1899 MALOLOS CONSTITUTION

MEMBERS
Raymond Castro
Carla Shane Dela Cruz
Janella Mae Catlan
Meryeth Joy De Guzman

BSE 1-B (GROUP 2)

 WHAT IS CONSTITUTION?

• Is the body of doctrines and practices that form the fundamental

organizing principle of a political states.
• Is described as the fundamental law of our state.
• Body of rules governing the affairs of an organized group.
• Every state, has a constitution, at least insofar as it operates its important
institutions accroding to some fundamental body of rules.
Let us examine the 1899 Malolos Constitution, it's preface states consequently,
“We, the Representatives of the Filipino people, lawfully convened, in order to
establish justice, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and
to secure for ourselves the blessings of liberty, imploring the aid of the Supreme
Legislator of the Universe to help us attain these objectives, have voted, decreed,
and sanctioned the following political constitution." The expressions featured in
the blue-highlighted phrases propose that even at the introduction of the
Philippine republic, a vote-based government was expected, characterized by
and would profit Filipino individuals. (Essential source: Preamble to the Political
Constitution of 1899).
There were two continuous wars against Spain before the development of the
Malolos Congress: (1) the Philippine Revolution, which endured from August
23, 1896, to August 13, 1898; and (2) the Spanish-American War, which went on
from April 21, 1898, to August 13, 1898. The Malolos Constitution was drafted not
long after the annihilation of the debilitating Spanish domain when the Filipino
progressives confounded the U.S. military guide as a union and not as a
demonstration of American dominion. The Constitution tried to characterize the
laws of the young republic, giving "for a representative form of government,
a detailed Bill of Rights, the separation of the church and state, and the
dominance of a single-chamber legislative branch over the executive and
judiciary" (Abinales & Amoroso, 2017, p. 115).
Reasons why Filipinos chose to resist:
• Abuse of Spanish officials and priests
• Persecution of filipino leaders who defended the sights of their fellow
countrymen
• Filipinos desire to reduce their independence;and
• Discovery off katipunero and bonifacio's call for revolution
Title II, Article 4, expresses that the type of government is to be "popular,
representative, alternative and responsible." There are three special forces:
Legislative (vested in the Assembly of agents where the individuals are chosen for a
four-year term); executive (vested in the President; there was no V.P. however in the
event of opportunity, the position will be selected by the constituent get together);
Judicial.
Let us go over Emilio Aguinaldo's declaration of the Constitutional Republic of the
Philippines on January 23, 1899. Notice how he contrasted Philippine freedom and
that of the United States. In February that same year, nonetheless, when it turned out
to be evident to the Philippine progressives that the forceful nearness of the U.S.
military power was coordinated toward the Filipinos, the Philippine-America
broke out, as cited in Kalaw (1969) "Great is this day, glorious this date, and
forever memorable this unforgettable in which our beloved people are raised.
The conflict arose when the First Philippine Republic
objected to the terms of the Treaty of Paris under which
the United States took possession of the Philippines from
Spain, ending the Spanish–American War.
Apotheosis of Independence. Hereafter, January 23 will be in the Philippines
a national holiday, as July 4 is to the American nation; and as in the past century,
God helped a weak America when she fought against powerful Albion for the
conquest of her liberty and independence, so to-day He will help us also in an
identical enterprise for the manifestations of divine justice are immutably the
same in rectitude and wisdom."
The Malolos Constitution was never authorized in view of the Philippine-American
War. The Treaty of Paris of 1898 included Spain offering the Philippines to the
United States for 20 million dollars, without the Filipinos thinking about the treaty.
 HERE ARE SOME READINGS FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONS:

• https://youtu.be/30hCuQTAe5E
• http://msc.edu.ph/centennial/malolos.html
• https://youtu.be/ek3Dgm_S5Ek
THANK YOU!