1st International

Training and
Multidisciplinary
Research
Education of the
Conference
By Randolf P. Bio
Philippine Scouts,
1901-1935
 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline Recruitment process

Training and Instruction

The Struggle

Summary and Conclusions

 Philippine Scouts

Philippine
Key Terms Constabulary

Commissioned and
noncommissioned
officers
 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline Recruitment process

Training and Instruction

The Struggle

Summary and Conclusions

Methodology and Sources

Historical methodology

Primary and secondary sources

(US official reports, published materials,
etc. - from the United States)
 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline Recruitment process

Training and Instruction

The Struggle

Summary and Conclusions

 • The early and unofficial founding of
the Philippine Scouts could be
traced from the ‘native’ volunteers
who offered their service to the
Americans.
The making of • Role of the Macabebes of Pampanga
a ‘Native Army’ as US Quartermaster Corps and was
known later as Batson’s Squadron of
Philippine cavalry

Clayton D. Laurie, “The Philippine Scouts: America’s Colonial Army, 1899-1913,” Philippine
Studies 37, no. 2 (Second Quarter 1989): 179, accessed June 18, 2018,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42634583.
The Making of a
‘Native Army’
In the remarks of Gen. Elwell Otis.

Natives, including Tagalogs and other

Pampangans besides the Makabebes, had
already been used to some extent as guides,
and even, in petty squadrons, as scouts, it is
not being difficult to secure their services as
operations progressed in 1899. This, however,
was the first move made toward the formal
organization of such auxiliaries.

James A. Le Roy, The Americans in the Philippines: A History of the Conquest and First Years
of Occupation with an Introductory Account of Spanish Rule, vol. 2, (Boston and New York:
The University Press Cambridge, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1914), 123.
 • The Act of the US Congress on 2
February 1901 created the
Philippine Scouts with an initial
recruitment of 12,000 men. (An
Act to Increase the Efficiency of
the Permanent Military
The Making of Establishment of the United
a ‘Native Army’ States)
• Recruitment of commissioned
officers
• Recruitment of
noncommissioned officers
 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline Recruitment process

Training and Instruction

The Struggle

Summary and Conclusions

 TheThe Militia Act of 1901 provides for the
appointment of commissioned officers (COs) and
noncommissioned officers (NCOs) or enlisted men
for the Philippine Scouts.
Initially consisted of the ranks of captain, first
lieutenant, second lieutenant, and the rest were
enlisted men.
Structure of the
Philippine Scouts At its genesis, the number of officers was ninety-
eight (98) and enlisted men which consisted of
only Filipinos was 4,973.

The Philippine Scouts was considered the

Philippine Infantry (military combat on foot).
Structure of the
Philippine Scouts
• As per the act, this organization was
initially created consisted of fifty
companies and the organization of these
were recruited homogenously per
province.

• Later these companies were upgraded

into regiment, and later in battalions and
ranks were recommended to be
permanently created in the Philippine
Scouts.
 • In 1907, General Leonard Wood, U.S. Army,
recommended that the grades of first and
second class privates for the enlisted men be
established in the Philippine Scouts.
• In 1908, the office of captain for the Philippine
Structure of Scouts was created.
the Philippine • Captains were selected from officers of the
grade of first lieutenants in the Philippine
Scouts Scouts, and which were given provisional
appointments for periods of four years.
• System of promotion for the enlisted men was
later introduced and many of them rose to the
ranks.
 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline
Recruitment process
Training and Instruction

The Struggle

Summary and Conclusions

 Recruitment process for the
commissioned officers was under the
Secretary of War while
noncommissioned or enlisted men was
under the Philippine Division.

Recruitment
The Secretary of War set the
qualifications and examinations for those
who were interested to enter the
Philippine Scout service. As a rule, they
need to pass series of examinations
before their appointment as second or
first lieutenant in the Philippine Scouts.
 Commissioned officers of the
Philippine Scouts came solely from
the US Regular Army.

They need to meet requirements

and examinations be passed.
Recruitment
Initial requirements for
appointment for the US Regular
Army:
• Letter from War Department;
• unmarried;
• under 21 or over 27 years of age;
• of good moral character; and
• a citizen of the United States.
 Physical Examination
Conform to the standard required of recruits
except that any applicant whose degree of
vision is less than 20/40 in either eye, or
who is color-blind for red, green, or violet
were rejected.
Mental Examination
1. English grammar, including orthography,
reading, and writing from oral dictation.
2. In his knowledge of arithmetic and his
ability to apply its rules to practical
questions; in his knowledge of the use of
logarithms and ability to apply them to
questions of practice; in his knowledge of
algebra, through quadratic equations, and in
his knowledge of plane and solid geometry,
plane and spherical trigonometry, and
elements of surveying.
3. Geography, particularly in reference to the
United States and North America.
Physical Examination Mental Examination

4. The outlines of general history, and

particularly the history of the United States.

5. The Constitution of the United States and

the organization of the Government under it,
and the elements of international law.

6. Army Regulations, and the drill regulations

of cavalry, field artillery, or infantry, as the
candidate may elect.

7. The probable efficiency and aptitude of the

candidate as judged by the examining board
and as shown by his knowledge of Army and
drill regulations acquired by personal study
and application, or by experience in a military
school, or in the National Guard.
Recruitment
• In the establishment of the Philippine Scouts, American enlisted men
of the U.S. Army and some Filipinos were demanded to fill out as
second lieutenants.
• Applicants for appointment for commissionship of the PS must be:
• citizens of the United States or of the Philippine Islands;
• unmarried;
• not under 21 nor over 30 years of age on the first day of the examination;
• and physically sound, and of good moral character.
Recruitment
• For the noncommissioned or enlisted men of the PS there was no standard or
definite requirements, just physical and moral requirements.
• Each candidate who has been found qualified physically and morally, or who
desires to undergo the mental examination will then be examined mentally in the
following subjects (submitted in writing).
• English grammar, including orthography, reading, and writing from dictation
• In his knowledge of the elementary principles of arithmetic, and ability to
solve such problems only as are likely to be useful in the discharge of his
duties as a company officer.
• Geography of North America and the Philippine Islands
• The outlines of the history of the United States
Recruitment
• Army Regulations
• Infantry Drill Regulations. The examination in drill regulations will be practical,
extending through the Schools of the Soldier, Squad, and Platoon, and shall
take place in the presence of the board.
• Probable efficiency and aptitude as judged by the board from his knowledge
of Army and drill regulations; his record, if any, in the military or civil service,
and his conduct and appearance while undergoing examination. In
determining his aptitude, credit will also be given to him for the knowledge of
the Spanish language or of any of the dialects spoken in the Philippine Islands.
Recruitment
Table: Example of Computation of the Grades for Mental Examination.
Subjects Percentage Relative Weights Products of Multiplication
by Relative Weights

a. English grammar, etc……..…………… 74 2 148

b. Arithmetic...…………………………... 68 2 136
c. Geography…………………………….. 70 2 140
d. United States history……..…………… 65 2 130
e. Army Regulations…………………….. 80 3 240
f. Infantry Drill Regulations (practical).... 78 3 234
g. Probable efficiency and aptitude……...
85 4 340

Total……………………………….
……………………… 18 1368
General average……………………
……… …………... 76
 The enlisted men of the
Philippine Scouts were composed
of all-Filipino force. The mass
recruitment started in 1901 in its
official establishment.
Recruitment
Generally, the requirements that
the applicant should be in perfect
health, of good character, and
able to read English were rigidly
enforced.
 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline Recruitment process

Training and Instruction

The Struggle

Summary and Conclusions

Training and
Instruction

• Instructions for the noncommissioned

or enlisted men were emphasized.
• Commissioned officers (seniors) became
NCOs’ instructors.
• The subjects of instruction for many
companies of the scouts were:
• a. First aid;
• b. Signaling;
• c. Target-practice; and
• d. Athletic exercises and
ceremonies.
 • The training and
instruction of the
Philippine Scouts were
held in different
stations or camps of the
U.S. Army in the
Philippines.
• Department of Luzon
• Fort McKinley,
Manila
• Camp Stotsenberg,
Angeles
• Camp Wallace, San
Training and Instruction Fernando
• In City of Manila
• Department of Visayas
• Camp Jossman (near Iloilo)
• Camp Warwick, Cebu
• Camp Connell, Calbayog, Samar
• Department of Mindanao
• Camp Overton, north coast of Mindanao
• Malabang, south coast of Mindanano
• Cotabato, south coast of Mindanao
• Zamboanga, Dept. HQS
• Lake Lanao, interior of Mindanao
• Island of Jolo
• Camp Keithley, north coast of Mindanao
Training and
Instruction
• Civil Governor William H. Taft
recommended to the president of the
United States that one in a million
population of the Philippines be appointed
as cadets in the USMA.
• Governor Taft stated that this would
amount to seven cadets to enter at USMA
and that Filipino scouts, as a result, would
“tend to further increase the zeal and
efficiency of a body of troops which has
always rendered faithfully and satisfactory
service.”
 • He even defended this resolution
arguing that the Filipinos be given
military education for they were
intellectually and physically fit for the
service as commissioned officers.
Training and • Fortunately, the act of U.S. Congress on
Instruction 28 May 1908 authorized four Filipino
cadets to receive instruction at USMA
which will be designated by the
governor-general of the Philippines.
 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline Recruitment process

Training and Instruction

The Struggle
Summary and Conclusions
The Struggle
• There seems to be a problem in the
acceptance of the Philippine Scouts as
part of the U.S. Army.
• Ira Reeves considered that the Philippine
Scouts form a part of the U.S. Army, but
not the U.S. Regular Army.
The Struggle
• In 1908, Chief of
Staff General J.
Franklin Bell
argued that “the
scouts are part of
the [US] army but
they have not the
same status as the
remainder of the
army.”
 The Struggle

The problem:
Later, it was
Recognition of the
considered as integral
Philippine Scouts as
part of the U.S.
part of the United
Regular Army in 1912.
Stated Army. So what?
 The Struggle

In 1918, appointment of PS officers into the service of the

United States. However, commissioned officers only.

1918

1931

In 1931, the first Filipino enlisted man of the PS retired.

 Key Terms

Methodology and Sources

The Making of a ‘Native Army’

Structure of the Philippine Scouts

Outline Recruitment process

Training and Instruction

The Struggle

Summary and Conclusions

 Summary and Conclusions

• The Philippine Scouts was created to be an auxiliary force for the

US Armed Forces used as a tool for US’ imperialist design in the
Philippines.
• The Philippine Scouts’ training and education was patterned
after the US Army manual and made the Philippine Scouts the
first colonial army.
• The Philippine Scouts’ recognition as part of the US Army was
not solved even until the 1935 Commonwealth Government.
Later in the Japanese invasion, was considered as one.
Sources
• Allan D. Marple, American Mercenaries: A Historical Precedence in East Asia, (Carlisle, PA: US Army War College, 1992),
Monograph, 11.

• United States Army, Office of the Judge Advocate General, A Digest of Opinions of
the Judge Advocates General of the Army, (Washington: US Government Printing
Office, 1912), 669.
• Clayton D. Laurie, “The Philippine Scouts: America’s Colonial Army, 1899-1913,” Philippine Studies 37, no. 2 (Second
Quarter 1989): 179, accessed June 18, 2018, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42634583.

• U.S. Army, OJAG, A Digest of Opinions of the Judge Advocates General of the
Army, 669.
• Marple, American Mercenaries: A Historical Precedence in East Asia, 11.
• Gen. Frederick Funston narrates his story on how they captured Gen. Emilio
Aguinaldo in his book that was published in 1912 entitled, Memories of Two
Wars, Cuban and Philippine Experiences, 384-426.
Sources (cont.)
• James A. Le Roy, The Americans in the Philippines: A History of the Conquest and First Years of Occupation with an
Introductory Account of Spanish Rule, vol. 2, (Boston and New York: The University Press Cambridge, Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1914), 123.

• Preservation Fort Sam Houston, Heritage of Valor: A History of the Philippine

Scouts, (Texas: Fort Sam Houston Museum, 2001), 7.
• Philippine Commission, Fifth Annual Reports of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War 1904, part 1,
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1905), 14; This was also known as Military Reorganization Act of 1901 or the
Dick Act of 1901.

• United States War Department, Compilation of General Orders, Circulars, and

Bulletins of the War Department, 1881-1915, (Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1916) 45.
• Philippine Commission, Fifth ARPC to the Secretary of War 1904, part 1, 14.
• Andrew J. Birtle, U.S. Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1860-1941, (United States Army,
Washington D.C.: Center of Military History, ), 1.

• Philippine Commission, Fifth ARPC to the Secretary of War 1904, part 1, 15.
• Bureau of Insular Affairs, War Department, Fourth Annual Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War,
1903, part III, (Washington: G.P.O., 1904), 47.

• Reeves, 99; The US Regular Army was composed of Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry and
Volunteers.
• Richard Meixsel, “The Philippine Scout Mutiny of 1924,” South East Asia Research
10, no. 3, (November 2002): 335, accessed June 18, 2018, George Arthur
Malcolm, The Government of the Philippine Islands: Its Development and
Fundamentals, (Rochster, N.Y.: The Lawyers Co-Operative Publishing Company,
1916), 294.
• U.S. Army, Office of the Judge Advocate General, 442.
• United States Bureau of Insular Affairs, Acts of the Congress and Treaties pertaining to the Philippine Islands in force and
effect July 1, 1919, (Washington: G.P.O., 1920), 106. Philippine Commission, Fifth ARPC to the Secretary of War 1904, part
1, 14.

• Bureau of Insular Affairs War Department, Fourth Annual Report of the Philippine
Commission to the Secretary of War, 1903, part I, (Washington: G.P.O., 1904), 33-
• Philippine Commission, RPC to the Civil Governor and the Heads of the Executive
Departments of the Civil Government of the Philippine Islands (1900-1903), 618.
• Ibid., 617.
• BIA War Department, Fourth ARPC to the Secretary of War, 1903, part I, 33-34.
• BIA War Department, Sixth ARPC to the Secretary of War, 1905, part III, 30.
• Philippine Commission, Fifth ARPC to the Secretary of War 1904, part 1, 14.
• Philippine Commission, RPC to the Civil Governor and the Heads of the Executive
Departments of the Civil Government of the Philippine Islands (1900-1903), 617.
• Bureau of Insular Affairs War Department, Fourth Annual Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War,
1903, part III, (Washington: G.P.O., 1904), 25.
• Philippine Commission, RPC to the Civil Governor and the Heads of the Executive
Departments of the Civil Government of the Philippine Islands (1900-1903), 491-
492.
• Charles Burke Elliot, The Philippines: To the End of the Commission Government,
(Indianapolis: The Bobs-Merrill Company Publishers, 1917), 171.
• A. V. H. Hartendorp (editor), “News Summary,” Philippine Magazine, June 1932, 6.
• William H. Johnson, “Employment of Philippine Scouts in War,” Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United
States XXXVIII, (Governor’s Island, N.Y.: Military Service Institution, 1906), 293.

• United States War Department, Annual Reports of the War Department, 1907,
vol. I, (Washington: G.P.O., 1907) 204.
• Elihu Root, The Military and Colonial Policy of the United States, (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1916), 374-375.