Warfare in pre colonial Philippines

Background

In the Pre-Colonial era, the Filipino people had their own forces, divided between the islands, each one with its own ruler. They were called the Sandigs (Guards) the Kawal (Knights) and the Tanods. They also served as the police and watchers on the land, coastlines, and seas. In 1521, the Visayan King of Mactan Lapu-Lapu in Cebu organized the first recorded military action against the Spanish colonizers in the Battle of Mactan.

Prior to these raids, sometime between A.D. 1174 and 1190, a travelling Chinese government bureaucrat Chau Ju-Kua reported a certain group of "ferocious raiders of China’s Fukien coast" whom he called the "Pi-sho-ye," believed to be living on the southern part of Formosa.

The Battle of Manila in 1365 was an unspecified and disputed battle that occurred somewhere in the vicinity of Manila between the forces of the kingdoms in Luzon and the Empire of Majapahit.

Even though the exact dates and details of this battle remain in dispute, there are claims of the conquest of the area around Saludong (Majapahit term for Luzon and Manila) according to the Nagarakretagama Nevertheless, there may have been a battle for Manila that occurred during that time, but it was likely a victory for Luzon's kingdoms considering the Kingdom of Tondo had maintained its independence and was not enslaved under another ruler. Alternatively, Luzon may have been successfully invaded but was able to regain its independence later.

Around the sixteenth century, the people of Luzon were collectively called Luções and they rose to prominence by participating in trading ventures and military campaigns in Myanmar, Malacca and East Timor where they were employed as traders and mercenaries.

The former sultan of Malacca decided to retake his city from the Portuguese with a fleet of ships from Lusung in 1525 AD. Lucoes (warriors from Luzon) aided the Burmese king in his invasion of Siam in 1547 AD. At the same time, Lusung warriors fought alongside the Siamese king and faced the same elephant army of the Burmese king in the defence of the Siamese capital at Ayuthaya.

Infantry

Precolonial Filipinos made excellent armor for use on the battlefield, and swords were an important part of native weaponry. In some parts of the Philippines, armor was made from diverse materials such as cordage, bamboo, bark, sharkskin, and water buffalo hide to deflect piercing blows by cutlasses or spear points. Visayan chainmail and cuirasses were called barote: quilted or corded body armor. Spaniards called these "escaupiles", after the cotton-padded exemplars they found in the New World. The barote was woven of thick braided abaca or bark cords, tight enough to be waterproof and knotted intricately so that cuts did not spread. Burlap was worn against the body under the barote; the body armor itself extended to the elbow and knee with an ankle-length variety with sleeves for manning defenses, although for greater agility confident warriors preferred to go without them. "Pakil" and "batung-batung" were breastplates and back plates made of bamboo bark, hardwood like ebony or in Mindanao, and caraboa horn or elephant hide from Jolo. Sharkskin was used effectively for helmets or "moriones". Shields were important defensive weapons in all lowland societies of the Philippines. Visayan shields, kalasag, were made of light, fibrous wood designed to enmesh any spear or dagger that penetrated its surface and to prevent their retrieval by the enemy. Shields were strengthened and decorated with an elaborate rattan binding on the front, which was also coated with a resin that turned rock-hard upon drying. These shields were generally 0.5 meters by 1.5 meters in size and, along with missile deflecting helmets, provided full body protection that was difficult to penetrate. Thus, it is not surprising that most of the raids that were successful in terms of taking captives and heads, were surprise ambushes that literally caught the enemy with his shields down.

The making of swords involved elaborate rituals that were based mainly on the auspicious conjunctions of planets. The passage of the sword from the maker entailed a mystical ceremony that was coupled with superstitious beliefs. The lowlanders of Luzon no longer used the bararao, while the Moros and animists of the South still continue the tradition of making kampilan and kris. Swords (kalis and kampilan) were either straight or wavy double-edged, with bronze or iron blades and hilts made of hardwoods, bone, antler, shell, or, for high ranking individuals, gold encrusted with precious stones.

Artillery

Guns were also locally manufactured and used by the natives. The most fearsome among these native guns was the lantaka, or swivel gun, which allowed the gunner to quickly track a moving target. Ancient peoples used small arquebuses, or portable cannons made up of bronze. Larger cannons on the other hand, made of iron and resembling culverins, provided heavier firepower. The iron cannon at Rajah Sulaiman III's house was about 17 feet long and was made out of clay and wax moulds.

Cavalry

About 5 to 10 percent of forces usually used in battle, for transporting the warriors, or in the raids for the Chiefs on their expeditions or trading was cavalry.

Fortifications

Ancient Filipinos built strong fortresses called kota or moog to protect their communities. The Moros, in particular, had armor that covered the entire body from the top of the head to the toes. The Igorots built forts made of stone walls that averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height around 2000 BC. Spanish descriptions indicate that the typical fortifications consisted of raised earthworks with a wooden palisade along the top (called a "kuta" in Tagalog) surrounded by a ditch or water-filled moat. However, local variations on construction technique were specific to the local environment. In Bicol, bamboo towers called "bantara" were built behind the fortifications as a stand for archers armed with long bows. Reports of well constructed wooden fortifications around the chiefly centers of Manila, Tondo, Cebu, Mindoro and numerous other coastal towns.

The Ivatan people of the northern islands of Batanes often built fortifications to protect themselves during times of war. They built their so-called idjangs on hills and elevated areas. These fortifications were likened to European castles because of their purpose. Usually, the only entrance to the castles would be via a rope ladder that would only be lowered for the villagers and could be kept away when invaders arrived.

Tactics and Strategies

Participating in land and sea raids were an essential part of the duties of the timawa. These raids are usually regular annual expeditions undertaken by the community (similar to the Vikings) against enemies and enemies of their allies. Participation and conduct in raids and other battles were recorded permanently by the timawa and the tumao in the form of tattoos on their bodies, hence the Spanish name for them - pintados (literally "the painted ones"). Another strategy used throughout the islands were ambushes where they would lead large enemy troops into an ambush of surrounding men or attacking enemies from behind when they're defenses are down. The Spanish conquistador Miguel de Loarca described the preparations and the undertaking of such raids in his book Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas (1582).

Scorched earth tactics

The Spanish fought with the Moro pirates, known as magalos (literally "destroyers of peace"), from Mindanao. The islands they were in were collectively known as Pulua Kang Dayang or Kangdaya (literally "[the islands] which belong to Daya").

Sri Lumay was noted for his strict policies in defending against Moro raiders and slavers from Mindanao. His use of scorched earth tactics to repel invaders gave rise to the name Kang Sri Lumayng Sugbo (literally "that of Sri Lumay's great fire") to the town, which was later shortened to Sugbo ("scorched earth").

The Karakowa

Philippine ships, such as the karakao or korkoa, were of excellent quality and some of them were used by the Spaniards in expeditions against rebellious tribes and Dutch and British forces. Some of the larger rowed vessels held up to a hundred rowers on each side besides a contingent of armed troops. Generally, the larger vessels held at least one lantaka at the front of the vessel or another one placed at the stern. Philippine sailing ships called praos had double sails that seemed to rise well over a hundred feet from the surface of the water. Despite their large size, these ships had double outriggers. Some of the larger sailing ships, however, did not have outriggers.