The principle of the retroversion of the sovereignty to the people, which challenged the legitimacy of the colonial authorities of the Spanish Empire, was the legal principle underlying the Spanish American wars of independence and Philippine Revolution. Constitutional ideas Retroversion of sovereignty to the people Calderón himself writes in his journal that the charters of Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, in addition to using the French Constitution of 1793, were also studied as these countries shared similar social, political, ethnological, and governance conditions with the Philippine Islands. The style of the document is patterned after the Spanish Constitution of 1812, which many Latin American charters from the same period similarly follow.

It is composed of one hundred one articles divided into fourteen titles, with transitory provisions in eight further articles, and with one un-numbered additional article. The Political Constitution of 1899 is written in Spanish which was the official language of the Philippines at the time. Source: The Law of the First Philippine Republic (The Laws of Malolos) 1898-1899 de la Viña, José Luna, Antonio Luna, Mariano Abella, Juan Manday, Felipe Calderón, Arsenio Cruz and Felipe Buencamino. The committee was composed of Hipólito Magsalin, Basilio Teodoro, José Albert, Joaquín González, Gregorio Araneta, Pablo Ocampo, Aguedo Velarde, Higinio Benitez, Tomás del Rosario, José Alejandrino, Alberto Barretto, José Ma. Elections were held from June 23 to Septemfor a new national legislature, the Malolos Congress.Īfter the Malolos Congress was convened on September 15, 1898, a committee was selected to draft a constitution for the republic. On June 12, Aguinaldo issued the Philippine Declaration of Independence and followed that with several decrees forming the First Philippine Republic. Navy transported Aguinaldo back to the Philippines.Īguinaldo took control of the newly re-formed Philippine revolutionary forces and quickly surrounded Manila on land while the American blockaded the city from the bay. On May 1, 1898, the American force defeated the Spanish in the Battle of Manila Bay. When the Spanish–American War broke out on April 25, 1898, the United States Commodore George Dewey aboard the USS Olympia sailed from Hong Kong to Manila Bay leading the Asiatic Squadron of the U.S. Emilio Aguinaldo (who had replaced Bonfiacio as leader) and other revolutionary leaders accepted a payment from Spain and went into exile in Hong Kong.įelipe Buencamino, a lawyer and revolutionary leader, was one of the writers of the Malolos Constitution After several battles between the Spanish and Philippine Revolutionary Army, a truce was signed called the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897. It was drafted by Isabelo Artacho and Félix Ferrer and based on the first Constitution of Cuba. In 1897, the Tejeros Convention was convened and the Constitution of Biak-na-Bato drafted and ratified. The revolutionary forces took steps to form a functioning government called the Republic of Biak-na-Bato. When the KKK was discovered by Spanish authorities, Bonifacio issued the Cry of Balintawak which began the Philippine Revolution in 1896. The Spanish-speaking middle classes of the 19th century were increasingly exposed to modern European ideas, including Liberalism, some studying in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.ĭuring the 1890s, the Katipunan, or KKK, a secret society dedicated to achieving Philippine independence from Spain, was formed and led by Andres Bonifacio. After over 300 years of Spanish rule, the country developed from a small overseas colony governed from the Viceroyalty of New Spain to a land with modern elements in the cities.

Bato in spanish