On October 25, 1898, the Academia Militar, the first Philippine military school, was established in Malolos, Bulacan by General Emilio Aguinaldo, the president of the young Philippine Republic upon the recommendation of General Antonio Luna.
It was housed in the convent of the Barasoain church with Colonel Manuel Bernal Sityar (hijo or junior) as Director. Sityar was a Spanish mestizo who had served as a lieutenant in the Spanish Civil Guard. The Academia Militar served as a training ground for future officers of the armed forces.
The academy formally opened its classes on November 1, 1898. The classes were divided into two sections, one for field officers from colonels to majors, and the other for Captains and below. The course of instruction consisted of current orders and regulations, field and garrison regulations, military justice and penal laws, arithmetic and military accounting, geography and history, field fortifications, and map drawing and reading.
Graduates became regular officers of the army.
It was deactivated on January 20, 1899, due to highly escalated tensions between the Filipinos and Americans. Fifteen days later, on February 4, 1899, the Philippine-American war broke out.
On February 17, 1905, the academy was revived with the establishment of the Officer’s School of the Philippine Constabulary in Intramuros, Manila, which was relocated to Baguio City on September 1, 1908.
The present Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City, established in 1935 through Commonwealth Act Number One, also known as the National Defense Act, traces its history back to the Academia Militar.
Source:
Philippines News Agency archives
Philippine-American War, 1899-1902, Arnaldo Dumindin (philippineamericanwar.webs.com)
(By JR AMIGO/ai/mnm)
