Texar Kana B.

Dugaduga
BA POLSCI II

History of the Philippine Constitution:

The 1897 Constitution of Biak-na-bato Promulgated by the Philippine Revolutionary
Government in November 1, 1897. It provides that the Supreme Council, vested
with the supreme power of government, shall conduct foreign relations, war, the
interior, and the treasury.
The 1899 Political Constitution of the Republic - it was written in Spanish. It was
first called the La Constitucion de Malolos. Following the declaration of
independence from Spain by the Revolutionary Government, a congress was held in
Malolos, Bulucan to draw up a constitution. The document declares that the people
have exclusive sovereignty. It states basic civil rights, the separation of church and
state, and calls for the creation of an Assembly of Representatives which would act
as the legislative body. It also calls for a Presidential form of government with the
president elected for a term of four years by a majority of the Assembly. The Malolos
Constitution established Spanish as the official language of the Philippines. 1
The 1935 Constitution was written in 1934, approved and adopted by the
Commonwealth of the Philippines and was later used by the Third Republic of the
Philippines. The 1935 Constitution provides inter alia of a unicameral legislation and
was amended in 1940 changing the unicameral to bicameral. It defines its powers,
composition and organization as it functions as the Government of the Philippine
Islands. It is based on the principle of separation of powers among the three
branches of government. Executive power is vested in the President and shall serve
for a single-six-year term. Legislative power is vested in a unicameral National
Assembly, and judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court. It also provides
that upon proclamation of Philippine Independence, the Commonwealth of the
Philippines shall be known as the Republic of the Philippines.
The 1943 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines was drafted by a committee
appointed by the Philippine Executive Commission, the body established by the
Japanese to administer the Philippines in lieu of the Commonwealth of the
Philippines which had established a government-in-exile. The 1943 Constitution of
the Republic of the Philippines, or the Constitution of the Second Philippine Republic,
was ratified by the general assembly of the KALIBAPI. It is based on the system of
separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and the judiciary. It served
as a temporary constitution, for it stipulated that one year after the end of the
World War II, it shall be replaced by a new constitution.
The1973 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, promulgated after Marcos'
declaration of martial law, provides for a parliamentary form of government. On 22
September 1976, President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1033proposing
1 Source: Scribd.

amendments to the Constitution, which was later on ratified and included in the
1973 Constitution.

Money system of the Philippines

During the early part of the year 1521, the country was ruled by Spain and
remained so for roughly 300 years. This is the time in history when we also got the
name Philippines.
When the Philippines gained its independence from Spain in 1898, the government
begun to issue and use our very first currency in the form of coins and papers
backed, not by gold, but by the countrys natural resources.
In our almighty One Peso note was printed, Republika Filipina Papel Moneda de Un
Peso. The other paper money is the Five Peso note, which bore Cinco Pesos in its
print. Copper-based coins of lower denomination were also in circulation. The
Spanish government sold the Philippines to the USA. The Americans have occupied
the Philippines for the period covering the years 1900 through 1941. But we also
retained the use of our local currency, the Philippine Peso, which was backed by
gold a practice from which the name Gold Standard was derived.
The Americans also pegged the exchange rate of the Philippine Peso against the US
Dollar at 2:1. The Americans made way to the Japanese Forces. The War not only
devastated Manila and other parts of the country, but is also caused serious
disturbances in the Philippine monetary system. At the end of the World War II, we
also gained independence from the Americans. By then we made use as currency
old treasury certificates overprinted with the word Victory. And finally in 1949, the
country established the Central Bank of the Philippines, an agency which eventually
sets the policies and standards of our modern monetary system.
i

i Source: www.peratree.com