Military ranks of the Philippines

The following list presents the ranks and insignia of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, one of Asia's oldest armed services.

Introduction

Philippine military ranks are inspired by the very first military insignia used by the Philippine Army and Navy during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 and the Philippine American War. These first standard ranks used by these forces were designed by several revolutionary leaders, inspired by Spanish military ranks. These were on sleeves for enlisted personnel and on red shoulder Epaulettes for officers, and were preceded by sleeve insignia for all ranks, made during the early stages of the Revolution itself.

Army and Marine Corps ranks

These are the ranks used by the Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps. For officers, Army shoulder insignia are in green on duty dresses and blue and gold on full dresses and Marine Corps shoulder insignia, dark blue on all uniforms. General officer epaulettes are gold on the full dress and in the service color in the duty and everyday dress uniforms.

Officer ranks

Ground forces ranks	Filipino Name	Spanish Name	Collar insignia (Army and Marines)	Army Shoulder insignia (Full dress)	Army Shoulder insignia (Everyday/working dress)	Marine Corps Shoulder insignia (Full dress)	Marine Corps Shoulder insignia (Everyday/working dress)
General	Heneral	General
Lieutenant General	Tenyente Heneral	Teniente General
Major General	Magat Heneral	General de Division
Brigadier General	Brigadyer Heneral	General de Brigada
Colonel	Lakan	Coronel
Lieutenant Colonel	Kalakan	Teniente Coronel
Major	Himagat	Comandante
Captain	Magat	Capitan
First Lieutenant	Kamagat	Teniente
Second Lieutenant	Pulimagat	Alferez

Enlisted Ranks

Army enlisted ranks are in green while those of the Marines are in red.

Ground forces ranks	Filipino Name	Spanish Name	Collar and sleeve insignia (Army)	Collar and sleeve insignia (Marine Corps)
First Chief Master Sergeant	Unang Tsip Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre Jefe de Primera
Chief Master Sergeant	Tsip Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre Jefe
Senior Master Sergeant	Senyor Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre Mayor
Master Sergeant	Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre
Technical Sergeant		Sargento Technico
Staff Sergeant		Sargento de Personal
Sergeant	Sarhento	Sargento
Corporal	Kabo	Cabo
Private First Class	Praybayt ng Unang Klase	Soldado de Primera Clase
Private	Praybayt	Soldado

The top FCMS of the Army or the Marines holds the Command Sergeant Major of the Armed Forces of the Philippines appointment.

Air Force ranks

These are the ranks used by the Philippine Air Force. Officer ranks are in air force blue on all shoulder board epaulettes in all uniforms (general officers use gold epaulettes on the full dress only) while enlisted sleeve insignia, formerly on raised chevrons, now uses inverted air force blue chevrons increasing by rank, using the air force roundel.

Officer ranks

Air force ranks	Filipino Name	Spanish Name	Collar insignia	Shoulder insignia (Full dress)	Shoulder insignia (Everyday/working dress)
General	Heneral	General
Lieutenant General	Tenyente Heneral	Teniente General
Major General	Magat Heneral	General de Division
Brigadier General	Brigadyer Heneral	General de Brigada
Colonel	Lakan	Coronel
Lieutenant Colonel	Kalakan	Teniente Coronel
Major	Himagat	Comandante
Captain	Magat	Capitan
First Lieutenant	Kamagat	Teniente
Second Lieutenant	Pulimagat	Alferez

Air force enlisted ranks

Air force ranks	Filipino Name	Spanish Name	Collar insignia	Sleeve insignia
First Chief Master Sergeant	Unang Tsip Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre Jefe de Primera
Chief Master Sergeant	Tsip Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre Jefe
Senior Master Sergeant	Senyor Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre Mayor
Master Sergeant	Master Sarhento	Sargento Maestre
Technical Sergeant		Sargento Tecnico
Staff Sergeant		Sargento de Personal
Sergeant	Sarhento	Sargento
Senior Airman		Avionero Mayor
Airman First Class		Avionero de Primera
Airman Second Class		Avionero de Segunda
Airman		Avionero

Air Force FCMSs are also eligible for the CSMAFP appointment.

Naval ranks and ratings

These are the ranks and ratings used in the Philippine Navy. All officer insignia use both the United States Navy officer rank insignia system (using a sun instead of the five pointed star or staff corps insignia) and normal AFP rank insignia in the shoulders of the dress and duty whites, on the collars of the khaki uniforms (for officers and CPOs), and on the sleeves of the dress blues. NCO ratings, in raised chevrons increasing by rating, are in dark blue on all uniform sleeves, sleeves of the dungaree uniforms (for lower ranked NCOs and Seamen) and also on dark blue shoulder epaulettes only for senior ratings, which also wear collar insignia in almost all uniforms including the khaki uniform only used for CPOs and above.

Naval officer ranks

Navy ranks	Filipino name	Spanish name	Collar insignia (Khaki dress)	Shoulder insignia (Full dress)	Shoulder insignia (Duty dress)	Shoulder insignia (Everyday/working dress)	Sleeve insignia
Admiral	Admiral	Almirante
Vice Admiral	Bise Admiral	Vicealmirante
Rear Admiral	Rir Admiral	Contraalmirante
Commodore	Komodor	Comodoro
Captain	Kapitan	Capitan de Navio
Commander	Kumander	Capitan de Fragata
Lieutenant Commander	Tinyente Kumander	Capitan de Corbeta
Lieutenant (senior grade)	Tinyente	Teniente de Navio
Lieutenant (junior grade)	Tinyente (Mababang baitang)	Alferez de Navio
Ensign	Alferez	Alferez de Fragata

Naval enlisted ratings

Naval enlisted ratings	Filipino name	Spanish name	Collar insignia	Sleeve insignia	Shoulder insignia (for senior rank holders only)
First Master Chief Petty Officer		Maestre Contramaestre Jefe de Primera
Master Chief Petty Officer		Maestre Contramaestre Jefe
Senior Chief Petty Officer		Contramaestre Jefe Mayor
Chief Petty Officer		Contramaestre Jefe
Petty officer, first class		Contramaestre de Primera			None
Petty officer, second class		Contramaestre de Segunda
Petty officer, third class		Contramaestre de Tercera
Seaman First Class		Marinero de Primera
Seaman Second Class		Marinero de Segunda
Seaman		Marinero

See also

• Armed Forces of the Philippines