Philippine Scouts at Fort McKinley firing a 37-mm. antitank gun in training
Fort William McKinley, was established in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War in 1901 just south of Manila (Luzon, the Philippines). The land south of Pasig River down to Alabang was declared a U.S. military reservation by Secretary of War Elihu Root. He simply expropriated the land of Capitan Juan Gonzales with no payment or compensation. This expropriation was challenged by Ferdinand Marcos when he became president of the Philippines, and the US agreed to compensate and paid the great grandson of Gonzales, German A. Bacaltos.
In 1916, the 3rd Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment was formed here. Until December 1920, this was the home of the 31st INF. During World War II, the USAFFE headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division were at the fort. The bulk of the Philippine Division was stationed there and this was where, under the National Defense Act of 1935, specialized artillery training was conducted.
After Philippine independence, on July 4, 1946, the US surrendered to the Republic of the Philippines all rights of possession, jurisdiction, supervision and control over the Philippine territory except the use of their military bases. On May 14, 1949, Fort McKinley was turned over to the Philippine government. The facility became the home of the Philippine Army and later the Philippine Navy and renamed Fort Andres Bonifacio. It lies in both the cities of Makati and Taguig. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial was established here. Later, it was turned into a real estate development area called Bonifacio Global City.
See also[]
- Geography of the Philippines
- Military History of the Philippines
- Military History of the United States
The original article can be found at Fort William McKinley and the edit history here.