Armed Forces of the Philippines

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The Armed Forces of the Philippines or AFP (Filipino: Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) is composed primarily 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. As of 2008, General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. serves as its Chief of Staff.

History

The AFP traces its roots from the Katipunan, the 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 composed mainly of peasants who were attracted by Bonifacio's charisma in demanding independence from Spain. Later, wealthy Filipinos, many of them educated in in Europe, joined the Katipunan. These held most of the higher military and administrative positions.

Even before the United States arrived on the scene, the Katipunan gained many victories against Spanish forces, mainly composed also of native Filipinos who were hired by the Spanish government. When the Spanish-American War erupted in 1898, the United States offered to help the Katipunan fight the Spanish troops in the Philippines. Emilio Aguinaldo — at the time was exiled to Hong Kong following the truce at Biak na Bato— accepted the offer. 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 brought the very first Republic in Asia, though it was de facto. The republic established is commonly known as the First Philippine Republic, as opposed to the Second Philippine Republic which was a puppet to Japan during World War II and the Third Philippine Republic which is the current Republic of the Philippines, and which became independent from the United States on July 4, 1946.

Initially, after declaring independence in 1898, the Philippine government took 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 has 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. The Katipunan, which lacked sufficient armor and ammunition, lost many battles. By 1901, the Katipunan completely lost the war.

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

During the Philippine Commonwealth era, President Manuel Quezon, the first President of the Commonwealth, asked Gen. Douglas MacArthur, an American General, to be the first head of the AFP — initially known as the Philippine Army), and renamed the AFP after the Philippine 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. Furthermore, he held the rank of a Field Marshal, the rank no other person has since held in the AFP. MacArthur made the Philippine military a strong army, which later played an important role during World War II. Japanese forces, caught unaware of the true strength of the combined US 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 was appointed as its head. USAFFE made its last stand in 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 back in 1898 as its original independence year). 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.

Organization and Branches

The 1987 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 Army or Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas, Philippine Navy or Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas and Philippine Air Force or Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas. These three major branches are unified under a Chief of Staff which normally hold a 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).

The AFP for 2008 has a budget of 1.19 billion US Dollars for 2008, which amounts to 0.7 per cent of its projected 2008 GDP.

Unified commands

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

Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM)
Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM)
National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM)
Central Command (CENTCOM)
Western Command (WESCOM)
Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM)
Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM)

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:

General Headquarters and Headquarters Service Command (GHQ & HSC)
Presidential Security Group (PSG)
Philippine Military Academy (PMA)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College (AFPCGSC)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Command (AFPRESCOM)
Intelligence Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Commissary and Exchange Service (AFPCES)
Communications, Electronics and Information System Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (CEISSAFP)
Civil Relations Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (CRSAFP)
Armed Forces of the Philippines, Dental Service Center (AFPDSC)

References

External links

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Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 06:32:08 PDT (GMT -0700)
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