The Malolos Congress
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
The Malolos Republic
Owing to the objections of Mabini to some
Excerpts from the Malolos Constitution
provisions in the Constitution, Aguinaldo
did not immediately promulgate it. Article 3. Sovereignity resides exclusively in the
The leaders of Congress compromised
by inserting some amendments. After
people.
promulgating the Malolos Constitution,
the Filipino leaders proceeded to Article 5. The State recognizes the freedom and
inaugurate the first Filipino
Republic on January 23, 1899. equality of all religions, as well as the separation of
Church and State.
Article 19. No Filipino in the full enjoyment of his
civil and political rights shall be hindered in the free
exercise of the same.
Article 20.1. Neither shall any Filipino be deprived of:
The right of expressing freely his ideas and opinions
either by word or by writing, availing himself of the
press or any other similar means.
Article 20.2. Neither shall any Filipino be deprived of:
The right of joining any association for all the objects
of human life which may not be contrary to public
morals.
Article 23. Any Filipino can found and maintain
establishments of instruction or of education, in
accordance with the regulations that may be
established. Popular education shall be obligatory and
gratuitous in the schools of the nation.
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
http://msc.edu.ph/centennial/malolos.html
