LESSON 16

Political
History
GROUP - 2
 LESSON OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, the students will be able to:
• Define political history and understand the relevance of studying it
in the present day;
• Appraise the development of Philippine political history;
• Assess how the government approaches charter change, elections,
and peacebuilding today; and
• Propose ways to increase citizen participation in political processes
and institutions.
Key Concepts
Authoritarianism. A form of government where power is centralized, usually in a
single person, and political freedoms are limited.

Republic. A state in which the supreme power emanates from the people and their
elected representatives or president rather than a monarch.

Parliamentary. A system of democratic government where the power of the

executive is derived from and accountable to the legislature, which is typically a
parliament.

Secession and Autonomy. Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger

political entity such as the state, while autonomy is the right or condition of self-
government.
LESSON INTRODUCTION

Political history focuses on the narrative and survey of political events, ideas,
movements, organs of government, elections, voters, parties, and leaders. In its
essence, political history studies how power is organized and operated within a
society. While social and cultural history have dislodged the prominence of
political history, the study of political systems, processes, and institutions are still
noteworthy today, especially in the Philippines. Of the most relevant areas of
Philippine political history, one must have a solid foundation in the evolution of
the Philippine Constitution. It is important because it traces the development of
self-rule in the country and situates the freedom we enjoy today. It forms the basis
of our rights as citizens and celebrates the hard-won victories of the Filipino
people
A working knowledge of the Philippine Constitution
allows us to become better citizens who know their
rights and know when theses rights are being abused.
Connected to the evolution of the constitution is our
country’s election history. Elections make sure that
we are still a functioning democracy, as the power in
a democracy resides in the hands of the people.
Elections and political parties are essential in strong
democratic systems. Another crucial point in
Philippine political are particular areas of concern.

One of them is Mindanao a restive region that has

been the site of several decades of war with great
human costs.
 Different administrations have attempted
various approaches to build peace in
Mindanao. We must be aware of the roots of
the discontent and be involved in actively
keeping and building peace in the region.

These three topics-the evolution of the

Philippine Constitution, Philippine elections
and political parties, and the path to peace
in Muslim Mindanao— are the focus of this
lesson.
 EVOLUTION OF THE
PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION
Constitution is defined as a set of fundamental principles or established
precedents according to which a state or organization is governed.

Since 1987, Philippine Constitution, the supreme law of the Republic of the
Philippines, has been in effect.

Three constitutions that effectively governed the Philippines

1. The 1935 Commonwealth Constitution
2. The 1973 Constitution
3. The 1986 Freedom Constitution.
 THE CONSTITUTION OF BIAK-NA-BATO
- The Constitution of Biak-na-Bato is a provisional constitution of the Philippine Republic
during the Philippine Revolution and was promulgated by the Philippine Revolutionary
Government on 1 November 1897.
- The constitution was inspired by Cuba and written by Isabelo Artacho and Felix Ferrer in
Spanish.

Three Organs of the Government under the Constitution

1. Supreme Council which is vested with the power of the Republic, headed by the
president and four department secretaries; the interior, foreign affairs, treasury, and war.
2. Consejo Supremo de Gracia y Justicia (Supreme Council of Grace and Justice), which is
given the authority to make decisions and affirm or disprove the sentences rendered by other
courts, and to dictate rules for the administration of justice.
3. Asamblea de Representantes (Assembly of Representatives), which was to be convened
after the revolution to create a new Constitution and to elect a new Council of Government
and Representatives of the people.
 The Constitution was never fully implemented, since a truce, the Pact of Biak-
na-Bato, was signed between the Spanish and the Philippine Revolutionary
Army.
 After the signing of the truce, the Filipino revolutionary leaders accepted a
payment from Spain and went to exile in Hong Kong.
 Upon the defeat of the Spanish to the United States in the Battle of Manila
Bay on 1 May 1898, the U.S. Navy transported Aguinaldo back to the
Philippines.
 The newly re-formed Philippine revolutionary forces reverted to the control of
Aguinaldo and the Philippine Declaration of Independence was issued on
June 12, 1898.
 The Malolos Congress was elected, which selected an elite-dominated
commission to draw up a draft constitution on September 17, 1898
 THE MALOLOS CONSTITUTION

 The document they came up with, approved by the Congress on 29 November 1898
and promulgated by Aguinaldo on 21 January 1899, was titled "The Political
Constitution of 1899" and was written in Spanish.

 The document was patterned after the Spanish Constitution of 1812, with influences
from the charters of Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala,
and the French Constitution of 1793.

 As a direct challenge to colonial authorities of the Spanish empire, sovereignty was

restored to the people, a legal principle underlying the Philippine Revolution. The
people delegated governmental functions to civil servants while they retained actual
sovereignty.
The 27 articles of Title IV detail the natural rights and popular sovereignty of Filipinos,
the enumeration of which does not imply the prohibition of any other rights not
expressly stated
Title III, Article V
 declares that the State recognizes the freedom and equality of all beliefs, as
well as the separation of Church and State.
Title III, Article 4: Three form of Government
1. Legislative power
 vested in both the government and the two-chamber congress: The Senate
(the upper chamber) and House of Representatives (the lower chamber).

2. Executive Power
 vested in the President of the Republic, who shall exercise it through his
Department Secretaries.

3. Judicial Power
 vested in one Supreme Court and in other courts established by law.
 Commonwealth Constitution of 1935 and Constitutional
Authorization
Authorianism and the 1973 constitution

 1935: The Commonwealth Constitution. After the Treaty of Paris, the

Philippines was subject to the power of the United States, effectively the
new colonizers of the country. From 1898 to 1901, the Philippines was
placed under a military governmen until a civil government replaced it.

Two acts of the U.S. Congress were passed that may be considered to
have qualities of constitutionality.
 Commonwealth Constitution of 1935 and Constitutional
Authorization
Authorianism and the 1973 constitution
1. Philippine Organic Act of 1902, the first organic law for the Philippine islands that provided for the
creation of a popularly elected Philippine Assembly and specified that legislative power would be vested
in a bicameral legislature composed of the Philippine Commission as the upper house and the Philippine
Assembly as the lower house. Key provisions of the Act included a bill of rights for Filipinos and the
appointment of two nonvoting Filipino Resident Commissioners of the Philippines as representatives to
the U.S. House ot Representatives.

2. Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, commonly, referred to as "Jones Law," which modified the
structure of the Philippine government through the removal of the Philippine Commission, replacing it
with a Senate that served as the upper house and its members elected by the Filipino voters, the first
truly elected national legislature. It was also in this Act that explicitly declared the purpose of the
United States to end their sovereignty over the Philippines and recognize Philippine independence as
soon as a stable government can be established.
 Commonwealth Constitution of 1935 and Constitutional
Authorization
Authorianism and the 1973 constitution

The Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act, passed in 1932, aimed to grant Filipinos

independence, but was rejected by the Philippine Senate. The Tydings-
McDuffie Act, also known as the Philippine Independence Act, established a
formal constitution by a constitutional convention in 1934. The constitution
created the Commonwealth of the Philippines, governing the Philippines
from 1935 to 1946. It initially provided a unicameral National Assembly
with a president and vice president elected to a six-year term without re-
election.
 Commonwealth Constitution of 1935 and Constitutional
Authorization
Authorianism and the 1973 constitution
The 1935 Constitution of the Philippines was influenced by various constitutions, including the
United States, Malolos Constitution, German, Spanish, Mexican, South American, and unwritten
English Constitutions. The draft was approved by the constitutional convention in 1935 and
ratified by Franklin Roosevelt in 1935. The Commonwealth was briefly interrupted by World
War II, and a new constitution, the 1943 Constitution, was promulgated under Japan's auspices.
The Philippines was declared an independent republic in 1946, and the Commonwealth
Constitution remained in effect. In 1965, Ferdinand E. Marcos was elected president, and in
1967, the Philippine Congress passed a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to
amend the 1935 Constitution. Marcos declared martial law before the convention finished, and
the convention approved its proposed constitution in 1972. The constitution introduced a
parliamentary-style government, with legislative power vested in a unicameral National
Assembly and the president as the symbolic head of state.
 Commonwealth Constitution of 1935 and Constitutional
Authorization
Authorianism and the 1973 constitution

In 1973, President Marcos postponed a plebiscite for the proposed

constitution, instead holding Citizen Assemblies to decide on its ratification.
The constitution was amended multiple times to consolidate power, but
ultimately functioned as an authoritarian presidential system. The president
retained executive powers, abolished the Senate, and acted as a
parliamentary system, with the constitution supporting his authority. The
constitution was ratified by an overwhelming vote.
 FREEDOM CONSTITUTION

The 1986 Freedom Constitution was a temporary

constitution drafted after the People Power Revolution
in the Philippines. It served as the fundamental law of
the Philippines from February 25, 1986, to March 25,
1987.
FREEDOM CONSTITUTION
 1987 PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION
The 1987 Philippine Constitution replaced the 1973
constitution and was ratified on February 2, 1987. It
established the Fourth Republic of the Philippines after
the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. It continues to
serve as the fundamental law of the Philippines. Both
documents played significant roles in the country's
history, marking transitions from authoritarianism to
democracy.
 Government Peace Treaties With Muslim Filipinos

PEACE TREATY - A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile

parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war betwee
the parties.

In the late 1960s an independence movement was founded in Mindanao, the

Philippines to separate the Muslim majority-Moro areas from the rest of the
Philippines. The area is now called BANGSAMORO.

In late 1968, at least 28 Muslim volunteers from Sulu who were being trained a cove
mission to Sabah were massacred by Philippine Government troops of Ferdinand
Marcos in the Jabidah Massacre, resulting in the most horrific state- sponsored
killings against the Tausug people, a major Muslim ethnic group in the Philippines.
On March 27, 2014, a comprehensive peace deal was signed between the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines, or GRP, and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front. This was after two decades of negotiations started
during the administration of Former President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

- Every bangsamoro peace panel whether MNLF or MILF claims that they
have never been colonized by the Spaniards but the Spaniards included them
in their cession of the Philippines to the united states without their
plebiscitary consent.
THE TRIPOLI AGREEMENT OF 1976
Is an agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines
and Moro National Liberation Front ( MNLF) with the participation of the
Quadripartite Ministerial Commission Members of the Islamic Conference
and the Secretary General of the Islamic Conference.

1996 GRP-MNLF PEACE AGREEMENT

The 1996 Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
officially ended the 24-year old struggle waged by the MNLF for
independence and later for autonomy.