Malolos Constitution and the First Philippine Republic PDF

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Emyliza Marano BSBA MM 3-1 READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY Malolos Constitution and the First Philippine Republic

On January 21, 1899, the first Philippine Republic was established at Malolos, Bulacan. Emilio Aguinaldo took his oath of office after being proclaimed president. A military parade followed the reading of the constitution, article by article and ordered that it be "maintained, obeyed, and carried out in its entirety because it is the Filipino people's sovereign will." Aguinaldo forwarded a copy of the constitution to the military governor, General Otis, with the remark that the people "had adopted the type of government most compatible with their ambitions.". To be understood, this constitution must be viewed in the context of the Philippines' history: centuries of Spanish rule, insurgencies against Spain's authority and "her bad government," and later against the United States' assumption of sovereignty, and the gradually increasing sense of nationality which nourished in the blood of martyrdom, grew into a common and an ardent desire for independence. Unfortunately The declaration of the First Philippine Republic is a turning point in Philippine history. It is the outcome of a succession of events that have shaped our past. As a result, Emilio Aguinaldo's declaration of the Malolos Republic is bookended by Bonifacio's 1896 Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. The Malolos Constitution embodied the desire and capacity of the Filipinos to establish a government of the people. The constitution adopted the principles from the constitutions of Cuba, Mexico, Belgium, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil and France the Constitution ventured in applying democracy in its early stages. A government was formed with the intention of being popular, representative, and accountable. Consisting of three independent powers called the legislative, the executive and the judicial. Profiting by prior experience, the Church and the State were made separated. The Assembly of Representatives, a unicameral body, was given legislative power. The members were to be elected for four-year periods in accordance with the law. They were meant to represent the entire country, not just the people who elected them. The executive power was vested in the president of the Republic. The president was to be elected by a constituent assembly, consisting of the members of the assembly of representatives and special representatives for a term of four years, and was to be eligible for

re-election. The supreme court of justice and additional courts to be established by statute were given judicial power. Special statutes were to control the membership and organization of the courts. The national assembly was to choose the chief justice of the supreme court and the solicitor general, with the president of the Republic and the cabinet secretaries' approval. The courts were given the ability to apply the laws in civil and criminal cases and were made "completely independent to the legislative and executive branches." What makes it worth to remember is the tenacity of the people in the time of war to proclaim their independence and nationality to emerge from the dark ages of Spanish Rule and American Sovereignty although the Malolos Constitution only lasted from 1899 to 1901, due to the war. It is still a testament to the will power and the intelligence of the early Filipinos to govern themselves as an independent country....