1st Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines

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The First Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (Filipino: Unang Kongreso ng Komenwelt ng Pilipinas), also known as the "Postwar Congress" and the "Liberation Congress", refers to the meeting of the bicameral legislature composed of the Senate and House of Representatives, from 1945 to 1946. This Congress convened only after the reestablishment of the Commonwealth Government in 1945 when President Sergio Osmeña called it to five special sessions. Osmeña had replaced Manuel L. Quezon as president after the former died in exile in the United States in 1944.

Significance of the First Commonwealth Congress

Not much has been written about the First Commonwealth Congress, despite its historical and political significance. This owes mainly to the briefness of its existence (i.e., less than a year). However, the First Commonwealth Congress was significant in at least three key respects:

First, it brought an end the president's exercise of legislative powers under the wartime emergency act passed by the defunct National Assembly in 1941.[1] The opening of Congress in 1945 allowed democratically elected representatives to pass legislation, especially to deal with the Philippines' postwar problems. It also provided an institutional check against executive power, including the presidential power to appoint top officials of the (postwar) government and appropriate funds for its operations.

Second, the First Commonwealth Congress gave birth to the two-party system in the Philippines, as the pro-Osmeña and pro-Roxas blocs or factions there eventually became the Nacionalista and Liberal Parties that alternated in power from 1945 until martial law was imposed in 1972. This Congress thus served as a well spring of political leaders under a two-party system of the soon-to-be independent Republic of the Philippines. Three Philippine presidents, Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino and Carlos P. Garcia were members of this Congress, as were postwar political party leaders like Senate President Eulogio Rodriguez, Speaker Eugenio Pérez, Senator Jose E. Romero and Senator Melecio Arranz. The patron-client orientation of the two-party system evolved in part from the resource constraints faced by members of the Congress right after the war.

Third, it was this Congress laid down much of the groundwork for the country's postwar reconstruction and rehabilitation, including its participation in the postwar global economic order dominated by the United States.

Background: The Outbreak of World War II

Through the most part of the term of the Second National Assembly (1938–1941), the First Congress' immediate predecessor, international conflicts that led to World War II began to take shape. As early as 1940, the National Assembly already declared a state of national emergency[2] to address the escalating emergency conditions of the times. It gave Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon extensive emergency powers to meet the worsening conditions. All preparations culminated when Japan attacked the Philippines a few hours after bombing Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941. The National Assembly lost no time in enacting substantive legislations, diverting all remaining funds for national defense purposes, and declaring a state of total emergency.[3] It furthered the broad emergency powers already granted to the President, such as the transfer of the seat of government and the extension of the effectivity of lapsing laws.

In its last act as a legislative body, the National Assembly certified the results of the November 1941 elections where Quezon and Osmeña were re-elected as president and vice president, respectively, along with the legislators who were to compose the First Commonwealth Congress. The Congress replaced the unicameral National Assembly as the legislative branch of government. It was due to meet for the first time in January 1942 had the war not intervene.

Due to the transfer of the Philippine Government to Washington, D.C. in 1942, and the three-year occupation (1942–1945) of the Philippines by Japanese forces, the First Congress could not be convened. In its place, the Japanese formed a puppet National Assembly that passed laws dictated by the Japanese Imperial Government in Tokyo.

The Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic, under José P. Laurel as president, ended in late February 1945 when the Philippines was liberated by the returning American forces in the Pacific.

Reestablishment of Commonwealth Government

Upon the reestablishment of the Philippine Commonwealth in Manila in 1945, General Douglas MacArthur exerted political pressure on President Sergio Osmeña to convene Congress in formal session. Osmeña was reluctant to do so not only because of the huge expense associated with the functioning of Congress, but more so because he feared that its two houses would be controlled by legislators who had collaborated with the Japanese when the Philippine Government was on exile in Washington, D.C.

On May 24, 1945, Osmeña offered Roxas the position of Resident Commissioner to the U.S. Roxas by then was known to be actively seeking the right opportunity to launch his presidential ambition with the backing of General Douglas MacArthur, Quezon's former military adviser and considered as the "Liberator of the Philippines." Two days later, Roxas declined Osmeña's offer and instead asked his supporters to announce his candidacy for president at a time when there was no designated date to hold a national election. The First Commonwealth Congress thus provided the vehicle for Roxas' primacy in Philippine postwar politics and government. It also paved the way for the permanent division of the old Nacionalista Party into two warring factions. Its so-called Liberal Wing or faction (later Liberal Party) nominated Roxas for the presidency in 1946.

The First Commonwealth Congress Convened

In late May 1945, President Osmeña was persuaded to call the First Commonwealth Congress to special session in order to tackle the most pressing issues of postwar rehabilitation and regain constitutional normalcy. Regular sessions could not be held by then, as the Constitution provided that these should take place for 100 days beginning on the fourth Monday of January of each year.

With the old Legislative Building in ruins, the First Commonwealth Congress met in a former Japanese schoolhouse located at 949 Lepanto Street, Manila, beside the headquarters of Gota de Leche. Most senators and congressmen could not hold office there due to limited space and facilities, which were allotted to the officers of the two chambers and the congressional staff. The Senate and the House of Representatives shared the same session hall (the school's former auditorium), with the House meeting in the morning and the Senate using the hall in the evening. The Senate eventually took temporary quarters in the badly damaged Manila City Hall in May 1946. The House remained at Lepanto Street until it moved, with the Senate, to the newly rebuilt Congress building in 1950.

At the first special session of Congress on June 9, 1945, Senators Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino were elected as Senate President and Senate President Pro-Tempore, respectively. The House of Representatives elected for its Speaker Iloilo Rep. Jose C. Zulueta and for Speaker Pro-Tempore, Pangasinan Rep. Prospero Sanidad. Only 16 out of 24 senators and 75 of 98 congressmen, who were elected in 1941, attended the five special sessions called by the President. In the Senate alone, Senator Daniel Maramba had died of natural causes immediately before the outbreak of World War II. Senator Jose Ozamiz was executed by the Japanese. Senators Antonio de las Alas, Vicente Madrigal, Quintin Paredes, Claro M. Recto, Proceso E. Sebastian, Emiliano T. Tirona and José Yulo were arrested by the US Army's Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC) because they had worked in various capacities under the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Government. Alas, Madrigal, Paredes, Recto, Sebastian, Tirona and Yulo had been part of Laurel's Cabinet. The Senate held a lottery to determine who among its members would serve up to April 1946 and November 1947, since senators serve staggered terms under the Constitution.[4][5]

The First Commonwealth Congress initially convened with 13 senators and 70 congressmen. Three more senators reported and five congressmen joined their colleagues in later sessions. Among the members of the First Commonwealth Congress was Representative Elisa Ochoa from Agusan, the first woman ever elected to the Philippine national legislature.

The two chambers of Congress assembled in joint session in the afternoon of June 9, 1945 to hear President Osmeña deliver his state of the nation address (photo above left). Osmeña expectedly dealt with several proposed legislation to rebuild the financial infrastructure of the Philippines and restore government institutions. He also tried to address issues concerning the terms of office of officials elected in 1941 just before the Japanese invasion.Because of the severe damage caused to property by the war, the legislators who were hurriedly called to Manila in June 1945, including Roxas and Quirino, had no appropriate attire for the congressional sessions other than their army khaki uniforms. President Osmeña ordered two pairs of sharkskin suits to be purchased by the government for each of the legislators around the time of the opening of Congress.

A few foreign dignitaries also addressed the joint session in the next six months. This included U.S. High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt and General MacArthur who received a commendation from the Congress and a second resolution making him an honorary citizen of the Philippines. In his memorable address before its joint session on July 9, 1945, MacArthur said:

"Since the beginning of the time men have crusaded for freedom and for equality. It was this passion for liberty which inspired the architects of my own government to proclaim so immutably and so beautifully that 'all men are created equal' and 'that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.' On such rights rest our basic concept of human freedom, in defense of which we have fought and still continue to fight on the battle fields of the world. These rights are the very antithesis to the totalitarian doctrine which seeks to regiment the people and control the human will as the price for presumed efficiency in government."[6]

Accomplishments and Controversies

The First Commonwealth Congress passed a total of 48 laws in five special sessions: Commonwealth Act Nos. 672 to 720.

Heeding Osmeña's urgent call during the opening session of Congress, the first legislative measure it enacted was Commonwealth Act No. 672 which restored the Philippine National Bank and organized its financial capital. The viability of the Philippine National Bank was critical to the resuscitation of the Philippine Commonwealth after the war.

One major financial legislation passed by Congress stirred controversy in the U.S. and was eventually vetoed by President Harry Truman despite its approval by President Osmeña. Commonwealth House Bill No. 647 (Senate Bill No. 51), titled "An Act Governing the Payment of Monetary Obligations Incurred or Contracted Prior to and During the Japanese Invasion of the Philippines and for Other Purposes", was passed by both houses of Congress on the last day of its last session, December 20, 1945. It was signed into law by President Osmeña on January 18, 1946. The law provided for the validation of payments made in Japanese "mickey mouse" money during the period of enemy occupation. However, U.S. High Commissioner McNutt objected to it and asked Truman to exercise his final veto on this currency measure. President Truman's accompanying veto letter explained his disapproval, to wit:

"The Commonwealth Act which I am now disapproving would give legal approval to transactions and payments made under the brutal Japanese regime, without regard for the actual value of the Japanese-backed currency in which such payments were made. It would give official sanction to acts by Japanese officials in forcing the liquidation of businesses and accounts of loyal Filipinos, Americans, and allies who were imprisoned by the Japanese. It would have a most harmful effect on the Philippine financial structure which it is our hope and desire to see strengthened in preparation for independence. It would work to the benefit of persons who did business with and under the Japanese to the prejudice of those who were loyal both to the Philippine Commonwealth and to the United States Government."[7]

The First Commonwealth Congress also tackled the contentious and divisive issue of Filipino collaboration with the Japanese. Osmeña had proposed a bill to set up a special court for this purpose. Roxas initially objected to it, fearing the loss of critical support from his political allies who were accused of, or imprisoned for, collaboration. After extensive congressional debates, Commonwealth Act No. 682 was passed in August 1945 creating the People's Court and the Office of Special Prosecutors to investigate and decide on collaboration charges on an individual basis.[8] In September 1945, the CIC presented the Filipinos who were accused of having collaborated with, or given aid to, the Japanese so that they may be tried before the People's Court. Included were prominent senators and congressmen who had been active in the puppet government under Laurel. These legislators were unable to attend the five special sessions of the First Commonwealth Congress.

The collaboration issue continued to haunt Congress. Another currency-related legislation passed by the First Commonwealth Congress was held up for a few weeks at the White House before President Truman signed it into law in November 1945. As Truman noted in his letter to President Osmeña, his approval of the original House Bill No. 176, which provides for a reduction of the required gold coverage of Philippine currency, has been delayed "due to the fact that there have been persistent charges that a sizable fraction of the Members of the Philippine Congress had been guilty of collaboration with the enemy, and I have not wanted my approval of the act to be distorted into approval of collaboration."[9]

The so-called Backpay Law of 1945 turned out to be the most controversial measure passed by the postwar Congress. The law authorized the Philippine Treasury, which was already financially crippled, to pay back salaries and wages to members of Congress and their staff to cover the three years of Japanese occupuation. In effect, the Backpay Law compensated the legislators for service that they never rendered during the war years. The passage of this measure was met with public indignation. It led to a political backlash and many members of Congress lost their seats during the national elections held in April 1946.

Several key measures were passed concerning postwar relations between the Philippines and the United States and the Philippine government's participation in the postwar global politico-economic system led by the United States. Joint Resolution No. 4, signed into law by President Osmeña on July 28, 1945, authorized the President of the Philippines to negotiate with the President of the United States the establishment in the Philippines of military bases “to insure the territorial integrity of the Philippines, the mutual protection of the Philippines and the United States, and the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.”[10] Another joint resolution was passed by Congress for the establishment of free trade between the United States following the recommendations of the Bell Trade Mission, which President Osmeña himself supported and endorsed. This became the foundation of the controversial Bell Trade Act of 1946.

In October 1945, President Osmeña also signed House Bill No. 608. This legislation authorized the participation of the Philippine Commonwealth Government in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank system following the Bretton-Woods Conference in July 1944.[11]

Finally, it was during this historic Congress that the Philippine Senate first exercised its constitutional authority to ratify treaties and other international agreements with its unanimous ratification on August 30, 1945 of the Charter of the newly formed United Nations. President Osmeña appeared before the Senate three days earlier to deliver the Charter and ask for its ratification.[12]

Postwar Factionalism in Congress

The rivalry between Osmeña and Roxas intensified in the Commission on Appointments—a congressional body, consisting of 12 senators and 12 congressmen, which was responsible for confirming presidential nominations. The Commission was chaired by Roxas himself as senate president. In that powerful position, Roxas managed to sit on (bypass) the nominations of some of Osmeña's most important political advisers and supporters. The Commission also confirmed Osmeña's nominations for chief justice and associate justices of the Supreme Court, except for one, Justice Jose A. Espiritu, whose credentials were questioned before the Commission. Espiritu became ths shortest-serving member of the Supreme Court. He returned as dean of the U.P. College of Law in September 1945, after serving in an ad interim capacity as associate justice for only two months.

The heat of presidential politics had also divided loyalties in the postwar Congress, where its members failed to decide on the date of elections for president, vice-president, 16 senators and 98 congressmen. President Osmeña thus requested the U.S. Congress to intervene and set the date of the first post-war elections. The U.S. Congress, in a joint resolution issued in November 1945, called for national elections to take place no later than April 30, 1946 and for the Second Congress to convene not later than May 28, 1946. On January 4, 1946, the First Commonwealth Congress met for the last time to discuss the April 1946 presidential elections—the first since 1941.

The 1946 elections catapulted the newly formed Liberal Party to power for the first time. Senate President Roxas and Senate President Pro Tempore Quirino were respectively elected as first President and Vice-President of the Republic of the Philippines, which gained independence from the U.S. on July 4, 1946. Erstwhile Senate Floor Leader Melecio Arranz became President Pro Tempore of the Senate, while House of Representatives Majority Leader Eugenio Pérez became its Speaker when the new Congress convened in May 1946. Speaker Zulueta, on the other hand, joined the Roxas Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior and later ran and won as senator. Many other members of the First Commonwealth Congress held top positions in the newly born republic.

Other Vital Legislation

Special Sessions

Leadership of the First Commonwealth Congress

Senate

Manuel Roxas (NP)
Elpidio Quirino (NP)
Melecio Arranz (NP)

House of Representatives

Jose C. Zulueta (NP-Liberal Wing, 1st District Iloilo)
Prospero Sanidad (NP-Liberal Wing, 2nd District Ilocos Sur)
Eugenio P. Perez (NP-Liberal Wing, 2nd District Pangasinan)

Members

Senate

First to Fifth Special Session
Senator Partya Term Start Term End
  Antonio de las Alas 4
NP
1941
1946
  Alauya Alonto
NP
1941
1947
  Melecio Arranz
NP
1941
1946
  Nicolas Buendia
NP
1941
1946
  Mariano Jesús Cuenco
NP
1941
1946
  Ramon J. Fernandez
NP
1941
1946
  Carlos P. Garcia
NP
1941
1946
  Pedro C. Hernaez
NP
1941
1947
  Domingo Imperial
NP
1941
1946
  Vicente Madrigral 4
NP
1941
1947
  Daniel Maramba3
NP
1941
1946
  Jose F. Ozamiz3
NP
1941
1946
  Quintin Paredes 4
NP
1941
1946
  Elpidio Quirino 2
NP
1941
1946
  Vicente Rama
NP
1941
1947
  Esteban dela Rama
NP
1941
1947
  Claro M. Recto 4
NP
1941
1947
  Eulogio A. Rodriguez, Sr. 4
NP
1941
1947
  Manuel Roxas 1
NP
1941
1946
  Proceso E. Sebastian 4
NP
1941
1947
  Emiliano T. Tirona 4
NP
1941
1947
  Ramon Torres
NP
1941
1946
  José Yulo 4
NP
1941
1946
^a Party affiliation at the time of the convening of Congress.
NP Nacionalista Party
^1 Manuel Roxas was elected as the Last President of the Commonwealth Republic in the 1946 Elections.
^2 Elpidio Quirino were elected as the Last Vice-President of the Commonwealth Republic in the 1946 Elections.
^3 Daniel Maramba died on December 28, 1941 and Jose Ozamiz was executed on February 11, 1944 during the war.
^4 The following were detained because of collaboration charges with the Japanese: Antonio de las Alas, Vicente Madrigal, Quintin Paredes,
Claro M. Recto, Proceso E. Sebastian, Emiliano Tria Tirona, José Yulo.

House of Representatives

Province District Representativea
Abra
Lone
Jesus Paredes
Agusan
Lone
Elisa R. Ochoa
Albay
1st
Isabelo V. Binamira
2nd
Jose S. Valenciano
3rd
Marcial O. Rañola
4th
Francisco A. Perfecto
Antique
Lone
Emigdio Nietes
Bataan
Lone
Antonio G. Llamas
Batanes
Lone
Vicente Agan
Batangas
1st
Miguel Tolentino
2nd
Eusebio Orense
3rd
José B. Laurel, Jr.
Bohol
1st
Genaro Visarra
2nd
Simeon G. Toribio
3rd
Margarito E. Revilles
Bukidnon
Lone
Manuel Fortich
Bulacan
1st
Leon Valencia
2nd
Antonio Villarama
Cagayan
1st
Nicanor Carag
2nd
Miguel P. Pio
Camarines Norte
Lone
Wenceslao Q. Vinzons 1
Camarines Sur
1st
Jaime M. Reyes
2nd
Jose T. Fuentebella
Capiz
1st
Ramon A. Arnaldo
2nd
Cornelio T. Villareal
3rd
Jose M. Reyes
Cavite
Lone
Justiniano S. Montano
Cebu
1st
Celestino Rodriguez
2nd
Pedro Lopez
3rd
Maximino Noel
4th
Agustin Y. Kintanar
5th
Miguel Cuenco
6th
Nicolas Rafols
7th
Jose Rodriguez
Cotabato
Lone
Ugalingan Piang
Davao
Lone
Juan Sarenas
Ilocos Norte
1st
Vicente T. Lazo
2nd
Rubio Conrado
Ilocos Sur
1st
Jesus Serrano
2nd
Prospero Sanidad
Iloilo
1st
Jose C. Zulueta
2nd
Oscar Ledesma
3rd
Tiburcio Lutero
4th
Ceferino de los Santos
5th
Juan Borra
Isabela
Lone
Lino J. Castillejos
La Union
1st
Francisco Ortega
2nd
Enrique Rimando
Laguna
1st
Conrado M. Potenciano
2nd
Estanislao A. Fernandez, Jr.
Lanao
Lone
Salvador T. Lluch
Leyte
1st
Mateo Canonoy
2nd
Dominador M. Tan
3rd
Tomas Oppus
4th
Filomeno Montejo
5th
Jose Ma. Veloso
Manila
1st
Engracio Clemeña
2nd
Alfonso E. Mendoza
Marinduque
Lone
Cecilio A. Maneja
Masbate
Lone
Emilio B. Espinosa
Mindoro
Lone
Raúl T. Leuterio
Misamis Occidental
Lone
Eugenio Stuart Del Rosario
Misamis Oriental
Lone
Jose Artadi
Mountain Province
1st
George K. Tait
2nd
Ramon P. Mitra
3rd
Gregorio Morrero
Negros Occidental
1st
Enrique B. Magalona
2nd
Aguedo Gonzaga
3rd
Raymundo Vargas
Negros Oriental
1st
Julian L. Teves
2nd
Jose E. Romero
Nueva Ecija
1st
Jose Cando
2nd
Gabriel Belmonte
Nueva Vizcaya
Lone
Leon Cabarroguis
Palawan
Lone
Sofronio Española
Pampanga
1st
Eligio Lagman
2nd
Jose P. Fausto
Pangasinan
1st
Jose P. Bengson
2nd
Eugenio Pérez
3rd
Pascual Beltran
4th
Cipriano P. Primicias, Sr.
5th
Narciso Ramos
Rizal
1st
Francisco Sevilla
2nd
Emilio de la Paz
Romblon
Lone
Leonardo Festin
Samar
1st
Decoroso Rosales
2nd
Pedro R. Artache
3rd
Felix Opimo
Sorsogon
1st
Norberto Roque
2nd
Teodoro Vera
Sulu
Lone
Ombra Amilbangsa
Surigao
Lone
Ricardo Navarro
Tarlac
1st
Jose Cojuangco
2nd
Benigno S. Aquino2
Tayabas
1st
Pedro Insua
2nd
Francisco Lavides
Zambales
Lone
Valentin Afable
Zamboanga
Lone
Matias Ranillo
^a 75 out of the 98 elected representatives attended the Special Sessions of the First Commonwealth Congress. 11 had died since 1941, 31 held positions in the Japanese-sponsored government, of whom 17 were arrested and detained by the US Army's Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC).
^1 Executed on July 15, 1942 during the war.
^2 Detained by the US Army's Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC).

See also

References

  1. Araneta vs. Dinglasan, G.R. No. L-2044, August 26, 1949.
  2. The Philippine Free Press Online - Emergency Powers. Accessed on April 16, 2007.
  3. The Sunday Times - PP1017 is not at all similar to PP1081. Accessed on April 16, 2007
  4. https://philippinediaryproject.wordpress.com/tag/proceso-sebastian/
  5. Lumontad vs. Cuenco, 41 Off. Gaz., 894.
  6. Douglas MacArthur, Address before the Joint Session of the Congress of the Philippines, Manila, July 9, 1945
  7. Statement by the President Upon Disapproving a Bill of the Philippine Congress, February 7, 1946, .
  8. Commonwealth Act No. 682.
  9. Letter of President Harry S. Truman to President Osmena of the Philippines Upon Approving a Bill of the Philippine Congress. November 14, 1945, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=12293.
  10. http://www.gov.ph/1945/08/01/presidents-month-in-review-august-1945/
  11. http://www.gov.ph/1945/10/01/presidents-month-in-review-october-1945/
  12. http://www.gov.ph/1945/09/01/presidents-month-in-review-september-1945/

External links

Further reading

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