replaced the Katipunan militia.[3]

History

The Army's uniforms were patterned after the Norfolk jacket.
Regular soldiers of the Philippine Revolutionary Army stand at attention for an inspection.
See also: Military history of the Philippines and History of the Philippine Revolutionary Army

The revolutionary army used the 1896 edition of the Spanish regular army's Ordenanza del Ejército to organize its forces and establish its character as a modern army. Rules and regulations were laid down for the reorganization of the army, along with the regulation of ranks and the adoption of new fighting methods, new rank insignias, and a new standard uniform known as the rayadillo. Filipino artist Juan Luna is credited with this design.[4][5] His brother, General Antonio Luna commissioned him with the task and personally paid for the new uniforms.[6] Juan Luna also designed the collar insignia for the uniforms, distinguishing between the services: infantry, cavalry, artillery, sappers, and medics.[7] At least one researcher has postulated that Juan Luna may have patterned the tunic after the English Norfolk jacket, since the Filipino version is not a copy of any Spanish-pattern uniform.[8] Infantry officers wore blue pants with a black stripe down the side, while Cavalry officers wore red trousers with black stripes.[9][10]

Orders and circulars were issued covering matters such as building trenches and fortifications, equipping every male aged 15 to 50 with bows and arrows (as well as bolo knives, though officers wielded European swords), enticing Filipino soldiers in the Spanish army to defect, collecting empty cartridges for refilling, prohibiting unplanned sorties, inventories of captured arms and ammunition, fundraising, purchasing of arms and supplies abroad, unification of military commands, and exhorting the rich to give aid to the soldiers.[3]

Aguinaldo, a month after he declared Philippine independence, created a pay scale for officers in the army: Following the board, a brigadier general would receive 600 pesos annually, and a sergeant 72 pesos.

When the Philippine–American War erupted on February 4, 1899, the Filipino army suffered heavy losses on every sector. Even Antonio Luna urged Apolinario Mabini, Aguinaldo's chief adviser, to convince the President that guerrilla warfare must be announced as early as April 1899. Aguinaldo adopted guerilla tactics on November 13, 1899, dissolving what remained of the regular army and after many of his crack units were decimated in set-piece battles.[11]

Arsenal

The main weapon of the new Filipino army was the Spanish M93, also the standard infantry arm of the Spanish, and the Remington Spanish rifle.[3] Crew-served weapons of the Philippine military included lantakas, Krupp guns, Hontoria guns, an Ordóñez gun, Hotchkiss guns, Nordenfelt guns, Maxim guns, and Colt guns. Also, there were improvised artillery weapons made of water pipes reinforced with bamboo or timber, which can only fire once or twice.[3]

Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the Supreme Commander of the Philippine Revolutionary Army.
Group showing General Manuel Tinio (seated, center), General Benito Natividad (seated, 2nd from right), Lt. Col. Jose Alejandrino (seated, 2nd from left), and their aides-de-camp.

Ranks/hierarchy

Antonio Luna, notable Chief Commander of the Philippine Revolutionary Army.
Artemio Ricarte, the Commander of the Philippine Revolutionary Army.
General Gregorio del Pilar, and his troops around 1898.
Soldiers of the army stationed near the Barasoain church during a session of the congress.

The evolution of Philippine revolutionary insignia can be divided into three basic periods; early Katipunan, late Katipunan and the Republican army.

Image Rank/Insignia (Tagalog and Spanish Equivalent Rank(s) in English Image Rank/Insignia Equivalent Rank(s) in English
Ministrong Mariskal
Ministro Mariscal
Minister Marshal
Marshal
Tenyente Koronel
Teniente Coronel
Lieutenant Colonel
Kapitán Heneral
Capitán General
Captain General
Admiral
Komandante
Comandante
Major
Tenyente Heneral
Teniente General
Lieutenant General Kapitán
Capitán
Captain
Magat Heneral
Mayor General
Major General Tenyente
Teniente
Lieutenant
Brigadyer Heneral
Brigadier General
Brigadier General Sarhento
Sargento
Sergeant
Koronel
Coronel
Colonel Kabo
Cabo
Corporal

Recruitment and conscription

During the revolution against Spain, the Katipunan gave leaflets to the people to encourage them to join the revolution. Since the revolutionaries had become regular soldiers at the time of Emilio Aguinaldo, they started to recruit males and some females aged 15 and above as a form of national service. A few Spanish and Filipino enlisted personnel and officers of the Spanish Army and Spanish Navy defected to the Revolutionary Army, as well as a number of foreign individuals and American defectors who volunteered to join during the course of the revolution.

Conscription in the revolutionary army was in effect in the Philippines and military service was mandatory at that time by the order of Gen. Antonio Luna, the Chief Commander of the Army during the Philippine–American War.[12]

Flags and early banners of the revolution

General officers

During the existence of the Revolutionary Army, over 100 individuals were appointed to General Officer grades. For details, see the List of Filipino generals in the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War article.

Other notable officers

Manuel L. Quezon, a former president of the Philippines, rose to the rank of Major in the Army.
Francisco "Paco" Román – Aide to Lieutenant General Antonio Luna.

Foreign officers and servicemen

José Ignacio Paua, a Pure-blooded Chinese general.
ARMY
NAVY

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philippine Revolutionary Army.

References

  1. Deady 2005, p. 55 (page 3 of the PDF)
  2. "The Philippine Army History". Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Philippine-American War, 1899-1902". http://philippineamericanwar.webs.com. Retrieved 2012-01-28. External link in |publisher= (help)
  4. Alejandrino, Jose (1949). The Price of Freedom.
  5. Opiña, Rimaliza (2004-11-14). "Military academy sheds West Point look". Sun.Star Baguio. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  6. Jose, Vivencio R. (1986). The Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna. Solar Publishing. p. 106.
  7. "Uniformology II". Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  8. Combs, William K. "Filipino Rayadillo Norfolk-pattern Tunic". Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  9. "Filipino Rayadillo Norfolk Pattern Tunic". Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. "Uniformology I". Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  11. Linn 2000a, pp. 186–187
  12. Gregorio F. Zaide (1968). The Philippine Revolution. Modern Book Company. p. 279.
  13. "FIL-AM WAR BREAKS OUT". http://philippineamericanwar.webs.com. External link in |publisher= (help)
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Tan 2002, p. 249.
  15. Linn 2000b, p. 97.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tan 2002, p. 108.
  17. Tan 2002, pp. 108, 249.
  18. 1 2 Halili 2004, p. 169.
  19. 1 2 Ambeth R. Ocampo. "Japanese with a different face". inquirer.net.
  20. Bowers, Hammond & MacGarrigle 1997, p. 12.
  21. Fantina 2006, p. 88.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Tan 2002, p. 250.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Scott 1986, pp. 36–37
  24. Scott 1986, pp. 36–37, 195
  25. Hurley, Vic (2011-06-14). Jungle Patrol, the Story of the Philippine Constabulary (1901-1936). Cerberus Books. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-9834756-2-0.

Bibliography

The Philippine revolutionary army has been mentioned in several Books and movies.

Films

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