The Civil Guard in the Philippines (, ) was the branch of the Spanish Civil Guard organized under the Captaincy General of the Philippines and a component of the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

. It was disbanded after the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. After the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, it was eventually replaced by the American occupational government with the Philippine Constabulary (PC).

History

The ''Guardia Civil'' was introduced to the Philippines by the Spanish colonial government in 1868, during the term of

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada. The organization began with a size of one division or around 1,200 men. By 1880, and this size was maintained until 1897, the ''Guardia Civil'' in the Philippines had a size of three divisions or more than 3,600 men. Two were stationed in Luzon and the third in the Visayas.

Composition

The majority of the civil guard consisted of non-'' criollo'' natives, otherwise known then as '' indios'', making up approximately 60% of the total force.

Role

The Guardia Civil in the Philippines followed closely the organisation of the metropolitan institution. Officers were drawn from the regular Spanish army. Under normal conditions, they formed patrols consisting of two men. Larger detachments were organized for operations such as the suppression of bandit groups. By 1897, the force had 155 Spanish officers. The Guardia Civil had the power to impose penalties for infringements of law and local ordinances. They could arrest people upon suspicion alone, and the Spanish colonial government did not bar the Guardia Civil from using torture techniques in interrogation processes. They could also kill suspects without trial if resistance was offered. During the first phase of the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

(1896–1897), the Guardia Civil constituted around 60 percent of the native component of the Spanish military forces in the colony.

''Guardia Civil Veterana''

The ''Guardia Civil Veterana'' (literally "Veteran Civil Guard") was formed during the period of 1871 to 1872 under Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez to be the urban gendarmerie force of Manila. This organization began with 37 officers and 322 men as of July 11, 1872. By 1898, it had 14 officers and 325 men.

Fictional Novel

The alleged fictional works of the Guardia Civil can also be witnessed in

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

al novels, '' Noli Me Tángere'' and '' El filibusterismo''. In terms of the alleged interrogation process, Rizal describes in the 57th chapter of ''Noli Me Tángere'' how a Fictional character named Tarsilo was allegedly tortured to death by the Guardia Civil. In that same part of the book, it is recorded that another certain fictional character named Andong Sintó-sintó was allegedly sent to the capital, Manila, to be imprisoned for merely picking bananas for supper. In the fifth chapter of ''El filibusterismo'', another fictional character ''cochero'' or

coachman A coachman is a person who drives a Coach (carriage), coach or carriage, or similar horse-drawn vehicle. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman. The coachman's first concern is to remain in full control of the hors ...

is allegedly held up, hit and taken to prison by an officer of the Guardia Civil for failing to show his '' cédula'' (a term now used for the community tax certificate).

Other civil guards

*During the Huk Rebellion, there were anti-guerrilla militiamen known as civil guards. *Until 1992, the Bureau of Corrections designated its lowest-ranking members as civil guards.

References

{{reflist Civil Guard (Spain) Defunct gendarmeries Defunct law enforcement agencies of the Philippines Captaincy General of the Philippines