Philippine Commission

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The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines.

Contents

The First Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by President William McKinley on January 20, 1899 as a recommendatory body.

The Second Philippine Commission, also known as the Taft Commission, was appointed on March 16, 1900 to provide civil government to areas under U.S. control. It relied on the presidential war powers of the US military government for its authority. In 1901, the Spooner Amendment to the Army Appropriations Act of 1901 gave the commission, "All military, civil, and Judicial powers necessary to govern the Philippine Islands". [1] The Philippine Organic Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1902 enshrining into more permanent law the commission's legislative and executive authority. As stipulated in that act, the bicameral Philippine Legislature was established in 1907, with the Commission as the upper house and the elected Philippine Assembly acting as lower house. The Jones Act of 1916 ended the Commission, replacing it with an elected Philippine Senate as the legislature's upper house.

First Philippine Commission

On January 20, 1899, President McKinley appointed the First Philippine Commission (the Schurman Commission), [2] a five-person group headed by Dr. Jacob Schurman, president of Cornell University, to investigate conditions in the islands and make recommendations. In the report that they issued to the president the following year, the commissioners acknowledged Filipino aspirations for independence; they declared, however, that the Philippines was not ready for it. Specific recommendations included the establishment of civilian government as rapidly as possible (the American chief executive in the islands at that time was the military governor), including establishment of a bicameral legislature, autonomous governments on the provincial and municipal levels, and a system of free public elementary schools. [3]

Second Philippine Commission

Philippine Commission
(or the Second Philippine Commission)
Type
Type
unicameral
(1900–1907)

upper house
(1907–1916)
of the Philippine Legislature
History
FoundedMarch 16, 1900 (1900-03-16) [4]
DisbandedOctober 3, 1916 (1916-10-03)
Preceded bySchurman Commission
Succeeded by Philippine Senate
Leadership

From Philippines: A Country Study by Ronald E. Dolan: [3]

The Second Philippine Commission (the Taft Commission), appointed by McKinley on March 16, 1900, [4] and headed by William Howard Taft, was granted legislative as well as limited executive powers. Between September 1900 and August 1902, it issued 499 laws. A judicial system was established, including a Supreme Court, and a legal code was drawn up to replace antiquated Spanish ordinances. A civil service was organized. The 1901 municipal code provided for popularly elected presidents, vice presidents, and councilors to serve on municipal boards. The municipal board members were responsible for collecting taxes, maintaining municipal properties, and undertaking necessary construction projects; they also elected provincial governors." [5] On July 4, 1901, Taft became governor of a civil administration for the Philippines. [6] This regime, called the Insular Government, administered the country until 1935.

Marker, Session Road BaguioCityjf0151 02.JPG
Marker, Session Road

"The Philippine Organic Act of July 1902 stipulated that... a Philippine Legislature would be established composed of a lower house, the Philippine Assembly, which would be popularly elected, and an upper house consisting of the Philippine Commission. The two houses would share legislative powers, although the upper house alone would pass laws relating to the Moros and other non-Christian peoples. The act also provided for extending the United States Bill of Rights to Filipinos and sending two Filipino resident commissioners to Washington to attend sessions of the United States Congress. In July 1907, the first elections for the assembly were held, and it opened its first session on October 16, 1907." [5] [7]

Membership

Leaders

The body was led by the governor-general of the Philippines:

Other members

Secretary of finance and justice:

NameMonth startedMonth finished
Secretaries of finance and justice
Henry Clay Ide September 1, 1901September 24, 1906
James Francis Smith September 25, 1906June 30, 1908
Gregorio S. Araneta July 1, 1908October 30, 1913
Victorino Mapa November 1, 1913January 14, 1917[ citation needed ]

Secretary of the Interior:

NameMonth startedMonth finished
Secretaries of the Interior
Dean C. Worcester September 1, 19011913
Winfred Thaxter Denison 19131916

Secretary of commerce and police:

NameMonth startedMonth finished
Secretaries of commerce and police
Luke Edward Wright September 1, 1901January 31, 1904 [8]
William Cameron Forbes June 16, 1904 [8] 1909
Charles Elliott 19101912 [8]
Clinton L. Riggs 19131915
Eugene Reed 1916 [8] 1916

Secretary of public instruction:

NameTerm startedTerm finished
Secretaries of public instruction
Bernard Moses September 1, 19011902
James Francis Smith 1902September 28, 1906
W. Morgan Shuster September 28, 19061909
Newton W. Gilbert 19091915
Henderson Martin 19151916

Philippine members (1901–1909):

NameTerm startedTerm finished
Philippine members of the Philippine Commission
Benito Legarda September 1, 1901December 21, 1907
Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera September 1, 1901March 1, 1909
Jose Ruiz de Luzuriaga September 1, 19011913

Philippine members (1909–1913):

NameTerm startedTerm finished
Philippine members of the Philippine Commission
Rafael Palma December 21, 19071913
Juan Sumulong March 1, 19091913
Jose Ruiz de Luzuriaga September 1, 19011913
Gregorio S. Araneta 19091913

See also

References and notes

  1. ↑ "The Spooner Amendment". scribd.com. n.d. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  2. ↑ Halili 2004, p.  174.
  3. 1 2 Dolan 1993.
  4. 1 2 Halili 2004, p.  179.
  5. 1 2 Dolan 1993, p.  28.
  6. ↑ Taft, William (1908). "Inaugural Address as Civil Governor of the Philippines". Present Day Problems. Ayer Publishing. ISBN   978-0-8369-0922-7.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  7. ↑ "The Philippine Bill of July 1902". Filipiniana.net. July 1, 1902. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Elliott, Charles Burke (1917). The Philippines to the End of the Commission Government: A Study in Tropical Democracy. Greenwood Press.

Bibliography

Further reading

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