The Philippine Legislature was a bipartite legislative body comprised of a House and a Senate of

Representatives that held legislative authority. The Jones Act granted the Philippine Legislature
broad legislative authority, with the caveat that all laws involving immigration, coinage,
currency, or tariffs, as well as those affecting public domain lands, timber, and mining, required
the President of the United States of America's approval. It also increased Filipino participation
in government by giving them confirmation power over appointments to the executive and
judicial branches. Between 1916 and 1934, the country held seven elections to fill both chambers
of the legislature. On October 1, 1916, two senators were chosen in each of the 12 senatorial
regions, one for a six-year period and the other for three years. In the following general elections,
one senator from each district was to be elected for a six-year term. (Senate of the Philippines,
n.d). The American governor-general appointed two Senate-appointed members to represent the
archipelago's non-Christian areas. Except for half of the 22 who won the first Senate race in
1916, elective Representatives served for three years, while Senators served for six years. The
Philippine Senate's 24-member body was represented by two senators from each of the country's
12 senatorial districts. Senator nominated by eligible voters in their individual bailiwicks
represented eleven of the districts. The twelfth congressional district, which was predominantly
made up of non-Christian Filipinos at the time, was governed by two authoritative senators with
no fixed tenure. Joaquin A. Clarin and Jadji Butu were the two appointive senators from 1916 to
1918, representing Mindanao, the Mountain Province, and Baguio, respectively, with the latter
only being reappointed in 1926. There were 67 senators who served in the Philippine Senate at a
certain point between 1916 and 1935. More than half of these senior lawmakers have been re-
elected at least once. Several of them were elected more than once, such as Manuel L. Quezon,
who was a legislator from 1916 to 1935, after which he was elected to the presidency of the
Philippine Commonwealth. Senate President Pro Tempore Sergio Osmea was a multi-term
Senator who was elected in 1922 and later became Vice President. Thanks to Senate President
Quezon's strong stewardship, during the Senate's existence, authority at the top was quite firm.
He was re-elected three times in a row and ruled the Senate since its inception, relinquishing
control only when he became Commonwealth President. (Senate of the Philippines, n.d)

History of the senate. (2001). Senate of the Philippines.

https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/about/history.asp?fbclid=IwAR1WEKAvQwqXb70-
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