The myth of Command Responsibility in 1896/1898

by Tommy Matic IV

Command responsibility is only valid within a highly evolved command structure - which NEITHER the Revolutionary Army nor the Army of Liberation had. Both were warlord/tribal armies with self declared "generals" whose loyalties - and with it their soldiers and rifles - might shift from one leader to another. One can read what Santiago Alvarez narrated about the commander named Ritual, who raped the daughter of a subordinate officer and then was murdered by that officer in return, and then Alvarez's complaint about leaders leaving and taking their men and arms with them.

This warlord "Game of Thrones" type army is what was REALLY responsible for both Bonifacio's death and Luna's murder. Aguinaldo could give orders but could not control how those orders were carried out - hence Yntong's excesses during the Bonifacio arrest. Aguinaldo could attempt to pardon Bonifacio but could not go against two powerful warlords Pio Del Pilar and Noriel, who could withdraw their support or worse join with Bonifacio (as they did before at Naik) and split the Revolution. The Isidro Torres vs Gregorio Del Pilar, Mascardo vs Luna, and Buencamino/Janolino vs Luna feuds are further evidence of the tribal/warlord/low evolved/poor command-rank discipline of the army.

The officers were appointed by patronage, by the number of men recruited and/or by showing courage in battle (leadership/merit) but mostly the first two. Most were called "general" just because they recruited so many men to the cause. They did NOT go to any military academy or have any formal military officer training. They cannot be expected to follow/respect military hierarchy and ranks, much less command responsibility.

The problem is that modern Filipinos make assumptions about the governmental structures and military organizations of 1896/1898. Most Filipinos only experience with the military is in ROTC and CAT, so they assume that the Revolutionary forces functioned the same way.

The problem with that assumption is that CAT and ROTC are built on the structure of the Phil Military and American ROTC, both of which have had at least HALF A CENTURY to evolve as institutions. The Phil Revolutionary Army and Army of Liberation had about two-three years (1896-1899) of existence and Luna had about six months to professionalize the army, set up a military academy to train officers properly and establish the proper and necessary supporting organizations - Staff and Administration, Training, Logistics and Ammunition. Staff would have to be trained in Administration, Communications, Map Reading, Tactics, etc. ALL IN SIX MONTHS.

It's no surprise that the Filipinos were not able to make good and proper coordinated assaults on the American positions in and around Manila in Feb 1899. There was no time for evolution and gestation of either the Philippine military nor the Filipino State.

Napoleon and Wellington, Robert E Lee and US Grant, Sir Charles Napier, Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener were able to wage massive campaigns of more than 100,000 men or campaigns that maneuvered coordinated columns dozens or scores of miles apart precisely because they were highly evolved military organizations WITH TRAINED STAFF OFFICERS that could interpret orders, write dispatches and instructions, read maps, coordinate assaults, understood logistics, etc. so they could bring maximum firepower to bear on the precise points that would shatter the resistance of the enemy. The Filipinos, sadly did not reach that level of professionalism mainly because there was no time. As such Filipino victories depended upon the varied training, available weapons/ammunition and leadership of the local commanders rather than on tactics and maneuver, for the most part.

In certain regions, however, the coordination and cooperation of local commanders could have surprisingly effective results. The Ylocos Region saw a HIGHLY successful resistance under Tinio and Abaya. Batangas likewise under Malvar. If the war had been more successful for longer, the Filipinos would have evolved command structures that would have helped them resist better, as all nascent military forces do when under enemy pressure.