Pulahan

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Pulahan (Filipino language – literally "those wearing red") refers to the members of a religious movement and warrior cult that developed in the Philippines following the Philippine-American War, around 1902-1907. At its peak, it numbered around 10,000-15,000 adherents. The movement began after the Philippine Constabulary took over patrols in Samar, after the U.S. military declared it pacified.

An alternative spelling of the term is pulajan, with roots in the widespread use of Spanish in the country during the Spanish occupation. The letter "j" in Spanish is pronounced as an "h".

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[edit] Religious overview

The pulahan practiced a simple religion, without complicated rituals but basic worship of both nature and fanatical combat. Pulahans dressed in bright red shirts, with flowing white capes, and baggy pants. They carried some folk Catholicism through their prayers alongside their tactics as a way of invoking God and Christ.

[edit] Fighting tactics

The weapon of choice was a heavy, crescent-shaped Bolo knife. Their battle preparations consisted of bottles of holy oil, prayer books, consecrated anting-antings (magical charms), and other religious paraphernalia. Along with Spanish Mauser, Krag, and Springfield rifles, the pulahans were usually better armed than their Constabulary enemies. However, poor marksmanship and lack of ammunition usually hampered this advantage.

Led by priest-warlords, pulahans were notorious fighters, usually disregarding better technology (such as firearms), in favor of hand-to-hand fighting using their bolos. The pulahan sought nothing but death in battle, making them very dangerous combatants and also contributing to their high casualty figures. In seeking death in battle, they believed that those who perished would be sent to paradise. Their fanatic zeal exceeded their level of military knowledge. Their tactics were very basic. Even when greatly outnumbering their enemies they still suffered defeat, due to lack of discipline and poor tactics, usually resulting in many casualties. The pulahans main battle tactic, was simply advance upon the enemy, fire a volley, then throw down their firearms and rush in to try and fight their enemies in hand-to-hand combat. Screaming "tad-tad!" ("chop to pieces!") as they charged, and waving brightly colored flags and banners.

Their lack of strategy is reflected even in their victory, with high casualty figures. It was not uncommon for a pulahan force to lose 300 or more men in one day of combat, facing Constabulary soldiers outnumbered 20 or 30 to 1. In the Massacre at Dolores, a company of less than fifty men managed to repel countless attacks of one thousand pulahans before being killed themselves. The pulahans, regardless of military knowledge, were reasonably well organized, grouping themselves into a complete military corps. The hillmen were organized into regiments and brigades with line and staff officers.

In the end, the battles and skirmishes with better armed and disciplined Constabulary and regular army soldiers exacted a heavy toll on the pulahans. In less than a decade they were defeated and disbanded.

It should also be noted that these Filipino fanatics were entirely separate from the Katipuneros led by Emilio Aguinaldo, and had no part in the first phase of the Philippine-American War. The pulahans, along with the Moros, were the only Filipino combatants in the latter part of the war in the Philippines.

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading

  • Alejandrino, Jose M. (1949). The Price of Freedom. 
  • Constantino, Renato (1972). The Philippines: A past revisited. 
  • Ileto, Reynaldo (1979). Pasyon and revolution: Popular movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910. 
  • Linn, Brian McAllister (War in History, Vol. 6, No. 1, 45-71 (1999)). The Pulahan Campaign: A Study in US Pacification. 
  • May, Glenn Anthony (1981). Battle for Batangas, a Philippine province at war. 
  • Ochosa, Orlino A (1989.). The Tinio Brigade: Anti-American resistance in the Ilocos provinces 1899-1901. 
  • Roth, Russell (1981). Muddy glory: America’s "Indian Wars" in the Philippines 1899-1935. 
  • Sturtevant, David R (1976). Popular uprisings in the Philippines 1840-1940.