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In accordance with the decrees of June 18 and 23, 1898, Aguinaldo
convoked the Revolutionary Congress at Barasoain, Malolos. Peace and
order conditions in some provinces were such that Aguinaldo was compelled
to appoint their delegates to Congress. Consequently, on September 4,
he appointed fifty delegates to the Congress. This number was increased
by ten on September 10. The number of delegates to the Congress fluctuated
from time to time.
In the morning of September 15, the basilica at Barasoain was filled
with delegates and spectators. Outside, the Banda Pasig played
the National Anthem. When Aguinaldo and his officers arrived, the
delegates, the cream of the Filipino intelligentsia, spread out to give
way to the President. With the President seated, the secretary read the names
of the delegates, after which Aguinaldo was introduced. Cries of "Viva!"
reverberated and Aguinaldo acknowledged the applause of the throng.
Then he stood up and read his message, first in Tagalog, then in Spanish.
A round of applause followed Aguinaldo's speech, which Felipe Buencamino
wrote. Aguinaldo then announced that the ceremonies were over and that
Congress was to convene after electing its officers.
In the afternoon, the Congress proceeded to elect its officers,
namely, Pedro A. Paterno, President; Benito Legarda, Vice-President;
Gregorio Araneta, First Secretary; and Pablo Ocampo, Second Secretary.
* * *
The first significant act of the Congress was the ratification on
September 29, of the independence proclaimed at Kawit on June 12, 1898.
Aguinaldo, whose office and official residence were located at the convent
of Malolos Church, arrived at Barasoain, where Congress was holding its
sessions, amidst the "vociferous acclamations of he people and strains of
music." The ceremonies began at 10:30am and Aguinaldo, after congratulating
Paterno for having been elected to the presidency of Congress, partly
said in Tagalog:
* * * now we witness the truth of what the famous President
Monroe said to the effect that the United States was for the Americans;
now I say that the Philippines is for the Filipinos.
* * *
A committee to draft the constitution was created with Felipe G. Calderon
as its most prominent member. Having set Mabini's Constitutional Program
aside, the committee. under the influence of Calderon, also set aside,
but in a subtle manner, Paterno's constitutional plan, which smelled
strongly of the Spanish Constitution of 1869. With the advise of Cayetano
Arellano, a brilliant but unreconstructed mestizo, Calderon drew up his plans for a constitution, deriving inspiration
from the constitutions of Mexico, Belgium, Guatemala, Costa Rica,
Brazil and France. In the session of Oct 8, Calderon presented the draft
of this constitution.
. . .
A few other amendments were inserted in the draft constitution
before it was sent to Aguinaldo for approval.
History of the Filipino People. Teodoro A. Agoncillo
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The Malolos Republic
Owing to the objections of Mabini to some provisions in the Constitution,
Aguinaldo did not immediately promulgate it.
The leaders of Congress compromised by inserting some amendments.
After promulgating the Malolos Constitution, the Filipino leaders
proceeded to inaugurate the first Filipino Republic
on January 23, 1899.
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On January 21, 1899, Aguinaldo promulgated what is now known as the
Malolos Constitution.
* * *
The Malolos constitution is the first important Filipino document
ever produced by the people's representatives. It is anchored in democratic
traditions that ultimately had their roots in American soil. It created a
Filipino state whose government was "popular, representative and responsible"
with three distinct branches -- the executive, the legislative and the
judicial. The constitution specifically provided for safeguards against
abuses, and enumerated the national and individual rights not only of the
Filipinos and of the aliens.
The legislative powers were exercised by the Assembly of Representatives
composed of delegates elected according to law. To make the function of
Congress continuous, the document provided for a Permanent Commission
which would sit as a law-making body when Congress was not in session.
The assembly elected the President of the Republic. The Cabinet,
composed of the Secretaries of the different Departments of the government,
was responsible not to the President, but to the Assembly. The administration
of justice was vested in the Supreme Court and in inferior courts to be
established according to law. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
was to be elected by the Assembly with the concurrence of the President
and the Cabinet.
* * *
The constitution as a whole is a monument to the capacity of the
Filipinos to chart their own course along democratic lines. In a period
of storm and stress, it symbolized the ideals of a people who had emerged
from the Dark Ages into the Light of Reason.
History of the Filipino People. Teodoro A. Agoncillo
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