Malolos Congress

Malolos Congress
Philippines
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Houses La Asamblea De Representantes
History
Founded September 15, 1898
Disbanded November 13, 1899
Preceded by Spanish Cortes
Ayuntamiento
Succeeded by Taft Commission
Seats 136[note 1]
Philippines
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
the Philippines

The Malolos Congress or formally known as the "National Assembly" of representatives was the constituent assembly of the First Philippine Republic. It met at the Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Bulacan.[1] It drafted the Malolos Constitution.

The Congress was not much more than a decoration.[1] "That is to show to the foreign correspondents that we Filipinos are civilized, but the bulk of the work in nation building were done at the Malolos Cathedral by the executive branch of government led by (Philippine President Emilio) Aguinaldo, who was in command of the army fighting the Americans," said attorney Cris Santiago, past president of the historical society of Bulacan (known as Samahang Pangkasaysayan ng Bulacan or Sampaka).[1]

Political Constitution

Main article: Malolos Constitution

Following the declaration of independence from Spain on June 12, 1898 and transformation of the dictatorial government to a revolutionary government on 23 June, the Malolos Congress election was held between June 23 and September 10. On 15 September 1898, the revolutionary congress convened in Barasoain Church in Malolos (now Malolos City, Bulacan) with Pedro Paterno as president and Gregorio S. Araneta as vice president.[2] On 29 September, the 12 June Declaration of independence was ratified.[3] The congress then decided to draft a Constitution, a decision opposed by Apolinario Mabini, the Prime Minister of the revolutionary government (President of the Council of Government).[3] The resulting Malolos Constitution was ratified on November 29, 1898, signed into law on December 23, approved on January 20, 1899, sanctioned by President Emilio Aguinaldo on January 21, and promulgated on January 22.[4][5] The document states that the people have exclusive sovereignty. It states basic civil rights, separated the church from the state, and called for the creation of an Assembly of Representatives (A.K.A. National Assembly) which would act as the legislature. It also calls for a parliamentary republic as the form of government with the president elected for a term of four years by a majority of the Assembly.[6]

Sessions

Legislation

Major legislation

Legislation Enactment Ratification
Declaration of Independence[7] June 12, 1898 September 29, 1898
Declaration of War against the United States[8] June 2, 1899 June 2, 1899

Malolos Constitution

Main article: Malolos Constitution
Malolos Constitution[6]
Approved Promulgated
January 21, 1899 January 22, 1899

Leadership

Emilio Aguinaldo y Fámy
Apolinario M. Mabini
Pedro A. Paterno elected on May 7, 1899
Atty. Pedro A. Paterno - Pedro A. Paterno of Santa Cruz, Manila
Gregorio Araneta
Atty. Pablo Roque Tecson - Pablo Roque Tecson: Atty. Pablo R. Tecson of Balanga, Bataan and Atty. Pablo de Leon Ocampo: Pablo Ocampo of Quiapo, Manila.

Council of Government (Cabinet) Members

Office Name Term
President of the Cabinet[9][10][11][10] Apolinario Mabini January 2 — May 7, 1899[11]
Pedro Paterno May 7 — November 13, 1899[11][lower-alpha 1]
Secretary of Foreign Affairs[9][10] Apolinario Mabini October 1, 1898 — May 7, 1899[11]
Secretary of the Interior[9][10] Teodoro Sandico January 2 — May 7, 1899[11]
Secretary of Finance[9][10] Mariano Trías January 2 — May 7, 1899[11]
Hugo Ilagan May 7 — November 13, 1899[11][lower-alpha 1]
Severino de las Alas May 7 — November 13, 1899[11][lower-alpha 1]
Secretary of War and Marine[9][10] Baldomero Aguinaldo July 15, 1898 — May 7, 1899[11]
Mariano Trías May 7 — November 13, 1899[11][lower-alpha 1]
Secretary of Justice Gregorio Araneta September 2, 1898 — May 7, 1899[11]
Secretary of Welfare[9][10][lower-alpha 2] Gracio Gonzaga January 2 — May 7, 1899[11]
Felipe Buencamino May 7 — November 13, 1899[11][lower-alpha 1]
Maximo Paterno May 7 — November 13, 1899[11][lower-alpha 1]
Secretary of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce[9][10] Leon Maria Guerrero May 7 — November 13, 1899[11][lower-alpha 1]
Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Several sources assert that shortly after installation of the Paterno cabinet, General Antonio Luna arrested Paterno and some or all of the cabinet secretaries.[12][13] At least one source asserts that the Mabini cabinet was reinstalled after the arrests.[13] Another source asserts that those arrested were released on orders of President Aguinaldo, but does not provide any indication about whether the Mabini or the Paterno cabinet was in office after the release.[12]
  2. ↑ In the Mabini cabinet, the Secretary of Welfare had responsibility for Public Instruction, Communications & Public Works, and Agriculture, Industry & Commerce.[11]

The cabinet only met in a few times in 1899.

Members (Representatives)

Soldiers of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during a session of the congress.

In 2006, engineer Marcial Aniag, president of the Bulacan Historical Society, asserted that among the 85 delegates who convened in Malolos there were 43 lawyers, 17 doctors, five pharmacists, three educators, seven businessmen, four painters, three military men, a priest and four farmers.[1] Five of the 85 delegates did not have a college degree.[1]

Emilio Aguinaldo (seated, center) and ten of the delegates to the first Assembly of Representatives.

List of National Assembly Representatives (members) by province as of July 7, 1899.[14][15]

Province Elected Appointed
Manila 4 0
Batangas 4 0
Bulacan 4 0
Cavite 4 0
Camarines 4 0
Ilocos Sur 3 1
Ilocos Norte 6 0
Laguna 4 0
Pampanga 4 0
Pangasinan 2 2
Iloilo 0 4
Cebu 0 4
Leyte 0 4
Albay 4 1
Cagayan 1 2
Bataan 3 0
Isabela 2 1
La Union 1 2
Nueva Ecija 3 0
Tarlac 3 0
Zambales 2 1
Sorsogon 0 3
Negros Occidental 0 3
Negros Oriental 0 3
Samar 0 3
Capiz 0 3
Antigua** 0 3
Bohol 0 3
Zamboanga 0 3
Misamis 0 3
Calamianes*** 0 3
Masbate 0 3
Mindoro 1 2
Morong 2 0
Lepanto 3 0
Batanes Islands 1 1
Nueva Vizcaya 1 1
Abra 1 0
Padre Burgos (Benguet) 1 2
Catanduanes 0 2
Paragua*** 0 2
Palaos* 0 1
Totals 68 68
136[note 1]

*Modern-day Republic of Palau.
**Renamed to Antique.
***Currently parts of Palawan, Paragua corresponding to mainland Palawan.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Filipino historian Teodoro Agoncillo, in his book Malolos, numbered the delegates as of July 7, 1899 at 193 (42 elected and 151 appointed).[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Balabo, Dino (December 10, 2006). "Historians: Malolos Congress produced best RP Constitution". Philippine Star. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  2. ↑ Kalaw 1927, pp. 120, 124–125
  3. 1 2 Kalaw 1927, p. 125.
  4. ↑ Guevara 2005, p. 104.
  5. ↑ Tucker, Spencer C. (2009). The encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars: a political, social, and military history. ABC-CLIO. pp. 364–365. ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1.
  6. 1 2 Guevara, Sulpico, ed. (2005). The laws of the first Philippine Republic (the laws of Malolos) 1898-1899. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Library (published 1972). pp. 104–119. Retrieved 2008-03-26.. (English translation by Sulpicio Guevara)
  7. ↑ The Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence
  8. ↑ "Pedro Paterno's Proclamation of War". MSC Schools, Philippines. June 2, 1899. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Guevara, Sulpico, ed. (2005). "Title IX The Secretaries of Government". The laws of the first Philippine Republic (the laws of Malolos) 1898-1899. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Library (published 1972). p. 115. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tucker, Spencer (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. [Spencer Tucker (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 496. ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1.]. ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Master List of Cabinet Members since 1899" (PDF). Philippine Government. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  12. 1 2 Constantino, Renato; Constantino, Letizia R. (1975). A History of the Philippines. NYU Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-85345-394-9.
  13. 1 2 Golay, Frank H. (1997), Face of Empire: United States-Philippine relations, 1898-1946, Ateneo de Manila University Press, p. 50, ISBN 978-971-550-254-2
  14. ↑ Kalaw, Maximo M. (1927). "The development of Philippine politics". Oriental commercial: 121. Retrieved 2008-03-22. (citing Volume II, Galley 2 of Major J. R. M. Taylor's translation and compilation of captured insurgent records (Taylor 1907))
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ Teodoro A. Agoncillo (1897), Malolos: The Crisis of the Republic, University of the Philippines Press, pp. 224 and Appendix F (pp,658–663), ISBN 978-971-542-096-9

Further reading

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