| Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo | |
| Nativename: | Kampo Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo |
| Location: | Quezon City, Philippines |
| Type: | Military base |
| Built: | 1935 |
| Materials: | Concrete and Metal |
| Used: | 1935–present |
| Garrison: | Department of National Defense
|
| Current Commander: | BGEN Joel Lalaquil, PA[1] [2] |
Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo (CGEA; formerly Camp Murphy), also known as Camp Aguinaldo, is the site of the general headquarters (GHQ) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
It is located in Quezon City along EDSA, a major thoroughfare of the metropolis, to which it is across Camp Crame, the national headquarters (NHQ) of the Philippine National Police (PNP). The military installation is named after Philippine revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo, who became the first Philippine president and fought in the Philippine Revolution, the Spanish–American War, and the Philippine–American War.
The combined areas of both Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame covers a total land area of 220ha, with 34ha being part of a deed of donation from the Ortigas and Company Partnership Limited in the 1950s. The company had originally acquired these lands as estate holdings from the Augustinian Order, such as the Hacienda de Mandaluyon.[3]
Camp Aguinaldo occupies 178.7ha of this total area,[4] of which 152.5ha hectares were purchased by the government and the remaining 26.2ha hectares were donated by Ortigas and Company.[5] [6]
Camp Aguinaldo was established on January 11, 1935, as Camp Murphy, including Zablan Field, which acted as an airstrip. It was then part of San Juan, Rizal. It was named in honor of the first American High Commissioner to the Philippines Frank Murphy. It was renamed Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in 1965, after the first president of the Philippines.[7] [8] The Philippine Constabulary General Service Battalion was the first to use the camp in January 1935. In December of that year, the National Defense Act paved the way for the formation of the Philippine Army.[9] It also designated the Philippine Constabulary as the Army Constabulary Division,[10] which maintains its peacekeeping mission under the DND.
In June 1938, the Army Constabulary Division was separated from the Philippine Army and was reformed to become the National Police Force under the Department of Interior.[11]
After World War II, Camp Murphy was divided into two camps—Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo. The Zablan Field's former Japanese runways now forms the roads of White Plains Avenue and a portion of Katipunan Avenue, just in front of White Plains subdivisions.[12] The camp was transferred to the jurisdiction of Quezon City in 1941,[13] [14] and briefly became part of the City of Greater Manila, resulting from Quezon City's merger with Manila and several Rizal towns, from 1942 to 1945.[15] [16]
During the EDSA Revolution in February 1986, Camp Aguinaldo, along with Camp Crame, were targeted by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) - a cabal of disgruntled officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) led by RAM founder Col. Gringo Honasan as key strategic facilities to restrict counteroffensive from Marcos-loyal troops as a part of a coup attempt against Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, however the coup was quickly uncovered and was ultimately aborted.[17]
On November 21, 2013, Civic Groups and Volunteers were to be transferred to Camp Emilio Aguinaldo from Villamor Air Base in Pasay. It was done to give more storage spaces for those who were part of Oplan Salubong. All relief supports including food, medical and transportation services were to be transferred to Camp Aguinaldo together with the DSWD in the benefit of Typhoon Yolanda survivors.[18] [19] [20] [21]
In March 2019, the DOTr announced that the Katipunan station of the Metro Manila Subway is planned to be built underneath a portion of the camp's property, along the intersection of Katipunan Avenue and Col. Bonny Serrano Avenue, in order to boost property values in the area and generate investments for the government .[22]
| Official Name: | Camp Aguinaldo |
| Settlement Type: | Barangay |
| Pushpin Map: | Metro Manila |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Philippines |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | National Capital Region |
| Subdivision Type2: | City |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quezon City |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | 3rd District |
| Government Type: | Barangay |
| Leader Title: | Barangay captain |
| Leader Name: | Gregorio R. Tolentino[23] |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | June 25, 1975[24] |
| Area Footnotes: | [25] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.83 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [26] |
| Population Total: | 3269 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | PST |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coordinates: | 14.6061°N 121.065°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal Code |
| Postal Code: | 1110[27] |
| Area Code: | 2 |
| Blank Name: | PSGC |
| Blank Info: | 137404019 |
The military installation is situated in its own administrative division as a barangay of Quezon City, known as Barangay Camp Aguinaldo. Prior to this, Camp Aguinaldo was part of Barangay Socorro until the namesake barangay was created through Executive Order No. 29 signed by Mayor Norberto S. Amoranto on June 25, 1975. At the time of creation, the barangay had 250 households and a voting population of 800 people.[25]
The land boundaries of Barangay Camp Aguinaldo are defined by Boni Serrano Avenue (formerly known as Santolan Road) to the north, EDSA to the west, White Plains Avenue to the south, and the eastern perimeter of the base to the east. [24] Some non-military establishments can be found near the northern boundary with Barangay Socorro along Boni Serrano Avenue, such as the Saint Ignatius de Loyola Parish Church and the Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo High School.
Its barangay hall can be located at the intersection of Road 3 and Gozar Street.[24]