Philippines - Revision history

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Notes

Admin1: /* Camouflage of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other Agencies */

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Camouflage of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other Agencies

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Camouflage of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other Agencies

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Camouflage of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other Agencies

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Camouflage Patterns of the Philippine Army, Constabulary, and Air Force

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Camouflage Patterns of the Philippine Army, Constabulary, and Air Force

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Camouflage Patterns of the Philippine Army, Constabulary, and Air Force

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Camouflage of the Philippine Navy and Marines

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Camouflage of the Philippine Navy and Marines

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Camouflage Patterns of the Philippine Army, Constabulary, and Air Force

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 == Notes ==
-We wish to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the late Mr. Isangani (Gani) Ocampo for his generous assistance in providing research and documentation for this article. Gani was a true friend and I was saddened to hear of his passing. Likewise, I acknowledge the work and dedication of Mr. Pedro Antonio V. Javier, whose reference book on the evolution of Filipino Camouflage has been helpful by filling in gaps in our research on this subject.
+We wish to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the late Mr. Isangani (Gani) Ocampo for his generous assistance in providing research and documentation for this article. Gani was a true friend and I was saddened to hear of his passing. Likewise, I acknowledge the work and dedication of Mr. Pedro Antonio V. Javier, whose reference book on the evolution of Filipino Camouflage has been extremely helpful by filling in gaps in our research on this subject.
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-* The Philippine Presidential Security Group are a unique branch of service tasked with the protection of the President and VIPs. The agency began painting its vehicles a in a unique grey-black urban camouflage pattern nicknamed "bricks" in 1989. Because the unit is secretive and does not keep a high profile, the precise date that camouflage uniforms in this patter were adopted is unknown, but at least by 1991 at the very latest. There are three primary colorways documented: a grey and black version, a grey, black and tan version, and another variation of the tan that has more "pinkish" hues.
+* The Philippine Presidential Security Group are a unique branch of service tasked with the protection of the President and VIPs. The agency began painting its vehicles in a unique grey-black urban camouflage pattern nicknamed "bricks" in 1989. Because the unit is secretive and does not keep a high profile, the precise date that camouflage uniforms in this patter were adopted is unknown, but at least by 1991 at the very latest. There are three primary colorways documented: a grey and black version, a grey, black and tan version, and another variation of the tan that has more "pinkish" hues.
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 == Camouflage of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other Agencies ==
 * A camouflage pattern based on the standard Army [[DPM]] design was introduced in the 1990s for wear by some units of the Philippine National Police (PNP). This design, the so-called "blue" or "purple DPM" incorporates black, midnight blue & dark maroon disruptive shapes on a lavender background.
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-* A black/grey or "urban" coloration of standard m81 [[woodland]] pattern was worn by a number of Philippine law enforcement and security agencies in the early or mid-1990s, including units of the Philippine Constabulary, the Presidential Security Group, and the Bureau of Jail Managment and Penology.
+* The Philippine Presidential Security Group are a unique branch of service tasked with the protection of the President and VIPs. The agency began painting its vehicles a in a unique grey-black urban camouflage pattern nicknamed "bricks" in 1989. Because the unit is secretive and does not keep a high profile, the precise date that camouflage uniforms in this patter were adopted is unknown, but at least by 1991 at the very latest. There are three primary colorways documented: a grey and black version, a grey, black and tan version, and another variation of the tan that has more "pinkish" hues.
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-* The Philippine Presidential Security Group are a unique branch of service tasked with the protection of the President and VIPs. The earliest use of camouflage by this agency was a black/grey or "urban" coloration of standard m81 [[woodland]] pattern which was worn in the early or mid-1990s.
+* A black/grey or "urban" coloration of standard m81 [[woodland]] pattern was worn by a number of Philippine law enforcement and security agencies in the early or mid-1990s, including units of the Philippine Constabulary, the Presidential Security Group, and the Bureau of Jail Managment and Penology.
 [[File:Colombia9.jpg|200px]]
-* Since the late 1990s, the PSG has worn a unique urban camouflage pattern nicknamed "bricks." There are three primary colorways documented: a grey and black version, a grey, black and tan version, and another variation of the tan that has more "pinkish" hues.
+* The Philippine Presidential Security Group are a unique branch of service tasked with the protection of the President and VIPs.Since the late 1990s, the PSG has worn a unique urban camouflage pattern nicknamed "bricks." There are three primary colorways documented: a grey and black version, a grey, black and tan version, and another variation of the tan that has more "pinkish" hues.
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-* Introduced in May 1977, the Philippine seven colour [[brushstroke]] pattern is loosely based on the [[Republic of Vietnam|South Vietnamese]] Airborne "pinks" camouflage design and its design is attributed to General Arwel Oropesa. This pattern was first worn by Home Defense Forces Group (HDFG) and Army Special Forces units, and later by the Army Scout Rangers, first issued in 1977 to graduates of the Scout Ranger school. Although often categorized as having two variants (red dominant and green dominant), the reality seems to be that there were simply a wide number of color variations produced depending on the production run. That said, Mr. Javier has written that the early version (Type 1) has a more green tint to it, while the later version (Type 2) features the more reddish tones, and was not issued until 1979.<ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 223, 229</ref>  Illustrated below are at least five different examples of the pattern, showing the wide array of color combinations.
+* Introduced in May 1977, the Philippine seven colour [[brushstroke]] pattern is loosely based on the [[Republic of Vietnam|South Vietnamese]] Airborne "pinks" camouflage design. Its design and implementation is attributed to Army General Arwel Oropesa. This pattern was first worn by Home Defense Forces Group (HDFG) and Army Special Forces units, and later by the Army Scout Rangers, first issued in 1977 to graduates of the Scout Ranger school. Although often categorized as having two variants (red dominant and green dominant), my observation of several extant samples suggests that there were simply a wide number of color variations produced depending on the production run. That said, Mr. Javier has written that the early version (Type 1) has a more green tint to it, while the later version (Type 2) features the more reddish tones, and was not issued until 1979.<ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 223, 229</ref>  Illustrated below are at least five different examples of the pattern, showing the wide array of color combinations.
 [[File:Philippines18.jpg|200px]]
 * Introduced in 1972, another very early Philippine camouflage design that was produced locally is the so-called "puzzle" pattern, named because the shapes resemble pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The pattern may also have been nicknamed "Buck Skin" camouflage. <ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 187</ref> There are, in fact, two distinct variations of the puzzle pattern, with an undetermined number of "sub-variations" distinguished by color differences, as well as by slight (or major) shifts in the print screens during the fabric production process. All of the "puzzle" designs were worn by the Philippine Army and Constabulary from the 1970s into the 1980s. Seen below are two examples of what I have termed the Type I Puzzle pattern, which appears to be the most common version.

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-* Uniform standards in the AFP have historically not been very strictly enforced, meaning that individual service members could supply their own camouflage pattern fatigues as long as they were of reasonably good quality and similiar in design to those issued by the government. Many surplus American BDUs and other items were incorporated into the armed forces this way. Additionally, surplus camouflage from other nations, like the [[South Korea|Republic of Korea]] and Thailand, were often available very cheaply at local flea markets and would frequently be obtained by military personnel, with original insignia stripped and local patches applied in their place.<ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 171</ref>
+* Uniform standards in the AFP have historically not been very strictly enforced, meaning that individual service members could supply their own camouflage pattern fatigues as long as they were of reasonably good quality and similiar in design to those issued by the government. Many surplus American BDUs and other items were incorporated into the armed forces this way. Additionally, surplus camouflage from other nations, like the [[South Korea|Republic of Korea]], Singapore, and Thailand, were often available very cheaply at local flea markets and would frequently be obtained by military personnel, with original insignia stripped and local patches applied in their place.<ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 171</ref>
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 * First introduced in the early-1990s, the standard camouflage pattern of the Philippine Army and Air Force has been a locally-produced copy of British [[DPM]] ever since. A number of color variations exist, printed on a variety of fabrics.

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 == Camouflage of the Philippine Navy and Marines ==
-* The first camouflage pattern issued to the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) dates to the early 1980s. Variations of this basic leaf design continued to be issued until recently, when a pixelated pattern was adopted. Seen below is the earliest issue PMC pattern.
+* The first distinctive camouflage design created for the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) is seen here, colloquially called ''Malunggay,'' and also ''Ugat'' (root shapes), or even "Mangrove." This design was actually introduced around 1972 as a test pattern for the Marine Corps, but was rejected, re-designed, and then rejected a second time. Thus, two color variations of the pattern exist that never saw widespread distribution to the PMC. Finally, a third version was produced that saw approval by the Department of Defense. <ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 200-201</ref> The Type 3 design features black "twig" or "root" shapes over large blotches of dark olive green & brown on a tan background. The pattern was later re-printed with a pale green background. The original drawings for this design may have originated in Thailand. There is some evidence to suggest an early incarnation of the Philippine Constabulary Special Action Force also made use of this camouflage pattern in the early 1980s.
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-* Subsequent variations of the early Philippine Marines leaf pattern feature a different set of drawings and often have different background or base colors. These generally feature overlapping leaf shapes in black, dark brown & dark olive green on a khaki, yellowish tan, or light olive green background.
+* A second camouflage pattern for the Philippine Marine Corps was introduced in 1978, and was reputedly influenced by the earlier ''Ugat'' design.<ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 205</ref> Variations of this basic leaf design continued to be re-issued until recently, when a pixelated pattern was adopted.
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-* Another early PMC camouflage pattern is seen here, colloquially called ''Malunggay,'' and also ''Ugat'' (root shapes), or even "Mangrove." The design features black "twig" or "root" shapes over large blotches of dark olive green & brown on a tan background. The pattern was later re-printed with a pale green background. The original drawings for this design may have originated in Thailand. There is some evidence to suggest an early incarnation of the Philippine Constabulary Special Action Force also made use of this camouflage pattern in the early 1980s.
+* Another early PMC camouflage pattern is seen here, colloquially called ''Malunggay,'' and also ''Ugat'' (root shapes), or even "Mangrove." This design was actually introduced around 1972 as a test pattern for the Marine Corps, but was rejected, re-designed, and then rejected a second time. Thus, two color variations of the pattern exist that never saw widespread distribution to the PMC. Finally, a third version was produced that saw approval by the Department of Defense. <ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 200-201</ref> The Type 3 design features black "twig" or "root" shapes over large blotches of dark olive green & brown on a tan background. The pattern was later re-printed with a pale green background. The original drawings for this design may have originated in Thailand. There is some evidence to suggest an early incarnation of the Philippine Constabulary Special Action Force also made use of this camouflage pattern in the early 1980s.
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-* Another very early Philippine camouflage design that was produced locally is the so-called "puzzle" pattern, named because the shapes resemble pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. There are, in fact, two distinct variations of the puzzle pattern, with an undetermined number of "sub-variations" distinguished by color differences, as well as by slight (or major) shifts in the print screens during the fabric production process. All of the "puzzle" designs were worn by the Philippine Army and Constabulary from the 1970s into the 1980s. Seen below are two examples of what I have termed the Type I Puzzle pattern, which appears to be the most common version.
+* Introduced in 1972, another very early Philippine camouflage design that was produced locally is the so-called "puzzle" pattern, named because the shapes resemble pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The pattern may also have been nicknamed "Buck Skin" camouflage. <ref>Pedro Antonio V. Javier, Evolution of Filipino Camouflage 1899-2024 (self-published, 2024), p 187</ref> There are, in fact, two distinct variations of the puzzle pattern, with an undetermined number of "sub-variations" distinguished by color differences, as well as by slight (or major) shifts in the print screens during the fabric production process. All of the "puzzle" designs were worn by the Philippine Army and Constabulary from the 1970s into the 1980s. Seen below are two examples of what I have termed the Type I Puzzle pattern, which appears to be the most common version.
 [[File:Philippines15.jpg|200px]]