The design of the pommel varies between ethnic groups, but it usually depicts either a buaya (crocodile), a bakunawa (sea serpent), a kalaw (hornbill), or a kakatua (cockatoo)..[1] This weapon was featured in the American bladesmithing competition, Forged in Fire, in season 4 episode 16.

[7] Kampilan are mentioned in ancient Filipino epics, including the Hiligaynon Hinilawod from the Visayas; the Ilocano Biag ni Lam-Ang from Luzon; and the Maranao Darangen of Mindanao.

[10] Unlike other common precolonial Filipino bolo weapons which were based on agricultural implements, the kampilan is specifically made for warfare, used either in small skirmishes or large-scale encounters.

The most famous probable use of kampilan in warfare was in the Battle of Mactan, where Antonio Pigafetta described Ferdinand Magellan being wounded on the left leg by a warrior bearing "a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger.

[13][11] Kampilan swords only survive into modern times among the Moro and the Lumad people, due to the longer period that they avoided Spanish colonization.

At about 36 to 40 inches (90 to 100 cm) long, it is much larger than other Filipino swords,[13] and is thought to be the longest,[11] though smaller versions (sometimes called the "kampilan bolo")[14] exist.

A notable exception would be the panabas, another Philippine longsword, of which unusually large examples used for ceremonial execution purposes could measure up to four feet in length.

[13][19][20] Among the Lumad people of the interiors of Mindanao, kampilan pommels do not typically depict animals, but is instead a simple curving shape that flares out at the end.

Like the blade, they may possess small holes at the tips and edges which can have attachments like bells, metal chains, or animal or human hair tassels.

It has only two forms of use, namely, to wield it by one edge, and to raise it by the other, in order to deal another stroke, its weight allowing time for the spears of the opponents to enter.

1 graduating cadet of the Philippine National Police Academy will receive the Presidential Kampilan as a recognition of his achievement for excelling in all aspects of the 4-year cadetship training, the No.