Civil Guard (Philippines)

Civil Guard Guardia Civil Guwardiya Sibil
Abbreviation	GC
Badge of the Civil Guard
Motto	El honor es mi divisa Honour is my emblem
Agency overview
Formed	1868
Dissolved	1898
Superseding agency	Philippine Constabulary
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Philippines
Governing body	Government of Spain
General nature	Law enforcement Gendarmerie
Specialist jurisdictions	Highways, roads, and-or traffic. National border patrol, security, and integrity.
Operational structure
Headquarters	Manila, Philippines
Sworn members	3,685 (1897)

The Civil Guard of the Philippines (Spanish: Guardia Civil en las Filipinas) (Filipino: Guwardiya Sibil ng Pilipinas) was the branch of the Guardia Civil organised under the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines. It was disbanded after the Spanish–American War and was replaced by the Philippine Constabulary.

In the Philippines, the Guardia Civil was introduced by the Spanish colonial government in 1868, during the term of Governor-General Carlos María de la Torre y Nava Cerrada. The organization began with a size of one division or around 1,200 men. By 1880, and this size was maintained until 1897, the Guardia Civil in the Philippines had a size of three divisions or more than 3,600 men. Two were stationed in Luzon and the third in the Visayas.

The Guardia Civil in the Philippines followed closely the organisation of the metropolitan institution. Officers were drawn from the regular Spanish army. Under normal conditions, they formed patrols consisting of two men. Larger detachments were organized for operations such the suppression of bandit groups. By 1897, the force had 155 Spanish officers.

The Guardia Civil had the power to impose penalties for infringements of law and local ordinances. They could arrest people upon suspicion alone, and the Spanish colonial government did not bar the Guardia Civil from using torture techniques in interrogation processes. They could also kill suspects without trial if resistance was offered.

During the first phase of the Philippine Revolution (1896-1897), the Guardia Civil comprised around 60 percent of the native component of the Spanish military forces in the colony.

The Guardia Civil Veterana or Veteran Civil Guard was formed during the period 1871 to 1872 under the Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo y Gutiérrez to be the urban gendarmerie force of Manila. This organization began with 37 officers and 322 men as of July 11, 1872. By 1898, it had 14 officers and 325 men.