The Army of the First Philippine Republic has an official seal that is very similar to the present one. During the Commonwealth period, the Philippine Army adapted a seal patterned after the United States Army. This seal was used long even after the Philippine Army was reorganized after the war. When Headquarters Philippine Army was organized in 1957 it issued HPA Circular No.1 dated 25 September prescribing thereat the shoulder insigne. The design of the insigne was in the form of a maroon shield with bold white outer lining; superimposed on the shield was a white triangle with a maroon letter "A"(which stands for ARMY). The shield signifies defense which is the primary mission of the Army. White color of the triangle(representing geographical subdivisions of the country) signifies honor of the country and integrity which every soldier should uphold and keep untarnished. The maroon color was the distinction of the army during that time. The triangle engulfing the letter "A", signifies the honor of the country and integrity that which pervades and guides all activities.

On July 25 1959, Royal Blue was adopted as the organizational color of the Philippine Army discarding the maroon in keeping with the distinctive color of the PA which is blue. With it are changes in color in pendants, chevrons,general officer's flag piping and patches, pursuant to HPA Circular No. 2, dated 23 November 1959, the Royal Blue Insigne was replaced by the "Shield" insigne. This Philippine Shoulder Sleeve Insigne (Republic Seal), should be worn on the right shoulder when detailed in foreign countries but should be removed upon arrival in the Philippines.

On 5 January 1970, the "Shield" Insigne was again replaced by the Royal Blue Insigne.

The present army Insigne contains the historical events descriptive of the Filipino forces' libertarian struggles from the Katipunan Army to the present-day PhilippineArmy. It is symbolic of the glory and aspirations that remain a glow in the Filipino soldier's heart to preserve liberty, freedom and democracy in his country. Present Army patch is basically that of a modified pentagonal shield which signifies defense- the Army's primary and ultimate mission. As an instrument of defense, it seeks to contain not only the external aggressors but also strives to destroy internal threats and subversion. It also depicts the determination of the Filipino people in seeking his identity as a nation. In within the shield is a red equilateral triangle with three stars at its vertices, representing the three major island-groupings: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At the center of the triangle is an eight-rayed sun which represents the first eight provinces that revolted against Spain. This triangular emblem, with a white border signifying the Army's foremost preoccupation with peace, its the historic coat-of-arm of the Philippine Revolutionary Army of 1897. At the center of the sun is an ancient Filipino script representing the letter "K" which stands for the Katipunan Army raised by Andres Bonifacio in the initial struggles for Philippine Independence. It rests on a field of green symbolic of the verdant land over which it exerts its influence. The shield and the coat-of-arms in turn, lie on a white field symbolic of the purity and loftiness of the Filipino ideals.