Philippine Constabulary

The Philippine Constabulary (PC; Tagalog: Hukbóng Pamayapà ng Pilipinas, HPP; Spanish: Constabularía Filipina) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the American occupational government to replace the Spanish colonial Guardia Civil,^[1] happened on the 19th century history of the Philippines. It was the first of the four branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. On January 29, 1991, it was merged with the Integrated National Police to form the Philippine National Police.^[2]

Philippine Constabulary
Hukbóng Pamayapà ng Pilipinas

Always outnumbered but never outfought!
Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa (One Nation, One Spirit)

August 8, 1901

January 29, 1991

Philippines

90,000 (1991)

Paramilitary law enforcement, counter insurgency, and riot control.

1. To preserve peace and order and enforce the law throughout the country and also to arrest law violators and those who will violate such laws;

2. Inspectional supervision over, and undertake the training of, municipal and city level police forces, fire departments, and jail services;

3. To assist civil government and semi-government agencies in the accomplishment of their missions;

4. To perform home defense in rear areas and such other services as the chief of staff, AFP may direct.

The PC's missions were as follows:

The PC covered a very extensive range of diversified missions that through the years did not fall under its primary responsibilities. By express provision of law, the PC enforced the motor vehicle law, fishing and games law, the alien law for registration and fingerprinting, and anti-dummy law, and the nationalization of retail trade law. By direction of the president, it enforced the tenancy law, the law on scrap metal, iron and gold, a ban on slaughter of water buffalo or carabao, and other laws. By deputation, it enforced the immigration law, customs law, forestry law, quarantine law, election law, public service law, and amusement law and weight and standards on rice. As a civic function, it performed in conjunction with the SWA and the Red Cross disaster relief operations during natural calamities. The security of VIPs was a routine requirement for the constabulary.

IPCZ – Abra, Aurora, Bataan, Batanes, Benguet, Bulacan, Cagayan, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga-Apayao, La Union, Mt. Province, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac and Zambales

IIPCZ – Albay, Batangas, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Cavite, Laguna, Marinduque, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Palawan, Quezon, Rizal and Sorsogon

IIIPCZ – Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Capiz, Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte and Southern Leyte, Masbate, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Romblon, Samar and Northern Samar and Siquijor

IVPCZ – Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Basilan, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Cotabato, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur

53rd PC Anniversary Yearbook, 1954 Edition

Emerson, William K. (1996). . Encyclopedia of United States Army insignia and uniforms. Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-2622-7.

"27. Philippine Constabulary"

Philippine Constabulary Yearbook August 1960

The Constable, 70th PC Anniversary, August 8, 1971 Edition

Ladwig III, Walter C. (2014). (PDF). in C. Christine Fair and Sumit Ganguly, (eds.) Policing Insurgencies: Cops as Counterinsurgents. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

When the Police are the Problem: The Philippine Constabulary and the Huk Rebellion

United States W#ar Office, ed. (1916). . United States Government Printing Office.

Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War, 1915

Beltran, Orlando B. (June 1996). (PDF) (Thesis). U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 31, 2021. (via Library of the University of Michigan)

THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CORPS OF PROFESSORS OF THE PHILIPPINE MILITARY ACADEMY

This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division.

Philippine Constabulary