Philippine Revolutionary Army Explained

Start Date:	March 22, 1897
End Date:	November 13, 1899
Allegiance:	Tejeros Government Republic of Biak-na-Bato unknown following the December 14, 1897 signing of the Pact of Biak na Bato until April 17, 1898.
Type:	Army
Role:	Land warfare
Size:	80,000 to 100,000 (1898)
Garrison:	Kawit, Cavite
Nickname:	Republican Army^[1] ^[2]
Colors:	Blue, Red, White, and Gold
Colours Label:	-->
Anniversaries:	March 22
Commander1:	Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
Commander1 Label:	President
Commander2 Label:	Commanding General

The Philippine Revolutionary Army, later renamed Philippine Republican Army^[3] (Spanish: Ejército Revolucionario Filipino; Tagalog: Panghimagsikang Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas), was the army of the First Philippine Republic from its formation in March 1897 to its dissolution in November of 1899 in favor of guerrilla operations in the Philippine–American War.

History

See also: Military history of the Philippines and List of weapons of the Philippine revolution. 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.^[4] 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.^[5] Juan Luna also designed the collar insignia for the uniforms, distinguishing between the services: infantry, cavalry, artillery, sappers, and medics.^{[6] [7] [8]} His brother, General Antonio Luna commissioned him with the task and personally paid for the new uniforms.^[5] 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.^[9] Infantry officers wore blue pants with two white stripes down the side, while Cavalry officers wore red trousers with two black stripes.^{[10] [11]} Soldiers and junior officers wore straw hats while senior officers often wore peaked caps.

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.^[4]

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 guerrilla 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.

Arsenal

The Filipinos were short on modern weapons. Most of its weapons were captured from the Spanish, were improvised or were traditional weapons. The service rifles of the nascent army were the Spanish M93 and the Spanish Remington Rolling Block rifle. Moreover, while in Hong Kong, Emilio Aguinaldo purchased rifles from the Americans.^[12] Two batches of 2,000 rifles each including ammunition were ordered and paid for. The first batch arrived while the second batch never did. In his letters to Galicano Apacible, Mariano Ponce also sought weapons from both domestic and international dealers in the Empire of Japan.^[13] He was offered different breech-loading single-shot rifles since most nations were discarding them in favor of new smokeless bolt-action rifles. However, there was no mention of any purchase occurring. Another planned purchase was the Murata rifle from Japan but no record exists that it made its way into the hands of Filipino revolutionaries.

Crew-served weapons of the Philippine military included lantaka, Krupp guns, Hontoria guns, Ordóñez guns, Hotchkiss guns, Nordenfelt guns, Maxim guns, and Colt guns. Many of these were captured from the Spanish and the Americans. There were also improvised artillery weapons made of water pipes reinforced with bamboo or timber, which could only fire once or twice.

Ranks

See main article: Military ranks of the Philippines.

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Shoulder insignia^[14] ^[15] (1899–1901)
Sleeve insignia
English	Generalissimo/Minister marshal		Captain general		Lieutenant general		Divisional general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Commandant		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant
Tagalog	Tagalog: Heneralisimo/Ministrong mariskal		Tagalog: Kapitán heneral		Tagalog: Tenyente Heneral		Tagalog: Komandante Heneral		Tagalog: Brigada Heneral		Tagalog: Koronel		Tagalog: Tenyente koronel		Tagalog: Komandante		Tagalog: Kapitán		Tagalog: Tenyente			Tagalog: Alpéres
Spanish	Spanish; Castilian: Generalísimo/Ministro mariscal		Spanish; Castilian: Capitán general		Spanish; Castilian: Teniente general		Spanish; Castilian: General de división		Spanish; Castilian: General de brigada		Spanish; Castilian: Coronel		Spanish; Castilian: Teniente coronel		Spanish; Castilian: Comandante		Spanish; Castilian: Capitán		Spanish; Castilian: 1{{sup|er			Spanish; Castilian: 2° teniente

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Sleeve insignia
English	Sergeant						Corporal		Private						Civil guardsman first class	Civil guardsman
Tagalog											Tagalog: Sarhento																Tagalog: Kabo		Tagalog: Pribato
Spanish											Spanish; Castilian: Sargento																Spanish; Castilian: Cabo		Spanish; Castilian: Privato

Branch colors

In 1898, the Philippine government prescribed branch colors twice:

Branch	July 30, 1898	November 25, 1898
Infantry	Black	Deep Red
Artillery	Red	Green
Cavalry	Green	Black
Engineer Corps	Violet	Khaki
General Staff	Blue	Blue
Military Juridical Corps	White	White
Commissary and Quarter-master Corps	Yellow
Medical Corps	Red Cross	Yellow
Military Administration		Rayadillo
Pharmacists		Yellow and Violet Piping
Secretary of War personnel		Blue
Philippine Military Academy		Blue
Chaplains		Violet
Signal Corps		Hemp

Branch insignia

• Engineers: A castle superimposed on a diagonally crossed pickax and shovel, surmounted by a sun.
• Artillery: Crossed field guns above six cannonballs, surmounted by a sun.
• Infantry: A diagonally crossed dagger and bolo surmounted by a sun, superimposed on three concentric circles.
• Cavalry: Two crossed lances over two crossed sabers, surmounted by a sun.
• Light Infantry/Rifle battalions: Two crossed rifles with fixed bayonets surmounted by a sun, superimposed on three concentric circles. (This badge is the basis of the current PA infantry branch insignia).
• Intendancy-Quartermaster: A cockade within a wreath surmounted by a sun.
• Signals: Six lightning bolts over a semicircular wreath surmounted by a sun.
• Medical Service: A bowl of Hygieia within a wreath surmounted by a sun.

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.^[16]

Organization

The largest standard unit in the Filipino army according to the decree issued by President Aguinaldo on July 30, 1898 was the battalion, which varied in size depending on the province: six-company battalions in populous provinces like Cavite and Manila, four-company battalions in Morong, Bataan, and Nueva Ecija, a two-company battalion in Mindoro, and a single company in Marinduque. Soldiers were recruited voluntarily, with surplus volunteers either joining the police or forming a 3,000-strong central corps under the President. Battalions were named after their respective provinces, such as the 1st Battalion of Tayabas.^[17]

Philippine Revolutionary Navy

The Philippine Revolutionary Navy was established during the second phase of the Philippine Revolution when General Emilio Aguinaldo formed the Revolutionary Navy. On May 1, 1898, the first ship handed by Admiral George Dewey to the Revolutionary Navy is a small pinnace from the Reina Cristina of Admiral Patricio Montojo, which was named Magdalo.^[18] The Navy was initially composed of a small fleet of eight Spanish steam launches captured from the Spaniards. The ships were refitted with 9-centimeter guns. The rich, namely Leon Apacible, Manuel Lopez and Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio, later donated five other vessels of greater tonnage, the Taaleño, the Balayan, the Bulusan, the Taal and the Purísima Concepción. The 900-ton inter-island tobacco steamer further reinforced the fleet, Compania de Filipinas (renamed as the navy flagship Filipinas), steam launches purchased from China and other watercraft donated by wealthy patriots.^[19]

Naval stations were later established to serve as ships' home bases in the following:

• Ports of Aparri
• Ports of Legaspi
• Ports of Balayan
• Ports of Calapan
• Ports of San Roque, Cavite

On September 26, 1898, Aguinaldo appointed Captain Pascual Ledesma (a merchant ship captain) as Director of the Bureau of the Navy, assisted by Captain Angel Pabie (another merchant ship captain). After passing of the Malolos Constitution the Navy was transferred from the Ministry of Foreign Relations to the Department of War (thereafter known as the Department of War and the Navy) headed by Gen. Mariano Trías.

As the tensions between Filipinos and Americans erupted in 1899 and a continued blockade on naval forces by the Americans, the Philippine naval forces started to be decimated.

Flags and early banners of the revolution

See main article: Flags of the Philippine Revolution.

Officers

General officers

See main article: List of Filipino generals in the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. During the existence of the Philippine Revolutionary Army, over a hundred individuals were appointed to General Officer grades.

Other notable officers

• General Águeda Kahabagan y Iniquinto - Commander of the Reserve Corps from April 6, 1899. The only female general in the roster.
• Colonel Agapito Bonzón
• Colonel Felipe Salvador – Commander of the Santa Iglesia faction.
• Colonel Apolinar Vélez
• Colonel Alejandro Avecilla
• Colonel Francisco "Paco" Román – Aide to Lieutenant General Antonio Luna.
  • Colonel Pablo Tecson – Leader, Battle of Quingua.
• Colonel Alipio Tecson – Supreme Military Commander of Tarlac in 1900 and exiled to Guam.
• Colonel Simón Tecson – Leader of Siege of Baler; signatory of the Biak-na-Bato Constitution.
• Colonel Simeón Villa
• Colonel Luciano San Miguel
• Colonel Joaquin Luna
• Colonel José Tagle – Known for his role in the Battle of Imus.
• Lieutenant Colonel Lázaro Macapagal – Commanding officer in-charge at the execution of Andrés and Procopio Bonifacio brothers.
• Lieutenant Colonel José Torres Bugallón – Hero of the Battle of La Loma.
• Lieutenant Colonel Regino Díaz Relova – Fought as one of the heads of columns under General Juan Cailles in the Laguna province.
• Major Manuel Quezon – Aide to President Emilio Aguinaldo. Eventually succeeded him as the second president of the Philippines under the United States-sponsored Commonwealth.
• Major Eugenio Daza – Area Commander Southeastern Samar and overall Commander and chief organizer of the Balangiga Encounter.
• Major Geronimo Gatmaitan – Commanding Officer of the presidential guards responsible for the protection of the President.^[20]
• Major Juan Arce
  • Captain Eduardo Rusca – Aide to Lieutenant General Antonio Luna.
• Captain Pedro Janolino – Commanding Officer of the Kawit Battalion.
• Captain Vicente Roa
• Captain Serapio Narváez – Officer of the 4th Company, Morong Battalion.
• Captain Cirilo Arenas - Captain of Maguagui (Naic), Cavite.
• Lieutenant García – one of Gen. Luna's favorite sharpshooters of the Black Guard units.
• Corporal Anastacio Félix – 4th Company, Morong Battalion the first Filipino casualty of the Philippine–American War.^[21]

Notable officers and servicemen and their ethnic background

Army:

• General Juan Cailles – Franco-Indian mestizo who led Filipino forces in Laguna^[22]
• General José Valesy Nazaraire – Spanish.
• Brigadier General José Ignacio Paua – Full-blooded Chinese general in the Army.^[23]
• Brigadier General Benito Natividad – Brigade Acting Commander in Vigan under General Tinio.
• Colonel Manuel Sityar – Half-Spanish Director of Academía Militar de Malolos. A former captain in the Spanish colonial army who defected to the Filipino side.^[24]
• Colonel Sebastian de Castro – Spanish director of the military hospital at Malasiqui, Pangasinan.
• Colonel Dámaso Ybarra y Thomas – Spanish.
• Lieutenant Colonel Potenciano Andrade – Spanish.
• Estaquio Castellor – French mestizo who led a battalion of sharpshooters.
• Major Candido Reyes – Instructor at the Academía Militar de Malolos. Former sergeant in the Spanish Army.^[25]
• Major José Reyes – Instructor at the Academía Militar de Malolos. Former sergeant in the Spanish Army.
• Major José Torres Bugallón – Spanish officer who served under General Luna.
• Captain Antonio Costosa – Former officer in the Spanish Army.
• Captain Tei Hara – Japanese officer who fought in the Philippine-American war with volunteer soldiers.^[26]
• Captain Chizuno Iwamoto – Japanese officer who served on Emilio Aguinaldo's staff.^[26] Returned to Japan after Aguinaldo's capture.^[26]
• A Japanese national named Tobira ("Tomvilla" in American records) who was adjutant to General Licerio Geronimo.^[27]
• Captain David Fagen – An African-American Captain who served under Brigadier General Urbano Lacuna. A former Corporal in United States Army 24th Colored Regiment.^{[28] [29]}
• Captain Francisco Espina – Spanish.^[30]
• Captain Estanislao de los Reyes – Spanish aide-de-camp to General Tinio.
• Captain Feliciano Ramoso – Spanish aide-de-camp to General Tinio.
• Captain Mariano Queri – Spanish officer who served under General Luna as an instructor in the Academía Militar de Malolos and later as the director-general of the staff of the war department.
• Captain Camillo Ricchiardi – Italian.
• Captain Telesforo Centeno – Spanish.
• Captain Arthur Howard – American deserter from the 1st California Volunteers.
• Captain Glen Morgan – American who organized insurgent forces in central Mindanao.
• Captain John Miller – American who organized insurgent forces in central Mindanao.
• Captain Russel – American deserter from the 10th Infantry.
• Lieutenant Danfort – American deserter from the 10th Infantry.
• Lieutenant Maximino Lazo – Spanish.
• Lieutenant Gabriel Badelly Méndez – Cuban.
• 2nd Lieutenant Segundo Paz – Spanish.
• Lieutenant Alejandro Quirulgico – Spanish.
• Lieutenant Rafael Madina – Spanish.
• Lieutenant Saburo Nakamori – Japanese.^[31]
• Lieutenant Arsenio Romero – Spanish.
• Private John Allane – United States Army.
• Private Harry Dennis – United States Army.
• Private William Hyer – United States Army.
• Private Meeks (given name not specified) – United States Army.
• Private George Raymond – 41st Infantry, United States Army.
• Private Maurice Sibley – 16th Infantry, United States Army.^[32]
• Private John Wagner – United States Army.
• Private Edward Walpole – United States Army.
• Henry Richter – American deserter from the 9th Cavalry.
• Gorth Shores – American deserter from the 9th Cavalry.
• Fred Hunter – American deserter from the 9th Cavalry.
• William Denten – American deserter who joined General Lukban in Samar.
• Enrique Warren – American deserter who served under Francisco Makabulos in Tarlac.
• Frank Mekin - American deserter from the 37th Infantry who served as a lieutenant under General Juan Cailles.^[33]
• Earl Guenther - American deserter and canteen keeper from the 37th Infantry at the Paete garrison who served under General Juan Cailles.^[34]
• Antonio Prisco – Spanish.
• Manuel Alberto – Spanish.
• Eugenia Plona – Spanish aide-de-camp to Baldermo Aguinaldo.
• Alexander MacIntosh – English.^[35]
• William McAllister – English.
• Charles MacKinley – Englishman who served in Laoag.
• James O'Brian – English.

Navy:

• Captain Simplicio Agoncillo Orosa - Captain of the first steam flagship of the navy, SS Bulusan.^[36]
• Captain Vicente Catalan – Captain of the Philippine Navy ship Filipinas. A Criollo from Cuba and a former member of the Spanish Navy. Admiral of the Philippine Navy.^[37]

See also

• Military history of the Philippines
• Katipunan
• Luna Sharpshooters
• Armed Forces of the Philippines
• Philippine Army
• History of the Philippine Army

References

Bibliography

• Book: Bowers. William T. . Hammond. William M. . MacGarrigle. George L. . Black Soldier, White Army: The 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea. 1997. DIANE Publishing. 978-0-7881-3990-1.
• Deady . Timothy K. . Lessons from a Successful Counterinsurgency: The Philippines, 1899–1902 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090326184120/http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/05spring/deady.pdf. March 26, 2009. Parameters . 35. 1. 53–68 . Spring 2005. US Army War College.
• Book: Fantina, Robert . Desertion and the American Soldier, 1776–2006. 2006. Algora Publishing. 978-0-87586-453-2.
• Book: Halili, Christine N.. Philippine History. 2004. Rex Bookstore, Inc.. 978-971-23-3934-9.
  • Book: Linn, Brian McAllister . The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in the Philippine War, 1899-1902. 2000b. UNC Press Books. 978-0-8078-4948-4.
• Book: Scott, William Henry . Ilocano responses to American aggression, 1900-1901. 1986. New Day Publishers. 978-971-10-0336-4.
• Book: Tan, Samuel K.. The Filipino-American War, 1899-1913. 2002. University of the Philippines Press. 978-971-542-339-7.

In popular media

The Philippine revolutionary army has been mentioned in several books and films.

Films

• Teniente Rosario (1937)
• Dugo sa Kapirasong Lupa (1975)
• Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976)
• Aguila (1980)
• (1996)
• José Rizal (1998)
• Baler (2008)
• Amigo (2010)
• El Presidente (2012)
• (2014)
• Heneral Luna (2015)
• (2018)

External links

• Philippines Independence Armies: Insignia 1896 – 1902
• Web site: Artemio Ricarte . https://web.archive.org/web/20110809163308/http://server.pvao.mil.ph/artemio_ricarte.html . August 9, 2011 . January 28, 2012.
• Images of Filipino Republican Army rayadillo tunics

Notes and References

1. Book: Brian McAllister Linn. The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in the Philippine War, 1899–1902. 2000. UNC Press Books. 978-0-8078-4948-4. 13.
2. Book: Jerry Keenan. Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American & Philippine-American Wars. registration. 2001. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-57607-093-2. 202, 205, 207-209, 212, 250, 295, 306, 310, 454.
3. Web site: Philippine Revolution | GOVPH. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
4. Web site: Philippine-American War, 1899–1902 . January 28, 2012. philippineamericanwar.webs.com.
5. Book: Jose, Vivencio R. . The Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna . Solar Publishing . 1986 . 106.
6. Web site: Uniformology II . May 20, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080502095850/http://falangefilipinas.4t.com/photo5.html . May 2, 2008 .
7. Book: Alejandrino, Jose . The Price of Freedom . 1949.
8. News: Opiña . Rimaliza . Military academy sheds West Point look . Sun.Star Baguio . November 14, 2004 . May 19, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081029220704/http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bag/2004/11/14/news/military.academy.sheds.west.point.look.html . October 29, 2008 .
9. Web site: Combs . William K. . Filipino Rayadillo Norfolk-pattern Tunic . May 18, 2008.
10. Web site: Filipino Rayadillo Norfolk Pattern Tunic. October 18, 2015.
11. Web site: Uniformology I . May 20, 2008.
12. Book: Agoncillo . Teodoro . History of the Filipino People . 1960.
13. Book: Ponce . Mariano . Cartas Sobre la Revolución.
14. Web site: Infographic: Army of the First Philippine Republic . malacanang.gov.ph . Presidential Museum and Library . 26 June 2021.
15. Web site: Gobierno Revolucionario . The laws of the first Philippine Republic (the laws of Malolos) 1898-1899. . quod.lib.umich.edu . 21 January 2024 . 70–71 . es . 1898.
16. Book: Gregorio F. Zaide. The Philippine Revolution. 1968. Modern Book Company. 279.
17. Angeles . Jose Amiel . 2013 . AS OUR MIGHT GROWS LESS: THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN WAR IN CONTEXT . PhD . University of Oregon.
18. Web site: History of the Philippine Navy . Zulueta, Joselito . Philippine Navy . July 21, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100217101436/http://www.navy.mil.ph/history.htm . February 17, 2010 .
19. Web site: THE PHILIPPINE NAVY . dlsu.edu.ph . De La Salle University-Manila (ROTC) . July 21, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120914074806/http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/offices/osa/rotc/pdf/ms2/phil-navy-b.pdf . September 14, 2012 . live .
20. Web site: Presidential Security Group - History. n.d.. July 12, 2023. globalsecurity.org.
21. Web site: FIL-AM WAR BREAKS OUT. philippineamericanwar.webs.com.
22. .
23. .
24. .
25. .
26. Web site: Japanese with a different face. Ambeth R. Ocampo. inquirer.net. July 3, 2015.
27. Report of the United States Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War for the period from December 1, 1900, to October 15, 1901
28. .
29. .
30. .
31. Consistency Is the Hobgoblin: Manuel L. Quezon and Japan, 1899–1934 by Grant K. Goodman, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Mar. 1983), p.79.
32. Book: Hurley, Vic. Jungle Patrol, the Story of the Philippine Constabulary (1901–1936). June 14, 2011. Cerberus Books. 978-0-9834756-2-0. 169.
33. The Bamberg herald. June 27, 1901
34. San Francisco Call, Volume 87, Number 23, 23 June 1901
35. .
36. Web site: Flagships of the Philippine Navy up to the Present Day – The Maritime Review. maritimereview.ph.
37. https://maritimereview.ph/flagships-of-the-philippine-navy-up-to-the-present-day/ Flagships of the Philippine Navy up to the Present Day