Civil Guard

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. It was disbanded after the Spanish–American War. After the Philippine–American War, 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 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.