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PA 100 Years
Evolution of the PA Seal
The first 100 years of the Philippine Army recounted Let us take a look at the metamorphosis of the Philippine Army in seven full chapters. seal through its 100-year saga..
Philippine Army History
The Battle of Mactan on April 21, 1521 marked the first organized resistance of the Filipinos against foreign invaders. In this battle, the Spanish conquistador, Ferdinand Magellan fell into the hands of Lapu-lapu, chieftain of Mactan.
The eventual conquest and rule of our islands by Spain steered unrest among the Filipino natives. After centuries of abusive friar rule, the Filipinos clamored for reforms. Andres Bonifacio later founded the Katipunan to prepare for armed revolt. The Katipunan formed the nucleus of the Revolutionary Army, the forerunner of the present-day Philippine Army.
Following the outbreak of hostilities between the Filipino Revolutionary Forces and the Spanish troops, the Philippine Revolutionary Government and its Army was established on March 22, 1897 at Barrio Tejeros, San Francisco de Malabon, Cavite with General Artemio Ricarte elected as Captain General. This date has been considered as the founding day of the Philippine Army.
Two years after the Cry at Pugadlawin, General Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine Independence on 12 June 1898. The Filipino troops were to enjoy only a brief respite. The signing of the Treaty of Paris on 10 December 1899 ceded the Philippines to the United States. Due to the superiority of American arms and ammunitions, the Filipinos fell back from one position to another.
With the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth on November 15, 1935, President Quezon sought the services of General Douglas McArthur to evolve a national defense plan. Accordingly, Commonwealth Act No.1, popularly known as the National Defense Act was enacted into law. Executive Order No.11 provided the legal basis for the organization of an army of the Philippines. It had an annual appropriation of sixteen million pesos.
When World War II erupted in 1941, two regular and ten reserve divisions of the Philippine Army undertook the defense of the Philippines. These divisions were incorporated into the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) under the command of General McArthur.
After the war, four military areas were activated to take the place of military districts. The Armed Forces was reorganized which gave birth to the four major services of the Armed Forces. Headquarters National Defense Forces was renamed General Headquarters Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In the early fifties and the mid-sixties, the Philippine government extended a helping hand to war-torn countries. The army spared five battalions which comprised the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) to fulfill an international commitment and, at the same time, to uphold the struggle for democracy. The Philippine Civic Action Group (PhilCAGV) was sent to South Vietnam on a mission of peace, providing technical and medical services.
On July 10, 1957, a separate headquarters for the Philippine Army was established with Brig. Gen. Leoncio S. Tan as the Commanding General. The sixties paved the way for the expansion of the army's role to include participation in the socio-economic programs of the country.
Higher headquarters mandated the activation of infantry divisions in the seventies to take the place of the military areas, with the end in view of achieving greater flexibility and effectiveness. On September 21, 1972, Martial Law was declared. During the decade, military operations supported by civic action deterred the escalation of insurgency and civilian unrest.
The eighties saw the birth of the Special Operations Team (SOT) strategy, a low level security operations strategy aimed at addressing the cognizable growth of the insurgency during this period. The SOT strategy helped carry out national development initiatives apart from its role in counterinsurgency campaigns. Its effective execution caused the demoralization and disintegration of the insurgents, which would eventually see the rapid decline of the CPP/NPA/NDF threat..
Developments in the global community and the inception of the AFP Modernization Program during the advent of the nineties ushered the emergence of the army's new role as partner in progress. With this challenge, the Army Concern for Community Organizing and Development (ACCORD) program was implemented, where the army's manpower, skills and resources were tapped for community growth initiatives to facilitate countryside development. Today, as we move on to the next millennium, our army moves forward with a firm resolve to fulfill its vision of becoming a professional, capable and responsive force that is source of national pride and ready to render service across the land.###