Armed Forces of the Philippines

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Armed Forces of the Philippines
Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas

Emblem of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Founded March 22, 1897
Service branches Philippine Army seal Philippine Army
Philippine Navy seal Philippine Navy
Philippine Air Force seal Philippine Air Force
Headquarters Camp Aguinaldo,
Metro Manila
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Alexander B. Yano
Military age Between 19-56 years old.
Active personnel 113,500
Reserve personnel 131,000
Related articles
History Philippine Revolution
Spanish-American War
Philippine-American War
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Islamic insurgency
Hukbalahap campaign
Communist insurgency
Ranks Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (Filipino: Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) or AFP is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force. The AFP is a volunteer force and has a total active strength of 113,500 with 131,000 personnel in reserve. The AFP leadership consists of the Chief of Staff (Lt. Gen. Alexander B. Yano), Vice Chief of Staff (Lt. Gen. Cardozo M. Luna), and Deputy Chief of Staff (Lt. Gen. Rodrigo F. Maclang).[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The AFP traces its roots to the Philippine Scouts, an armed Filipino force organized in 1901 by the United States to combat the Philippine Revolutionary Forces then led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.

[edit] Katipunan

The Philippine Revolutionary Forces stemmed from the Katipunan, a revolutionary force founded by Andres Bonifacio in 1892 which waged war against Spain and the United States for Philippine Independence. The Katipunan, officially known as Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan ("Supreme and Venerable Society of the Children of the Nation") or KKK, was mainly composed of peasants who were attracted by Bonifacio's charisma in demanding independence from Spain. Later, wealthy Filipinos, many of whom were educated in Europe, joined the Katipunan. They held most of the higher military and administrative positions.

Even before the United States arrived in the Philippines, the Katipunan gained many victories against Spanish forces, which were also composed of native Filipinos hired by the Spanish government. When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, the United States, then preparing for the extension of its territory by acquiring Spanish assets, offered to help the Katipunan fight the Spanish troops in the Philippines.[citation needed] Emilio Aguinaldo — at the time exiled to Hong Kong following the Pact of Biak na Bato— accepted the offer.[citation needed] Spanish troops were weakened within a month and, on June 12, 1898, Philippine Independence was declared. The Philippine Declaration of Independence was signed by ninety-eight individuals, including an American military officer who witnessed the event. This event created the first Republic in Asia. The republic established is now known as the First Philippine Republic, to differentiate it from the Second Philippine Republic, a puppet government of Japan during World War II and the Third Philippine Republic which is the current Republic of the Philippines, which became independent from the United States on July 4, 1946.

[edit] Philippine-American War

Initially, after declaring independence in 1898, the Philippine government took on a dictatorial form. This was replaced by a revolutionary government headed by Emilio Aguinaldo as President on June 23, 1898. The First Philippine Republic was formally established with the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution on January 23, 1899. When it became apparent to the Katipunan that the United States had no intention of recognizing the newly-establish Republic, the Philippine-American War erupted with a declaration of war by the Philippines on the United States.[2][3] The Philippine Revolutionary Forces, which lacked sufficient armor and ammunition, lost many battles. By 1901, the Filipinos had completely lost the war.

In 1901, the United States established the Philippine Scouts for purpose of assisting in combating the remnants of the Katipunan. The AFP was formally organized during the American Commonwealth era through the National Defense Act of 1935 (Commonwealth Act No. 1).

[edit] Philippine Commonwealth

During the Philippine Commonwealth era, President Manuel Quezon, the first President of the Commonwealth, renamed the Philippine Army to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and asked Gen. Douglas MacArthur, to be its first commanding officer after the Philippines gained independence from the U.S. MacArthur accepted the offer and became the first and only person of foreign citizenship to be in the ranks of AFP. MacArthur held the rank of Field Marshal, a rank no other person has since held in the AFP. MacArthur made the Philippine armed forces a strong military unit, which later played an important role during World War II. Japanese forces, caught unaware of the true strength of the combined U.S. and Philippine military, were forced to redirect many of their forces to the Philippines, slowing and eventually halting their movement towards Australia.

During World War II, all soldiers of the Philippine military were incorporated in the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), with MacArthur appointed as its commander. USAFFE made its last stand on Corregidor Island in the Philippines, after which Japanese forces were able to force all remaining Filipino and American troops to surrender. After Japan was defeated in World War II, the Philippines gained its independence (its second independence – the Philippines recognizes Aguinaldo's declaration of independence in 1898 as its original year of independence). The Philippines and the United States have since maintained a tight and mutual relationship, making the AFP one of the strongest militaries in Asia from the 1950s through the 1970s.

[edit] Organization and branches

The 1987 Philippine Constitution puts the AFP under the control of a civilian, the President of the Republic of the Philippines, who acts as its Commander-in-Chief. All of its branches are part of the Department of National Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of National Defense.

The AFP has three major branches: the Philippine ArmyHukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas, Philippine NavyHukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas and Philippine Air ForceHukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas. These three major branches are unified under a Chief of Staff who normally holds the rank of General. He is assisted by a Vice Chief of Staff (Lieutenant General) and a Deputy Chief of Staff (Major General). The three major branches are each headed by an officer with the following titles: Commanding General of the Philippine Army (Lieutenant General), Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy (Vice-Admiral), and Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force (Lieutenant General).

[edit] Unified commands

Units from these three services may be assigned to one of several "Unified Commands", which are multi-service, regional entities:[4]

[edit] AFP-wide support and separate units

Several service-wide support services and separate units report directly to the AFP General Headquarters (AFP GHQ), these include:

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References