Mindanao Constabulary (21st Century Crisis)

The Mindanao Constabulary (Filipino: Hukbóng Pamayapà ng Mindanao, Malay: Kepolisian Mindanao, Spanish: Gendarmería de Mindanao) are the branch of the Philippine National Constabulary operating in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. It is also known as the Southern Constabulary (Malay: Kepolisian Selatan).

The Mindanao Constabulary contains six active divisions, and shares a unique history different than that of the Visayas Constabulary, Luzon Constabulary and the Palawan Constbaulary. While the other three branches of the PNC share their origins solely in the paramilitary and police groups established by the Spanish colonial and later Japanese, American and Philippine governments, the Mindanao Constabulary was formed from an amalgamation of all the historical armed groups in Mindanao.

So this would include the Free Mindanao Army, the paramilitary force that operated in the de facto Republic of Mindanao that fought against the Japanese, American and Philippine occupations, as well as the Royal Sulu Army, the armed force of the short-lived Kingdom of Sulu that eventually merged with the Republic of Mindanao.

By permission of then-president Corazon Aquino, the Mindanao Constabulary gets to share a different history than that of the others, and even use native titles such as Datu. Legally-speaking, the Mindanao Constabulary is considered a descendant of the Mindanao Free Army and Royal Sulu Army. Therefore, Ahmad Salahuddin, the leader of the Free Mindanao Army and Jainal Abirin, the founder of the Royal Sulu Army are considered founding fathers.

Due to the conflicting histories, there is often inter-branch rivalry between the Mindanao Constabulary, and that of the other three island groups. Yet however, the Mindanao Constabulary is known to be the toughest fighting branch of the PNC