Malolos Congress
First legislative body of the Philippines
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ToursExplore Lably’s 3D toursFrom 1898 to 1899, prior to the Philippine Declaration of Independence and their gathering at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, for the drafting of the Malolos Constitution, congressional delegates used the Malolos station at the Malolos town center.
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. President Emilio Aguinaldo presided over the opening session of the assembly.
After the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution on January 22, 1899, replaced the revolutionary government with the Philippine Republic, the Malolos Congress became the legislative branch of that government, designated in the constitution as the Assembly of Representatives.
Sessions
- Regular session: September 15, 1898 – November 13, 1899
- Special session: February 4, 1899
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Leadership
- President: Pedro Paterno
- Vice President: Benito Legarda
- Secretaries:
- Gregorio S. Araneta
- Pablo Ocampo
Members
In 2006, it was asserted by the president of the Bulacan Historical Society, engineer Marcial Aniag, that of the 85 delegates who convened in Malolos, were 43 lawyers, 17 doctors, five pharmacists, three educators, seven businessmen, four painters, three military men, a priest, and four farmers. Five of the 85 delegates did not have a college degree.
Ratification of the declaration of independence
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.
Malolos Constitution
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 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. Its proclamation resulted in the creation of the Philippine Republic, which replaced the Revolutionary Government.