PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND

GOVERNANCE
From the barangay form of
government, what significant
changes happened in the
Spanish Era?
Event Chain: Transition
from the Spanish
Government to the Present
Government.
What is the
difference between
the Spanish form
of government to
our present
government?
Post-colonial Governments
The First Philippine Republic and the
Malolos Constitution

- established a government intended to be

“popular, representative, and responsible”
- unlike the one under the Spanish rule, the
government was now divided into three
branches: the executive, legislative and
judiciary.
 - the president was elected by a unicameral
assembly which took the place of
congress.
- the department secretaries were
responsible to the assembly.
- the First Philippine Republic was
inaugurated on Jan. 23, 1899 with
Aguinaldo as its President.
The Treaty of Paris
- the Spanish and American peace
commissioners signed the treaty on Dec.
10, 1898.
- Spain turned-over the Philippines to the
US for the sum of 20 million US dollars as
payment for the improvements made by
Spain in the Philippines.
- the US granted Spain the right to export
commodities in the country for 10 years.
- the treaty was not immediately ratified
because majority in the US believed that it
was unfair to the Filipinos.
- when the Filipino-American War broke out,
majority in the US Senate ratified the treaty
blaming the hostilities on the Filipinos.
The Filipino – American War
- suspicion of the Filipinos of the true
motives of the Americans in coming to the
Philippines was aroused by several events.
- the Mock Battle of Manila showed the
Americans did not want the Spaniards to
surrender to the Filipinos.
- exposed the interest of the Americans to
colonize the Philippines.
 - the US expressed its decisions to keep the
Philippine Republic as its colony
through the Benevolent Assimilation
Proclamation.
- the well-armed Americans defeated the
brave, but poorly-equipped Filipinos
after 3 years of hostilities.
The American Colonial Rule
- the Philippines was administered by the US
President through the military.
The Military Governor
- the representative of the US President to the
Philippines.
- has vast power which include legislative and
judicial.
- one of his duties was to pacify the provinces
which refused to recognize the authority of the
US.
The Schurman and the Taft Commission
- the role is to investigate conditions in the
country and submit recommendations to the US
Government.
- the Schurman commission arrived in Manila
on March 1899.
- it recommended that the US enforce its
sovereignty over the entire country.
- in March 1900, the US sent a second
commission (Taft commission)
- its task was to establish a civil government in
the Philippines and train the Filipinos in self
governance.
The Civil Government
- the US Congress passed the Army
Appropriation Act on March 1902.
- it contained an amendment which
authorized the US President to establish
a
civil government in the Philippines.
- the civil government was established on
July 4, 1901.
The Philippine Bill of 1902
- enacted by US Congress on July 1, 1902
- it provided for a Bill of Rights for the
Filipinos, appointment of two Filipino non-
voting commissioners to the US
Congress.
- it established a Philippine Assembly to be
elected by the Filipinos two years after the
publication of a census & complete restoration
of peace.
The First Philippine Assembly
- elections was set for the First Philippine
Assembly on July 30, 1907.
- of the 80 seats in the assembly, 59 were won
by the Partido Nacionalista, while 16 were
won by the Partido Progresista.
Remaining
seats were won by independent
candidates.
- it became the lower house of Philippine
- the Philippine Commission became the upper
house.
- Filipinos were able to participate in the
making of laws of the country.
The Jones Law
- approved in 1916
- it signaled that the Americans would fulfill
their promise to help the Philippines attain
independence as soon as a stable
government was in place.
- the government had 3 branches: executive,
legislative & judiciary.
- the executive branch was headed by the
governor-general who was appointed by the
US President with the approval of the US
Senate.
- judicial powers was exercised by the Supreme
Court and lower courts.
- the law abolished the Philippine Commission &
established the Philippine Senate which
became the upper house of the legislative
branch.
- the Philippine Assembly became the House of
Representatives or the lower house.
The Independence Mission
- to campaign for the independence of the
Philippines.
- the legislature created the Independence
Commission.
- the 1st & 2nd independence mission was
sent
to US to convince the US Congress that
conditions under Jones Law for
independence had been fulfilled, but the
- 3rd mission headed by Sergio Osmena and
Manuel Roxas (Os-Rox Mission) was sent to
US in 1931.
- they were able to persuade several groups in
the American Congress to grant Philippine
Independence.
- the US Congress enacted the Hare-Hawes Act
as a result of the Os-Rox Mission.
- the Act (Hare-Hawes) provided that at the
end of a 10 year Commonwealth period,
independence would be granted to the
country.
- MLQ thought that the Hare-Hawes Act was
not good, so he worked for its rejection by the
Philippine Legislature.
- he agreed that the Hare-Hawes Act be re-
enacted to Tydings -Mcduffie Act with few
modifications.
- the Act (Tydings-Mcduffie) provided for the
framing of a Constitution for Commonwealth
Government.
 - the constitution was approved by the Filipino
in a plebiscite on May 14, 1945.
- the Constitution, however, was amended to
give the Americans rights equal to the Filipinos
in the exploitation of the country’s natural
resources.
Commonwealth Era and World War II

- Commonwealth Government was inaugurated

on Nov. 15, 1935.
- MLQ was President and Osmena as VP.
- it served as a transitional government
preparatory to the resumption of Philippine
Independence.
Role Play: Significant event/s
from the Pre-colonial
Government to the Present
Government
Think-Pair-Share. The students will be
grouped and they will assign among
themselves a leader and a presenter.

“What were the effects of Spanish

Colonization to our present form of
government”
Our present form of government
have passed through several stages
which molded our government in to
what it is right now.
One Minute Paper: The students will be
asked to write their comment/reaction to
the statement/s below.
What were the changes that you observed form
the Spanish Colonial Government to our present
government?
Rubrics:
1. Content = 4pts
2. Organization of thought = 4pts
3. Grammar and Presentation = 2pts