The Malolos Congress (Spanish: Congreso de Malolos) also known as the Revolutionary Congress (Spanish: Congreso de Revolucionario)[3] and formally the National Assembly, was the legislative body of the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. Members were chosen in the elections held from June 23 to September 10, 1898. The assembly consisted of elected delegates chosen by balloting in provincial assemblies and appointed delegates chosen by the president to represent regions under unstable military and civilian conditions. The Revolutionary Congress was opened on September 15, 1898, at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan. President Emilio Aguinaldo presided over the opening session of the assembly.

Malolos Congress

Congreso de Malolos
Congreso de Revolucionario
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
History
FoundedSeptember 15, 1898
DisbandedNovember 13, 1899
Preceded byCortes of Cádiz
Ayuntamiento
Succeeded byTaft Commission
Leadership
President of the National Assembly
Vice President of the National Assembly
Seats136[1][a]
Meeting place
Barasoain Church

After the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution on January 22, 1899, replaced the revolutionary government with the Philippine Republic,[b] the Malolos Congress became the legislative branch of that government, designated in the constitution as the Assembly of Representatives.[4]

Sessions

edit
  • Regular session: September 15, 1898 – November 13, 1899
  • Special session: February 4, 1899

Leadership

edit
  • President of the Revolutionary Congress
Pedro Paterno
  • Vice President/Deputy
Benito Legarda
  • Secretary
Gregorio S. Araneta and Pablo Ocampo

Members

edit
 
Soldiers of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during a session of the congress.
 
Emilio Aguinaldo (seated, center) and ten of the delegates to the first Assembly of Representatives.
Province Member Notes
Abra Isidro Paredes Elected
Juan Villamor Elected
Albay Honorato Agrava Elected
Marcial Calleja Elected
Salvador del Rosario Elected
Pantaleon Garcia Elected
Aguedo Velarde Appointed
Antique Ariston Gella Appointed
Vicente Lopez Appointed
Eusebio Natividad Appointed
Bataan Hermogenes Marco Elected
Pedro Teopaco Elected
Jose Tuazon Elected
Batanes Vito Belarmino Appointed
Daniel Tirona Elected
Batangas Gregorio Aguilera Elected
Ambrosio Flores Elected
Eduardo Gutierrez David Elected
Mariano Lopez Elected
Bohol Tranquilino Arroyo Appointed
Labio Appointed
Pedro Tongio Liongson Appointed
Bulacan Trinidad Icasiano Elected
Pedro Serrano Laktaw Elected
Mariano Crisostomo Lugo Elected
Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista Elected
Cagayan Anastacio Francisco Appointed
Vicente Guzman Pagulayan Elected
Pablo Tecson Appointed
Cavite Jose Basa Elected
Severino de las Alas Elected
Hugo Ilagan Elected
Jose Salamanca Elected
Calamianes Norberto Cruz Herrera Appointed
Narciso Hidalgo Resureccion Appointed
S. Isidro Appointed
Camarines Tomás Arejola Elected
Justo Lukban Elected
Mariano Elected
Valeriano Velarde Elected
Capiz Mariano Bacani Appointed
Juan Baltazar Appointed
Miguel Zaragoza Appointed
Catanduanes José Alejandrino Appointed
Marcelino de Santos Appointed
Cebu Ariston Bautista Appointed
Felix David Appointed
Francisco Makabulos Appointed
Trinidad Pardo de Tavera Appointed
Ilocos Norte Gregorio Aglipay Elected
Primitivo Donato Elected
Martín García Elected
José Luna Elected
Pedro Paterno Elected
Pio Romero Elected
Ilocos Sur Marcelino Crisólogo Appointed
Mariano Fos Elected
Francisco Tongson Elected
Ignacio Villamor Elected
Iloilo Adriano Hernández y Dayot Appointed
Venancio Concepción Appointed
Esteban de la Rama Appointed
Melecio Figueroa Appointed
Tiburcio Hilario Appointed
Isabela Raymundo Alindada Appointed
Eustacio del Rosario Elected
Abelardo Guzman Elected
La Union Mateo del Rosario Appointed
Joaquin Luna Elected
Miguel Paterno Appointed
Laguna Higinio Benitez Elected
Graciano Cordero Elected
Mauricio Ilagan Elected
Manuel Sityar Elected
Lepanto León Apacible Elected
Reymundo Jeciel Elected
Antonio Rebello Elected
Leyte Simplicio del Rosario Appointed
Rafael Guerrero Appointed
Lucio Navarro Appointed
Marciano Zamora-Concepcion Appointed
Manila Arsenio Cruz Herrera Elected
Felix Ferrer Pascual Elected
Teodoro Gonzalez Leaño Elected
Mariano Limjap Elected
Masbate Alberto Barretto Appointed
Maximo Cabigting Appointed
Mindoro Antonio Constantino Elected
Arturo Dancel Appointed
Perfecto Gabriel Appointed
Misamis Gracio Gonzaga Appointed
Apolonio Mercado Appointed
Teodoro Sandiko Appointed
Morong Marcelo Mesina Elected
Jose Oliveros Elected
Negros Occidental Juan Benson Appointed
Jose de la Vina Appointed
Antonio Montenegro Appointed
Negros Oriental Pío del Pilar Appointed
Mariano Leogardo Oirola Appointed
Luciano San Miguel Appointed
Nueva Ecija Epifanio de los Santos Elected
Gregorio Macapinlac Elected
José Turiano Santiago Elected
Nueva Vizcaya Hipolito Magsalin Appointed
Evaristo Panganiban Elected
Padre Burgos Joaquin Baltazar Elected
Ceferino de Leon Appointed
Sixto Zandueta Appointed
Palaos Isidro Tiongco Appointed
Pampanga Joaquín González Elected
Ramon Henson Elected
Enrique Macapinlac Elected
Jose Rodriguez Infante Elected
Pangasinan Sebastian de Castro Appointed
Vicente del Prado Elected
Antonio Feliciano Elected
Adriano Garces Appointed
Paragua Felipe Calderón Appointed
Domingo Colmenar Appointed
Samar Servillano Aquino Appointed
Javier Gonzalez Salvador Appointed
Juan Tongco Appointed
Sorsogon Maximino Hizon Appointed
Pedro Lipana Appointed
Manuel Xerez Burgos Appointed
Tarlac Julian Carpio Elected
Juan Nepomuceno Elected
Victoriano Tañedo Elected
Tayabas Sofio Alandy Elected
Jose Espinosa Appointed
Basilio Teodoro Appointed
Zambales Alejandro Albert Elected
Felix S. Bautista Appointed
Juan Manday Gabriel Elected
Zamboanga Felipe Buencamino Appointed
Tomás Mascardo Appointed
Lazaro Tañedo Appointed
As of July 7, 1899. Total of 136 delegates: 68 elected and 68 appointed.[1][5][a]

In 2006, it was asserted by the president of the Bulacan Historical Society, engineer Marcial Aniag, 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.[6] Five of the 85 delegates did not have a college degree.[6]

Ratification of the declaration of independence

edit

One of the first acts of the Revolutionary Congress was the ratification on September 29, 1898 of the Philippine Declaration of Independence against Spain which had been proclaimed on June 12, 1898.[7]

Malolos Constitution

edit

Mabini had planned for the Revolutionary Congress to act only as an advisory body to the president and submitted a draft of Constitutional Program of the Philippine Republic[7] while Paterno submitted a constitutional draft based on the Spanish Constitution of 1869. The Congress, however, began work to draft a constitution. The resulting document, the Malolos Constitution, was promulgated on January 21, 1899.[7] Its proclamation resulted in the creation of the Philippine Republic, which replaced the Revolutionary Government.

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b In the book Malolos: The Crisis of the Republic by Teodoro Agoncillo, the Malolos Congress had 193 delegates (42 elected and 151 appointed).[2]
  2. ^ Now commonly referred to as the First Philippine Republic; see the Philippine Republic article for further info.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Kalaw 1927, p. 121 (citing Volume II, Galley 2 of Major J. R. M. Taylor's translation and compilation of captured insurgent records (Taylor 1907))
  2. ^ Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (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.
  3. ^ Guevara, Sulpico, ed. (2005). "Decree of June 23, 1898 establishing the Revolutionary Government". The Laws of the First Philippine Republic (the laws of Malolos) 1898–1899. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Library (published 1972). pp. 37-38. Retrieved February 9, 2021.. (English translation by Sulpicio Guevara)
  4. ^ The 1899 Malolos Constitution in Spanish with a side-by-side English translation (Article 33)
  5. ^ * War Department, Bureau of Insular Affairs (1907). "I. Telegraphic Correspondence of Emilio Aguinaldo, July 15, 1898 to February 28, 1899, Annotated" (PDF). In Taylor, John R.M. (ed.). Compilation of Philippine Insurgent Records. Combined Arms Research Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Balabo, Dino (December 10, 2006). "Historians: Malolos Congress produced best RP Constitution". Philippine Star. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Kalaw 1927, p. 125

Further reading

edit