Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly named Fort William McKinley) is the site of the national
headquarters
Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
of the
Philippine Army (Headquarters Philippine Army or HPA) located in
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. It is located near the national headquarters of the
Philippine Air Force
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Fo ...
(PAF). The camp is named after
Andres Bonifacio, the revolutionary leader of the
Katipunan during the
Philippine Revolution.
History
American colonial era
Fort William McKinley, now Fort Bonifacio, was established during the
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
in 1901. The land is situated south of the
Pasig River, down to the creek
Alabang, in Manila. It was declared a U.S.
military reservation
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
by U.S.
Secretary of War Elihu Root
Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and statesman who served as Secretary of State and Secretary of War in the early twentieth century. He also served as United States Senator from ...
, expropriating the land owned by Captain Juan Gonzales without compensation. This expropriation was later challenged by then
President Ferdinand E. Marcos and the US agreed to compensate, through him, in trust deposits.
In 1916, the 3rd Battalion of the
31st Infantry Regiment was formed here. Until December 1920, this was the home of the 31st Infantry Regiment. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the
USAFFE headquarters for the
Philippine Department and the
Philippine Division were at the fort. The bulk of the Philippine Division was stationed there and this was where, under the
National Defense Act of 1935, specialized
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...
training was conducted.
Postwar era
After
Philippine independence on July 4, 1946, the US surrendered to the Republic of the Philippines all rights of possession, jurisdiction, supervision, and control over the Philippine territory except for the use of their military bases. On May 14, 1949, Fort McKinley was turned over to the Philippine government. The facility became the home of the
Philippine Army and later the
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an ...
and was renamed Fort Bonifacio. It lies in the cities of
Pasay
Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people.
Due to its location jus ...
,
Parañaque
Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque ( fil, Lungsod ng Parañaque, ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 689,992 people.
It is ...
,
Pasig
Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people.
It is located along the ...
and
Taguig
Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...
.
The
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial was later established there.
Martial law
When
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
placed the Philippines under
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Martia ...
in 1972, Fort Bonifacio became the host of three detention centers full of political prisoners - the Ipil Reception Center (sometimes called the Ipil Detention Center), a higher sercurity facility called the Youth Rehabilitation Center (YRC), and the Maximum Security Unit where Senators
Jose W. Diokno and
Benigno Aquino Jr. were detained.
Ipil was the largest prison facility for political prisoners during martial law. Among the prisoners held there were some of the country's leading academics, creative writers, journalists, and historians including
Butch Dalisay,
Ricky Lee
Ricardo Lee (born as March 19, 1948) is a Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright. He was conferred the Order of National Artists of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022.
Starting in 1973, he has written mor ...
,
Bienvenido Lumbera, Jo Ann Maglipon,
Ninotchka Rosca
Ninotchka Rosca (born December 17, 1946, in the Philippines) is a Filipina feminist, author, journalist, and human rights activist. best known for her 1988 novel '' State of War'' and for her activism, especially during the Martial Law dictatorsh ...
,
Zeus Salazar, and
William Henry Scott. After Fort Bonifacio was privatized, the area in which Ipil was located became the area near SNR and Home Depot, near 32nd Street and 8th Avenue in
Bonifacio Global City.
The YRC was a higher security prison which housed prominent society figures and media personalities, supposed members of the
Communist Party of the Philippines
The Communist Party of the Philippines ( fil, Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is des ...
, and some known criminals. Journalists imprisoned there included broadcaster Roger Arienda, Manila journalists Rolando Fadul and Bobby Ordoñez, and Bicolano journalist Manny de la Rosa. Society figures Tonypet and Enrique Araneta, Constitutional Commission delegate Manuel Martinez, poet
Amado V. Hernandez
Amado Vera Hernandez, commonly known as Amado V. Hernandez (September 13, 1903 – March 24, 1970), was a Filipino writer and labor leader who was known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines and was later imprisoned for ...
, and Dr
Nemesio Prudente
Nemesio E. Prudente (December 19, 1927 – March 28, 2008) was an educator, political activist, and human rights defender revered for serving as President of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Prudente is credited with revitalizing pu ...
, president of the Philippine College of Commerce (now the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
, mottoeng = ''Light of the Nation''
, type = Public coeducational research higher education institution
, established = October 19, 1904
, closed =
, religious_affiliation = ...
, were all also imprisoned at the YRC. So were a number of Catholic priests including Fathers Max de Mesa and Fr Hagad from Jolo, and Jesuit Fr Hilario Lim. The site of YRC was later used as the
Makati City Jail.
Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and Senator Jose Diokno were Marcos' first martial law prisoners, arrested just before midnight on September 22, 1972, and at 1 AM on September 23, 1972, respectively. They were eventually imprisoned in Fort Bonifacio at the Maximum Security Unit separate from the YRC. They stayed there until Marcos moved them to an even higher security facility in
Fort Magsaysay in
Laur,
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...
on March 12, 1973. Diokno would remain in solitary confinement at Laur until September 11, 1974, while Aquino would stay in prison until May 5, 1980.
Creation of Bonifacio Global City
Later, portions of it were turned into a real estate development area called
Bonifacio Global City.
File:Paoville_Park_inside_Fort_Bonifacio,_Taguig City.jpg, PAOVILLE Park
File:Headquarters_Philippine_Army_(HPA)_Grandstand_Oval.jpg, Headquarters Philippine Army (HPA) Grandstand Track Oval
File:Philippine_Army_Headquarters_Grandstand_showing_the_facade_of_McKinley_Hills.jpg, Headquarters Philippine Army (HPA) Grandstand showing the facade of McKinley Hill
See also
*
Military history of the Philippines
*
Military history of the United States
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort William Mckinley
Bonifacio
Bonifacio Global City
Army installations of the Philippines
Military installations established in 1901
1901 establishments in the Philippines