Various insurgent groups formed during the Spanish control of the islands. Many captured insurgents were sent to Spanish penal colonies in Africa for their prison sentences (WHAT A GREAT SCENARIO IDEA send Filipino insurgent to Africa). Most of the actions of the insurgents against American authority takes places in the southern isles controlled by Moros (Muslim extremist/ pirates).

Organization

Pulajans of Samar gathered into groups of 1,000 fighting men, eventually there were 7-10,000 fighting men on Samar. Their mode of attack was a massed bolo rush with a battle cry of 'tad, tad' (chop to pieces) moved into action waving banners giving no thought to casualties. The majority of these fanatics and bandits kept their troops as long as they were victorious and didn't take many casualties. Uniform:

Pulajans of Samar mostly wore red shirts marked with white crosses. Also wore white flowing capes.

Moros dressed mostly in white, tight fitting tops and light colored bottoms, some in dark colors, multi colored small turbans - their clothing resembles two part long johns.

Weapons

Pulajans of Samar - were armed with captured modern repeating rifles: Mausers from the Spanish and Krag-Jorgensen's from the Americans.

Moros carried Kris' rather than bolos but basically they are armed similar to Pulajans.

Leaders

Pulajans of Samar

Aguinaldo sent BG Vicente Lukban to Samar to organize resistance to the Americans; he brought with him 100 riflemen. His orders were to engage in guerilla warfare exclusively. Lukban lead the Filipino force at Balangiga.

Faustino Guillermo who used 'The Death' on any Constabularies captured commanded Western Rizal, north of Manila. He captured San Jose, wearing blue shirts and camano trousers, taking all their arms and releasing prisoners. On one day he made three attacks - twelve men commanded by Inspector Reyes, later ten men under Inspector Domingo, and that evening Inspector Warren in camp with 21 men. His tactics were generally hit and run.

Moros

On Minanao Amperan Agaos and Amai-gin-dalungan commanded 400 men armed with 134 rifles. Amai-gin-dalungan, from the Romain River region attacked the Constabulary HQ with 80 men armed with rifles.

Pulajans

The Secret Society - Katipunan headed by the Grand Council de Katipunan had some 200,000 members and originally was organized to precipitate armed revolt against Spain. Members were bound by the pacto de sangre (covenant of blood). This and several other groups turned into semi-religious sects whose members terrorized more complacent Filipinos and Americans. Other religious terrorists included Dios-Dios who becomes the Pulajan Santa Iglesia, the brotherhood that dealt in death; the religious sect also produced three Jesus Christ's and one god.

The Pulajan were a wildly disorganized mob and their power was largely dispelled before they could close within striking distance of the coolly deliberate Constabulary force. They advanced in massed formations with no attention to the fundamentals of favorable positions. They were worked into a frenzy by their leaders who then stood aside to watch them attack and die. The Pulajans believed in antig-antig bullets were harmless against them. They sought immediate hand-to-hand combat. They were inefficient and inaccurate with their superior rifles. They knew only the front sight, they pointed the rifle in the direction of the enemy and pulled the trigger.

Pulajan attacks on forts or defensive positions came in two waves. First, sixty men carrying long poles lashed with burning torches supported by heavy rifle fire from the jungle charged the position. The object was to fire the grass roof of the fort to force defenders into the open. The defenders would cut lashings supporting burning roofs as heaviest wave of attackers reach stockade the roof would collapse on them. The second wave would contain hundreds or men, careless of death, as they got closer when pistols and rifles were deadliest.

Moros

Tactics usable against the Pulajan in Samar did not apply in Mindinao or Sulu. The Constabulary developed special tactics for use against the Juramentado Moro. With few exceptions the Moros made no massed attacks. Their strategy was stealthy night attacks of maniacal krismen or silent penetration of camps for weapons. Their tactics were hit and run using the terrain in small bands of 10-100. Against the Moros the Constabulary used no advanced guards or points to warn against ambush, had scouts been used they would have been slashed to death before they were able to warn the column. The Constabulary advanced in a compact group.

The Moros when pressed went deep into the bush and built cotta, that were constructed on level ground in the center of an open field of cogon grass, The walls were of rock or packed earth raised to a height of ten feet penetrated at intervals with bamboo tubes through which the Moros fired, under the walls they constructed fire pits. Outside the fort and circling it they erected loosely woven bamboo stockade, usually encircled with a deep moat, sometimes filled with water. They built these by the hundreds.

One such cotta is described as in open country, with a thicket of bamboo nearby. The walls were 15 feet high, protected on three sides by a moat on the fourth by the Rumayas River. The wall itself was shielded by chevaux-de-frise of sharpened bamboo stakes. The fort was eventually taken from the riverside.

On Sulu, one Moro - Jikiri with 100 men became pirates attacking the ships of the pearling fleet with 1-4 boats a cutter forced them off after their capture and burning three boats. The pirates then began raiding the coast and south to British North Borneo.

'The Death' - captured Americans and Constabulary were tortured by both Pulajans and Moros which included being buried in anthills.

More Jungle Patrol

Introduction
Constabulary 1901-1910
Insurgents: Pulajans and Moros
Scenarios

More Jungle Patrol Part II

Figures
Infantry Actions 1903-1906