THE MALOLOS CONGRESS AND
THE FIRST PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC
5 September 1898 and 23 January 1899
Malolos, Bulacan
Following the proclamation of Independence in Kawit, Aguinaldo sought the advice and counsel of Apolinario Mabini as to the organization and establishment of the government. Mabini, a brilliant lawyer and organizer, immediately proposed the transformation of the Dictatorial Government promulgated by Aguinaldo on 18 June into a Revolutionary Government, complete with Departments, on 23 June. Apart from this, Aguinaldo also issued a decree that authorized towns and provinces to conduct elections and organize their own local government. This was a prelude to the election of representatives to a Revolutionary Congress that was tasked with the drafting of a constitution of the fledgling Filipino state.
Organizing Government
In recognition of the dangerous position of the government that was relocated to Bacoor, Cavite, Aguinaldo and Congress decided to convene instead in the town of Malolos, Bulacan. One hundred Thirty-Six (136) delegates representing Forty-Three (43) different provinces and territories that composed the Spanish Philippines gathered to draft a constitution. On 29 September 1898, the Congress ratified the 12 June Proclamation of Independence.
Throughout the discussions, various proclamations and decrees continued to form and organize the nascent republic, including the appointment of Department Secretaries, organizing Military Justice and the raising of Army Units, professionalizing the Civil Service, establishing a National University, and the creation of sanitation institutes among others.
The First Democratic Constitution in Asia
Finally, after months of deliberations, the Constitution of the First Philippine Republic was promulgated before a packed Congress on 22 January 1899. The constitution espoused a republican ideology founded on suffrage and representation along the lines of the Latin American and US constitutions. It initiated a bill of rights, separation of church and state, and the separation of powers like the constitution that we enjoy today.
A Nation Born
On 23 January, to celebrate the founding of the Republic, the government hosted various events, including a grand banquet, that showcased not only the right of Filipino governance, but our capacity and capability to govern and be sovereign.