Commonwealth period (1935–1946) ,
Vice Chief of Staff, Philippine Army from 1935 to 1938. Later
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 1939 to 1945. The Philippine Army of today was initially organized under the
National Defense Act of 1935 (Commonwealth Act No. 1) that formally created the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The act specified that insofar as may be practicable, original appointments by the President in grades above third lieutenant "shall be made from among those formerly holding Reserve Commissions in the United States Army, from among former officers of the Philippine Scouts and Constabulary, from among former officers of the National Guard and from such others who possess exceptional ability or special training and skill." After the establishment of the
Philippine Commonwealth on November 15, 1935,
President Manuel L. Quezon sought the services of
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (also
Philippine Army Field Marshal) to evolve a national defense plan. The official rebirth of the Philippine Army occurred with the passage of
Commonwealth Act No. 1, approved on December 21, 1935, which effected the organization of a
Council of National Defense and of the
Army of the Philippines. The act set forth the organizational structure of the army in some detail, set forth enlistment procedures, and established mobilization procedures. The year 1936 was devoted to the building of camps, organization of cadres, and the special training of instructors, drawn largely from the Constabulary, which joined the new force as the Constabulary Division. The commander of the Philippine Department provided Philippine Scouts as instructors and detailed U.S. Army officers to assist in the inspection, instruction, and administration of the program. By the end of the year instructors had been trained and camps established. The first group of 20,000 men was called up on January 1, 1937, and by the end of 1939 there were 4,800 officers and 104,000 men in the reserves. With an annual appropriation of 16 million pesos, the mobilized units trained new Filipino members in defending the nation and protecting its people.
World War II guerrilla fighter from the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, who would later become the President of the Philippines,
Ramon Magsaysay. When World War II broke out in December 1941, two regular and ten reserve divisions of the Philippine Army undertook the defense of the Philippines. These divisions were incorporated into the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) under the command of General Jhun De Silva and General MacArthur. Japanese forces invaded the Philippines after the bombing of
Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 1941. At this time, two regular and ten reserve divisions of the Philippine Army undertook the defense of the
Philippines. This included
North Luzon Force (under then Major General
Jonathan M. Wainwright),
South Luzon Force activated December 13, 1941 under Brig. Gen.
George M. Parker Jr., the
Visayas-Mindanao Force under Colonel
W.F. Sharp in the southern islands (61st,
81st, and 101st Divisions plus three other regiments), and the Reserve Force. North Luzon Force included the
11th,
21st, and
31st Divisions, all reserve. South Luzon Force include the 1st (regular) Division, and the 41st, 51st, and 71st (reserve) Divisions. These divisions were incorporated into the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). The equipment of these units included:
Renault FT tank (prewar training only);
75mm SPM (manned by PA and PS personnel);
Bren Gun Carrier (ex-Canadian);
Canon de 155 mm GPF;
Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider 75 mm Gun M1917;
2.95 inch QF Mountain gun;
3-inch naval gun;
6-pounder naval gun;
Stokes Mortar;
Brandt mle 27/31;
Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP;
M2 Browning machine gun;
M1917 Browning machine gun;
AN/M2;
M1918 Browning automatic rifle;
M1917 Enfield rifle;
M1903 Springfield rifle;
Thompson submachine gun;
M1911 pistol;
M1917 revolver;
Colt New Service;
Smith & Wesson Model 10;
Colt Official Police; and the
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless. After the Battle of Bataan, the Japanese began the siege and
Battle of Corregidor. Defending forces included regiments of the
Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays, the
4th Marine Regiment and other Philippine, U.S. Army and Navy units and soldiers. Japanese forces landed at Corregidor on May 5, 1942. The island's fall led to the surrender of all defending Filipino and American forces on May 6, 1942. About 4,000 of the 11,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war from the island were marched through the streets of Manila to incarceration at
Fort Santiago in
Intramuros and
Bilibid Prison in
Muntinlupa,
Rizal, which had become Japanese camps. With the fall of Corregidor, Filipino and U.S. forces under U.S. command surrendered. After the surrender, thousands of Filipinos formerly under U.S. command (especially the former
Visayas-Mindanao Force, which had seen little combat) evaded Japanese confinement and hid in the jungle. Every major island had guerrilla groups; Luzon had a dozen, including the Communist
Huks. After initial clashes based on religious and political rivalries order was gradually restored, with most willing to trust the United States to grant independence in time. Many of these groups worked under the control of General Douglas MacArthur's General Headquarters,
Southwest Pacific Area. The
Japanese occupation of the Philippines saw repeated combat between the Japanese imperial forces, their collaborators and Filipino guerrillas. The American and Allied liberation force which began landing on October 17, 1944, was aided by local Filipino soldiers and recognized guerrillas in the
liberation of the Philippines. President
Sergio Osmeña and Major General
Basilio J. Valdes ordered the re-establishment of the army. The general headquarters of the Philippine Army and the United States Army Forces in the Far East moved to
Tacloban,
Leyte on October 23. From October 17, 1944, to September 2, 1945, local Philippine Constabulary troops, guerrilla units and the American liberation forces fought Imperial Japanese and
Kempeitai troops which were supported by the Bureau of Constabulary and
Makapili militia. After the restoration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines on October 20, 1944, President Sergio Osmeña, the government, military officials and cabinet returned from exile in the United States. After the war, four military areas were activated to take the place of military districts. The Armed Forces were reorganized, thereby giving birth to its four major services. Headquarters National Defense Forces was renamed General Headquarters Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Post-war operators with Special Operations Command, stationed at Fort Magsaysay. Service of the Philippine Army as part of the
United States Army terminated as of midnight, June 30, 1946, by authority of General Order #168,
U.S. Army Forces, Western Pacific. This resulted in the formation of the
Philippine Air Force and reformation of the
Philippine Navy as separate organizations after long years as part of the Philippine Army. In the early fifties and the mid-sixties, the Philippine government extended a helping hand to war-torn countries as part of its commitment as member of the United Nations. 1950 would see the new army not just fighting Communist groups in Luzon but from August of that year, even the
Korean People's Army and their allies in the
People's Liberation Army in the
Korean War as PA Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) forming the bulk of the
Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea formed part of the UN forces, led by the US, that fought in the conflict. The decade saw the raising of the first active division of the Army, the 1st Infantry Division. With the victory over the Huks later in the 50s, the BCTs became active duty infantry battalions. Formed in the same time was the
1st Scout Ranger Regiment, and in 1962 the PA raised its airborne and special forces formation, the
Special Forces Regiment (Philippines) following the traditions of the US Army Special Forces (the Green Berets) and the 11th Airborne Division that helped liberate Southern Luzon and Manila at the closing stages of the Japanese occupation of the country. It would only take until the 1970s and the Communist and Muslim rebellions that would force the PA into the establishment of its 2nd Infantry Division, which led to the raising of more infantry divisions all over the country, as well as the formal raising of the Army's Special Operations Command and what is now today the Armor Division. The Philippine Army was also involved in major conflicts worldwide, such as the
Korean War, the
war on terror, the
Persian Gulf War and the
Iraq War, as well as missions with the
United Nations, such as the
United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in
Golan Heights and the
United Nations Mission in East Timor. By the 2000s, the Army acquired a small aviation capability for transport purposes, with plans to include attack and transport helicopters, a rocket artillery battery unit, and a land-based missile battery system unit. ==Rank structure==