Notes

he phil government in transition2
1.1. The Government of Transition of the Philippines J. Colima Bajado
2.2.  Prehispanic Spanish Government American Japanese Postwar
3.3. The pre-Spanish government. Unit of government. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the Philippines was composed of settlements or villages, each called barangay (consisting of more or less 100 families, named after balangay, a Malayan word meaning "boat" (thereby confirming the theory that the early Filipinoscame to the Philippines in boats). Eve1·y barang~y was virtually a state, for it possessed the four basic elements of statehood. At times, however, some barangays joined together as "confederations" mainly for the purpose of mutual protection against common enemies.
4.4.  Datu. - Each barangay was ruled by a chief called datu. In some places, and rajah, sultan or hadji In the performance of his duties, however, he was assisted usually by a council of elders (maginoos) which served as his advisers. One could be a datu chiefly by inheritance, wisdom, wealth, or physical prowess. In form, the barangay is a monarchy with the datu as the monarch.
5.5.  Social classes in the barangay. The people of the barangay were divided into four classes, namely: the nobility (maharlika), to which the datu belonged, the freemen (timawa), the serfs (aliping namamahay), and the slaves (aliping sagigilid)
6.6. In the case of Waray nation: Datu Tumawo Uripon
7.7. Comparison with other ancient govermenments It can be said that the laws of the barangay were generally fair. The system of government, although defective was not so bad considering these conditions in other lands in the age during which it flourished. An eminent scholar has written: "The Filipino people in the prehistoric times had already shown high intelligence and moral virtues; virtues and intelligence clearly manifested in their legislation, which , taking into consideration the circumstances and the epoch in which it was framed, was clearly as wise, as prudent, and as humane. as that of t he nations then at the head of civilization.
8.8. Government During Spanish Time
9.9. Spain's title to the Philippines It was based on the discovery made by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, consummated by its conquest by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi forty five years later and long possession for almost four centuries, until it was terminated in 1898, when by the Treaty of Paris, the Philippines was ceded by Spain to the United States.
10.10. Spanish colonial government From 1565 to 1821, the Philippines was indirectly governed by the King of Spain through Mexico. From 1821, when Mexico obtained her independence from Spain, to 1898, the Philippines was ruled directly from Spain. The council in Spain responsible for the administration of the Philippines was the Council of the Indies. In 1837, it was abolished and legislation for the Philippines was temporarily performed by the Council of Ministers. From 1863, the Ministry of Ultramar (colonies) exercised general powers of supervision over Philippine affairs.
11.11.  Three times during the Spanish period (1810 -1813, 1820-1823, and 1836- 1837), the Philippines was given representation in the Spanish Cortes, the legislative body of Spain. A basic principle introduced by Spain to the Philippines was the union of the church and the state. (Ventura de los Reyes)
12.12. Government of the Philippines (under Spain) UNITARY - The government which Spain established in the Philippines was centralized in structure and national in scope. The barangays were consolidated into towns (pueblos), and the towns into provinces, each headed by a governor who represented the Governor General in the province. Cities governed under special charters were also created. Each of these cities had an ayuntamiento or cabildo (city council). Cebu was the first city to be established in 1565 in the Philippines. The second was Manila , in 1571.
13.13. The Governor-General. The powers of the government were actually exercised by the Governor-General who resided in Manila. He was "Governor-General," "Captain General," and "vice-royal patron." As Governor- General, he had executive, administrative, legislative, and judicial powers. As Captain-General, he was Commander-in-chief of all the Armed Forces in the Philippines. As the vice-royal patron, he exercised certain religious powers. Because of these broad powers, it has been said that the Governor General enjoyed more powers than the King of Spain himself. This was justified, however, because of the distance of the Philippines from Spain.
14.14.  In the administration of the Philippines, the Governor-General was assisted by many boards and officers, particularly the Board of Authorities and the Council of Administration. The first Spanish Governor-General in the Philippines was Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1565-1571) and the last was Gen. Diego de los Rios (1898).
15.15. The Judiciary The Royal Audiencia which was established in 1583 was the Supreme Court of the Philippines during the Spanish times. Its decision was final except on certain cases of great importance which could be appealed to the King of Spain. It also performed. functions of executive and legislative nature.
16.16. Evaluation of the Spanish Government in the Philippines The government which Spain established in the Philippines was defective. It was a government for the Spaniards and not for the Filipino. The Spanish officials were often inefficient. and corrupt. The union of church and state produced serious strifes between the ecclesiastical and civil authorities. Equality before the law was denied to the Filipinos.
17.17. Governments during the Revolutionary era
18.18. The Katipunan government. The Katipunan was the secret society that precipitated our glorious revolution on August 26, 1896. It was organized by Andres Bonifacio, who, together with a group of Filipino patriots, signed the covenant of the Katipunan with their own blood on July 7. 1892.~6 The central government of the Katipunan was vested in a Supreme Council (Kataastaasang Sanggunian). In each province there was a Provincial Council (Sangguniang Balangay) and in each town, a Popular Council (Sangguniang Bayan). The judicial power was exercised by a Judicial Council (Sangguniang Hukuman)
19.19.  The Katipunan was the first clear break from Spanish rule with the ultimate goal to establish a free and sovereign Philippines. It was replaced by another government whose officials headed by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo as President, were elected in the Tejeros Convention held on March 22, 1897.
20.20. The Biak-na-Bato Republic On November 1, 1897, a republic was established by Gen. Aguinaldo in Biak-na- Bato (now San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan). It had a constitution which was to take effect for two years only. It declared that the aim of the revolutions was the "separation of the Philippines from the Spanish monarchy and their form ation into an independent state." The Biak-na Bato Republic lasted up to December 15, 1897, with the conclusion of the "Pact of Biak-na-Bato."
21.21. The Dictatorial Government Following the outbreak of the Spanish- American war on April 25, 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo, in view of the chaotic conditions in the country, established the Dictatorial Government on May 23, 1898. The most important achievements of the Dictatorial Government were the Proclamation of Philippine Independence at Kawit , Cavite on June 12, 1898 and the reorganization of local governments.
22.22. The Revolutionary Government On ,June 29, 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo established the Revolutionary Government replacing the Dictatorial Government with himself as President and a Congress whose function was advisory and ministerial. The decree making such change stated that the aims of the new government were "to struggle for the independence of the Philippines, until all nations including Spain will expressly recognize it,“ and "to prepare the country for the establishment of a real Republic."
23.23. The First Philippine Republic On September 15, 1898, a revolutionary Congress of Filipino representatives met in Malolos, Bulacan at the call of the Revolutionary Government. The Malolos Congress ratified on September 29, 1898 the proclamation of Philippine independence made by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite on ,June 12, 1898 and framed the so-called Malolos Constitution. This Constitution was the first democratic constitution ever promulgated in the whole of Asia.
24.24.  It established a "free and independent Philippine Republic" which was inaugurated on .January 23, 1899 with G(m. Aguinaldo as President. Our First Philippine Republic was not recognized by t he family of nations. It was nevertheless an organized government because it actually existed and its authority was accepted by the people. It existed from January 23, 1899 to March 23, 1901.
25.25.  In February, 1899, the United States annexed the Philippines as a result of the Spanish- American War and in April, 1901, Gen. Aguinaldo was captured. Thus, the Republic was short lived, its in dependence cut short by the superior might. of a new colonial power. The Malolos Constitution which provided for the establishment of a Philippine Republic had no opportunity to operate. However, this in no way diminishes the historical significance of the Philippine Revolution of 1896. It was the first war of independence fought by Asians against foreign domination and it gave birth to the first constitutional democracy i n Asia and the West Pacific.
26.26. Governments during the American regime.
27.27. The Military Government The American military rule in the Philippines began on August 14, 1H98, the day after the capture of Manila. The existence of war gave t he President of the United States the power to establish a Military Government in the Philippines, as Commander-in- Chief of all Armed Forces of the United States. His authority was delegated to the military governor who exercised as long as t he war lasted, all powers of government - executive, legislative, and judicial. The first American Military Governor was General Wesley Merritt, the second was Gen. Elwell E. Otis, and the third and last, was Major General Arthur McArthur.
28.28. The Civil Government Pursuant to the so-called Spooner Amendment (on the army appropriation act passed in the U.S. Congress on March 3, 1901) which ended the military regime in the Philippines , the Civil Government was inaugurated in Manila on July 4, 1901, headed by a Civil Governor whose position was created on October 29, 1901. The Civil Governor (the title was later changed to Governor-General on February 6, 1905) also exercised legislative powers . He remained as President of the Philippine Commission, the sole lawmaking body of the government from 1901 to 1907.
29.29.  From 1907 to 1916, the Philippine Commission acted as the upper house of the legislative branch with the Philippine Assembly serving as the lower house. With the pass age of the Spooner Law in 1901, these two bodies gave way to the Philippine Legislature. The Philippines was represented in the United States by two Resident Commissioners who were elected by the Philippine Legislature. These commissioners had seats in the United States House of Representatives, receiving the same emoluments and other privileges as the American members of that body, but without the right to vote.
30.30.  The first Civil Governor was Judge William H. Taft (1901-1903). He was succeeded by Luke F. Wright (1904-1906) who was the first American to enjoy the title of Governor-General of the Philippines. The last Governor-General was Frank Murphy (1933-1935) who was also the first High Commissioner of the United States to the Philippines upon the inauguration of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.
31.31. The Commonwealth Government of' the Philippines The next stage in the political development of the Filipinos was the establishment of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines pursuant to an act. Of the United States Congress on March 24, 1934, commonly known as the Tydings- McDuffie Law. Among other things, the Law provided for a transition period often years during which the Philippine Commonwealth would operate and at the expiration of said period on July 4, 1946, the independence of the Philippines would be proclaimed and established.
32.32.  The new government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, deemed successor to the Government of the Philippine Islands, was inaugurated on November 15, 1935, following the first national election under the 1935 Constitution held on September 12, 1935, with Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmena, as President and Vice-President, respectively.
33.33.  The Commonwealth Government of the Philippines was republican in form under the presidential type. The legislative power was first vested in a unicameral National Assembly and later in a bicameral Congress composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial power was vested in the Supreme Court and inferior (i.e., lower) courts provided by law. The Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines was very autonomous. The Filipino had almost complete control over the domestic affairs, the United States retaining control only over matters involving foreign affairs.
34.34.  During World War II, the Commonwealth Government functioned in exile in Washington from May 13, 1942 to October 3, 1944. It was re-established in Manila on February 27, 1945 when Gen. Douglas MacArthur, in a ceremony held at Malacanang Palace on behalf of the United States Government, turned over to President Osmena the full powers and responsibilities of the Commonweath Government under the (1935) Constitution.
35.35. Government during Japanese Occupation
36.36. The Japanese Military Administration It was established in Manila on January 3, 1942, one day after its occupation. Under a proclamation issued by the Japanese High Command, the sovereignty of the United States over the Philippines was declared terminated.
37.37. The Philippine Executive Commission A civil government known as the Philippine Executive Commission composed of Filipinos with Jorge B. Vargas as chairman, was organized by t he military forced of occupation. The commission exercised both the executive and legislative powers. The laws enacted were. however, subject to the approval of the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Forces. The judiciary continued in the same form as it was under the Commonwealth. However, it functioned without the independence which it had traditionally enjoyed
38.38. The Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines On October 14, 1943, the so-called Japanese- sponsored Republic of the Philippines was inaugurated with .Jose P. Laurel as President. It was of the same character as the Philippine Executive Commission. Like the latter, the ultimate source of its authority was the Japanese military authority and government. On August 17, 1945. President Laurel proclaimed the dissolution of the Republic