Sandatahan

The Sandatahanes (plural, from Tagalog sandatahan), also known as bolomen, were lightly armed, often irregular units within the Philippine Republican Army. Typically equipped with a bolo knife, they served primarily to support the regular forces. Dressed as farmers or civilians during the day, the Sandatahanes engaged in guerrilla activities at night, including ambushing small detachments of enemy soldiers, sabotage, and, most importantly, supplying the regular army with intelligence on enemy positions and movements. The unit traces its history back to the lightly or even unarmed Katipunan revolutionaries during the war of independence from Spain.

The Sandatahanes played significant roles in the opening phases of the Philippine-American War, notably in the the Battle of Manila in 1899 and Second Battle of Caloocan. In these battles, guerrilla units, with male operatives sometimes dressed in female clothing, infiltrated the city of Manila to confuse the American provost guards during a supporting uprising and conduct sabotage operations. However, their efforts were only partly successful and were quickly suppressed by the provost guards due to a lack of coordination and support from the city's residents.

Notable Units

Several units were formed between 1899 and 1901, namely:

• Guerilla de Voluntarios, an all-volunteer guerilla unit
• Guerilla Montada, a mounted guerilla unit
• Guerilla Navotas, a guerilla unit that operated around in and around the town of Navotas
• Zona de Manila, a guerilla unit that operated within the city of Manila and participated in the Battle of Manila in 1899 and the Second Battle of Caloocan

Bibliography

• Taylor, John R. M.; United States Bureau Of Insular Affairs (1903), Compilation of Philippine insurgent records, U.S. Government Printing Office