History UsefulNotes / FilipinosWithFirearms

* Appears in Creator/DaleBrown's ''Sky Masters''. They are cannon fodder against the Chinese forces, at first.

It would also be known that the police in the Philippines were even more militarized than their counterparts in the West; indeed, until 1991, the Philippine Constabulary used to be part of the Armed Forces and were basically light infantry and counterinsurgency specialists. During the American period, they are founded by the Americans to suppress anti-American Philippine Revolutionary Army remnants and the Moro sultanates. In 1991, the Constabulary was merged with the local police to form the Philippine National Police and transferred it to the Interior Department. An attempt to civilianize their police ranks failed due to tradition-officers who were supposed to be called as "Inspectors" were still called "Lieutenants", and many former and active policemen wanted the former military-style ranks to be re-instated. In 2018, army-style ranks were approved once more for the police. The Philippine National Police also has a special forces unit like in the regular Armed Forces, and it is basically an anti-terrorist unit.

The Philippines always gets military aid from the United States[[note]]The country has also diversified by acquiring military hardware from other countries like Israel and Singapore while trying to create working indigenous hardware.[[/note]] (including the F-5 Tiger aircraft that would appear in ''Film/ApocalypseNow''), but such aid has always been seen as controversial. The Philippine Senate booted out the U.S. from their Clark and Subic bases at the end of the Cold War due to incidents involving the U.S. military and general ultranationalism by Filipino politicians on both ends of the political spectrum. Even when U.S. troops returned in 2000 for military exercises and to aid Filipinos against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists, and even fight them, there are controversies surrounding U.S. soldiers. One example is the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subic_rape_case Nicole Subic rape case]]", in which both the media and [[StrawFeminist the Gabriela women's rights movement]] fired it up, only to be proven by court that Nicole actually wanted to have sex with the [[SemperFi US Marine]] Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, which didn't impress many in the opposition, either, and called this a miscarriage of justice.

These days, though, the Philippine military has seen a decline due to [[ObstructiveBureaucrat obstructive bureaucrats]], corruption in the government, obsolete equipment and little money to replace them (including arms left over from World War II), and being led by [[TheNeidermeyer Neidermeyers]] for so long. Not to mention the financial crisis that gripped most of Asia. For example, when the Philippine Air Force wanted new [[CoolPlane F-16s]], they got orders to shoot terrorists until 2012, which proved to be a ''really'' stupid idea for many of the PAF people because their existing planes are rusting. This doesn't mean that they have lost their BadassArmy status, however. Many of them are quite eager to learn new tactics and finally obtain all the cool gadgets they wish for, if only TheGovernment would actually listen to them. In the meantime, though, they are engaged against communist revolutionaries and Islamic fundamentalists. Increasing the budget is also controversial: trying to transfer to defense funds that are usually meant for health and education[[note]]The 1987 Constitution mandates that the education department receive the highest budgetary allocation.[[/note]] typically earns the ire of Filipino Leftists, not to mention that the funds are usually tainted by corruption, anyway.

Recently, the Philippine Air Force had bought 8 Polish Sokol helicopters. And the Navy acquired the former US Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Hamilton (now renamed ''BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)'' after the famous and handsome leader who lead the LastStand on Tirad Pass, ironically ''against'' Americans.) arrived in port on the last week of August 2011. Two more similar ships have been acquired by the navy (''BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16),'' formerly USCGC Dallas, and the ex-USCGC Boutwell (now ''BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17)''), which was decommissioned on March 2016). On June 1 of the same year, the Navy's largest ship, ''BRP Tarlac (LD-601)'' was commissioned along with three [[UsefulNotes/AussiesWithArtillery ex-Australian]] landing craft.

The Philippine Air Force and government meanwhile negotiated with the UsefulNotes/{{South Korea}}ns to buy twelve FA-50 Golden Eagle supersonic fighter-trainers after it bungled out on the latest US F-16 deal. The PAF apparently chose the FA-50 because, partially it was supersonic, affordable, and at least relatively new. The first two fighters were delivered in late 2015, where they showed up escorting President Benigno Aquino III.

Starting in 2021, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is now steadily growing in strength. They now have modernized light tanks, a new batch of firearms (including Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers), attack helicopters, and (for the first time) an MLRS artillery unit.

* Not exactly the Philippine military per se, but one of the handlers in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' seemed to carry a Floro MK-9 submachinegun. The MK-9 is a Filipino-made SMG designed for local police and military use, but has met little success in international sales. Its appearance qualifies thus also qualifies it as a {{Rare Gun|s}}.

It would also be known that the police in the Philippines were somewhat more militarized than their counterparts in the West; indeed, until 1991, the Philippine Constabulary used to be part of the Armed Forces and were basically light infantry and counterinsurgency specialists. During the American period, they are founded by the Americans to suppress anti-American Philippine Revolutionary Army remnants and the Moro sultanates. In 1991, the Constabulary was merged with the local police to form the Philippine National Police and transferred it to the Interior Department. An attempt to civilianize their police ranks failed due to tradition-officers who were supposed to be called as "Inspectors" were still called "Lieutenants", and many former and active policemen wanted the former military-style ranks to be re-instated. In 2018, army-style ranks were approved once more for the police. The Philippine National Police also has a special forces unit like in the regular Armed Forces, and it is basically an anti-terrorist unit.

* The ''Conflict Zone Mindanao'' mod for ''{{VideoGame/ARMA}}'' adds not only the Philippine Army, Philipine Marines and the [[PraetorianGuard Presidential Security Group]], but also the Philippine National Police, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front ([[FunWithAcronyms MI]][[UnfortunateNames LF]]), renegade soldiers, and the Sword Bearers terrorist group (based on the Real Life terrorist group Abu Sayyaf), and the [[UsefulNotes/VietnameseWithKalashnikovs Vietnamese People's Army]] in some maps.

The Armed Forces of the UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} can trace its beginnings to the Katipunan guerrilla forces against Spain in 1896. When they won their independence in 1898, they realized that the UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks were another problem; the Americans wiped out the Filipino rebels, finishing the job in 1915 after putting down the last resistance among the Moros. The Philippine military was officially reformed in 1935 when America promised them independence, but when the [[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan Japanese]] came in 1941, they had little weaponry. They had some fierce battles, but the U.S. Army decided that it was ThoseWackyNazis that they had to deal first; eventually, they were forced to surrender and march from Bataan to Tarlac (the infamous Death March).

However, TheRemnant of the Philippine Army TookALevelInBadass; they harried the Japanese until [=MacArthur=] landed in Leyte in 1944. The Filipinos and the Americans fought together in the last battles of the war, during which Manila was burned to the ground due to [[HonorBeforeReason the refusal of the Japanese to surrender]].

By the way, the premier Filipino special forces unit is the 1st Scout {{Ranger}} Regiment, trained to fight in [[JungleWarfare jungle combat]]. It has earned a reputation in Asia as a pain-in-the-ass for Communist and separatist guerrillas.

* The ''TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000'' ''Bastion Wars'' novel ''Flesh and Iron'' by Henry Zhou pits a Riverine Imperial Guard regiment against Chaos rebels that are clearly inspired by actual Filipino guerrillas and rebel groups throughout the 20th Century. Also, the planet where the novel is set (Solo Baston, the name itself being a form of one-sword/stick fighting within the eskrima fighting system) is tribal Philippines RecycledInSpace.

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/ImperialGuard novel ''Flesh and Iron'' by Henry Zhou pits a Riverine Imperial Guard regiment against Chaos rebels that are clearly inspired by actual Filipino guerrillas and rebel groups throughout the 20th Century. Also, the planet where the novel is set (Solo Baston, the name itself being a form of one-sword/stick fighting within the eskrima fighting system) is tribal Philippines RecycledInSpace.

->''Give me ten thousand Filipino soldiers and I will conquer the world''