National Assembly of the Philippines

The National Assembly of the Philippines was a unicameral legislative body that operated in two distinct political settings during the transition from American rule to Philippine independence. Its first form was established by the 1935 Constitution for the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the transitional government created under the Tydings–McDuffie Act. Its second form was created under the 1943 Constitution during the Japanese occupation and served the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic. Although both bodies used the name National Assembly, they differed substantially in legitimacy, constitutional basis, political environment, and practical independence. The Commonwealth National Assembly replaced the earlier bicameral Philippine Legislature. The 1935 constitutional settlement adopted a unicameral legislature after delegates failed to agree on the restoration of a Senate-and-House arrangement. The body was limited to 120 members, elected for three-year terms, with every province guaranteed at least one representative. The constitutional framework also expanded direct representation for areas whose populations were not predominantly Christian. Elections for its initial 98 members were held on September 17, 1935, alongside the elections for Commonwealth president and vice president. The Commonwealth was inaugurated on November 15, and the assembly formally began work ten days later. Gil M. Montilla became its first Speaker. The assembly's central constitutional purpose was to legislate for the Commonwealth's administration and prepare the country for eventual independence. Its agenda included national defense, economic planning, taxation, labor standards, trade adjustment, and the creation of government institutions. Among its notable measures was the National Defense Act of 1935, which laid the foundation for the Philippine Army. It also helped establish the National Economic Council and the Court of Appeals. In practice, President Manuel L. Quezon exercised substantial influence over the legislature. Many bills were prepared by the executive branch, and presidential vetoes generated criticism that the assembly was acting as a rubber stamp. The legislature later sought to restore the Speaker's institutional authority and assert greater independence. The first assembly also oversaw an important expansion of political participation. In 1937, Filipino women voted in a special plebiscite on women's suffrage, with the measure receiving an overwhelming favorable result. The second National Assembly was elected in 1938 under a block-voting system that delivered all 98 seats to the Nacionalista Party. José Yulo became Speaker. This assembly confronted economic pressures, changing trade arrangements with the United States, immigration restrictions, and the growing threat of international war. Constitutional amendments adopted in 1939 and ratified in 1940 restored a bicameral Congress, thereby making the National Assembly a transitional institution. The amendments were approved by the U.S. president in December 1940 and were scheduled to take effect after the terms of the 1938 members ended in December 1941. The outbreak of the Pacific War accelerated the body's disappearance. Following Japan's attack on the Philippines in December 1941, the assembly approved emergency measures, redirected available funds toward national defense, and expanded presidential authority. It also certified the 1941 election results that returned Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña as president and vice president. The Commonwealth government later withdrew to the United States, while Japanese authorities occupied Manila and used the remaining administrative structure to construct a collaborationist government. The Japanese-sponsored National Assembly was established under the 1943 Constitution. Its membership included provincial governors and city mayors as ex-officio participants, together with elected representatives from provinces and cities. Benigno Aquino Sr. became Speaker, while José P. Laurel became president of the Second Philippine Republic. The body convened in September 1943 and held a regular session from November 25, 1943, to February 2, 1944. It enacted measures dealing with wartime administration, created a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Central Bank, and granted additional powers to the president. Its formal constitutional existence continued during the occupation, but its autonomy was severely constrained by Japanese military power and the conditions of wartime collaboration. The Second Republic assembly never reconvened after February 1944. As Allied forces began liberating the Philippines, the Japanese sought a declaration of war against the United States, but Laurel declined to call the assembly into a special session to ratify such a measure. After Japan's surrender and the restoration of the Commonwealth government, the Second Philippine Republic was dissolved. General Douglas MacArthur invalidated the laws enacted by the Second Republic's National Assembly in October 1944. The institution's broader constitutional legacy was superseded by the Congress of the Philippines, which embodied the bicameral system restored by the 1940 amendments.

Before 1935, the Philippines was represented legislatively by the Philippine Legislature, a bicameral body created under American territorial rule and reorganized by the Jones Law. The Tydings–McDuffie Act of 1934 established a ten-year Commonwealth transition before independence and authorized the drafting of a Philippine constitution. The resulting 1935 Constitution created a unicameral National Assembly with a membership ceiling of 120 and three-year terms. The first elections took place on September 17, 1935. After the Commonwealth inaugurated its government on November 15, the assembly held its first official meeting on November 25 and selected Gil M. Montilla as Speaker. It organized itself through commissions and standing committees and began legislating for the new transitional government. Its work covered military organization, economic advice, taxation, labor, trade, public administration, and judicial institutions. The National Defense Act of 1935 was particularly significant because it created the legal framework for a national defense establishment and the Philippine Army. President Manuel L. Quezon dominated the early Commonwealth political system. Executive officials drafted many bills, while Quezon vetoed a notable number of measures, including legislation he regarded as defective or constitutionally problematic. The resulting criticism encouraged the assembly to reclaim some of the Speaker's inherent powers and establish a more independent institutional posture. The body also participated in the expansion of suffrage: a 1937 women's plebiscite approved voting rights for Filipino women by a large majority. The 1938 elections were conducted under a block-voting system and produced a legislature entirely controlled by the Nacionalista Party. José Yulo became Speaker. During its term, the Second National Assembly dealt with economic adjustments associated with the eventual end of preferential U.S.–Philippine trade, immigration controls, demographic changes identified by the 1939 census, and the worsening international security situation. In 1939 it adopted constitutional amendments restoring a bicameral Congress. The amendments were ratified in 1940 and approved by the U.S. president later that year, with the new Congress scheduled to replace the National Assembly after the existing members' terms expired. War intervened before the transition could occur normally. Japan attacked the Philippines in December 1941. The Commonwealth assembly enacted emergency defense and finance measures, enlarged presidential emergency powers, and certified the reelection of Quezon and Sergio Osmeña. After the Commonwealth government went into exile, Japanese authorities retained parts of the existing bureaucracy and organized a new political structure. The 1943 Constitution created another unicameral National Assembly for the Second Philippine Republic. The occupation-era assembly included provincial governors and city mayors as ex-officio members and elected representatives from provinces and cities. Benigno Aquino Sr. was chosen Speaker, and José P. Laurel was selected as president of the republic. The body met for a pre-independence session in September 1943 and held its principal regular session from November 25, 1943, to February 2, 1944. Its legislation reflected the requirements of a wartime government, including the creation of a foreign-affairs ministry and a central bank and the extension of presidential powers. Its practical independence was limited by Japanese military authority. The assembly did not meet again after February 1944. When Japanese authorities later sought a formal declaration of war against the United States, Laurel refused to convene the legislature for ratification. Following Japan's surrender, the Second Philippine Republic was dissolved. The Commonwealth government was restored, and General Douglas MacArthur issued a proclamation invalidating the laws enacted by the occupation-era National Assembly. The institution consequently disappeared, while the restored bicameral Congress became the regular legislature of the Philippines.

• 1944

  Final session of the Second Republic assembly

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  The occupation-era assembly completed its last regular session on February 2 and never reconvened.

• 1944

  Occupation-era laws invalidated

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  After the Commonwealth restoration, General Douglas MacArthur declared the laws of the Second Republic's assembly invalid.

• 1943

  Occupation-era National Assembly convenes

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  The 1943 Constitution established a new unicameral assembly for the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic.

• 1941

  Commonwealth assembly ends amid war

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  The body enacted emergency defense measures and completed its final constitutional functions before the transition to Congress was overtaken by the Japanese invasion.

• 1940

  Bicameral Congress approved

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  Constitutional amendments restoring a Senate and House of Representatives were ratified and approved, preparing to replace the National Assembly.

• 1938

  Second Commonwealth assembly elected

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  Block voting produced a Nacionalista-controlled assembly, with José Yulo elected Speaker.

• 1937

  Women's suffrage approved

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  A special all-women plebiscite approved voting rights for Filipino women by a substantial majority.

• 1935

  1935 Constitution creates the National Assembly

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  The constitutional convention adopted a unicameral legislature with a maximum of 120 members and three-year terms.

• 1935

  First Commonwealth National Assembly elected and convened

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  Elections were held in September, and the assembly began official proceedings in November after the Commonwealth was inaugurated.

• 1935

  National Defense Act enacted

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  The assembly passed legislation establishing the framework for the Philippine Army and national defense administration.

• 1934

  Tydings–McDuffie Act establishes the independence transition

  [1]National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

  The Philippine independence law created a ten-year Commonwealth transition and authorized the drafting of a constitution for the future independent state.

A transitional and wartime legislative institution rather than a commercial brand; its constitutional role was to govern the Commonwealth and, later, to provide a legislature for the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic.

• 1943

  Creation of occupation-era institutionsStrategy

  Background

  The Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic required a constitutional and administrative framework during the occupation.

  Action taken

  The National Assembly created a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Central Bank and granted additional authority to President José P. Laurel.

  Aftermath

  The measures supported the formal structure of the Second Republic but were enacted under Japanese military influence.

  Source

• 1941

  Wartime emergency legislationStrategy

  Background

  Japan's attack on the Philippines created an immediate national-security and administrative crisis.

  Action taken

  The assembly redirected remaining funds to national defense, declared a total emergency, and expanded the president's emergency powers.

  Aftermath

  The Commonwealth government went into exile, and the assembly ceased functioning as the Japanese occupation took hold.

  Source

• 1940

  Immigration quota legislationOther

  Background

  The Sino-Japanese War increased migration to the Philippines and raised issues involving immigration and foreign relations.

  Action taken

  The assembly passed a law limiting annual immigration from each country to 50 persons; the measure required and received approval from the U.S. president.

  Aftermath

  The law particularly affected Chinese and Japanese nationals seeking refuge from the regional conflict.

  Source

• 1939

  Constitutional restoration of a bicameral legislatureStrategy

  Background

  Political leaders reconsidered the unicameral structure created by the 1935 Constitution.

  Action taken

  The assembly adopted amendments providing for a Senate and a House of Representatives, subject to ratification and approval.

  Aftermath

  The amendments were ratified in 1940, but the planned transition to Congress was disrupted by the Pacific War.

  Source

• 1935

  National defense institution-buildingStrategy

  Background

  The Commonwealth needed a national defense structure during its transition toward independence.

  Action taken

  The assembly enacted the National Defense Act, creating the legal basis for the Philippine Army and broader defense planning.

  Aftermath

  The measure became one of the defining legislative initiatives of the first Commonwealth assembly.

  Source

1. 1National Assembly of the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org