Art.v11.Executive Department

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THE 1987

CONSTITUTION

OF THE

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

ARTICLE VII

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in thePresident of the Philippines.

Section 2. No person may be elected President unless he is

a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter,able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the dayof the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at leastten years immediately preceding such election.

Section 3. There shall be a Vice-President who shall have thesame qualifications and term of office and be elected with,and in the same manner, as the President. He may beremoved from office in the same manner as the President.

The Vice-President may be appointed as a Member of the

Cabinet. Such appointment requires no confirmation.

Section 4. The President and the Vice-President shall beelected by direct vote of the people for a term of six yearswhich shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June nextfollowing the day of the election and shall end at noon of thesame date, six years thereafter. The President shall not beeligible for any re-election. No person who has succeeded asPresident and has served as such for more than four yearsshall be qualified for election to the same office at any time.

No Vice-President shall serve for more than two successiveterms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in thecontinuity of the service for the full term for which he waselected.

Unless otherwise provided by law, the regular election forPresident and Vice-President shall be held on the secondMonday of May.

The returns of every election for President and Vice-President, duly certified by the board of canvassers of each

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province or city, shall be transmitted to the Congress,directed to the President of the Senate. Upon receipt of thecertificates of canvass, the President of the Senate shall, notlater than thirty days after the day of the election, open all

the certificates in the presence of the Senate and the Houseof Representatives in joint public session, and the Congress,upon determination of the authenticity and due executionthereof in the manner provided by law, canvass the votes.

The person having the highest number of votes shall beproclaimed elected, but in case two or more shall have anequal and highest number of votes, one of them shallforthwith be chosen by the vote of a majority of all theMembers of both Houses of the Congress, voting separately.

The Congress shall promulgate its rules for the canvassingof the certificates.

The Supreme Court, sitting en banc, shall be the sole judgeof all contests relating to the election, returns, andqualifications of the President or Vice-President, and maypromulgate its rules for the purpose.

Section 5. Before they enter on the execution of their office,the President, the Vice-President, or the Acting President

shall take the following oath or affirmation:

"I do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President [or Vice-President or Acting President] of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws,do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to theservice of the Nation. So help me God." [In case of affirmation, last sentence will be omitted].

Section 6. The President shall have an official residence. Thesalaries of the President and Vice-President shall bedetermined by law and shall not be decreased during theirtenure. No increase in said compensation shall take effectuntil after the expiration of the term of the incumbentduring which such increase was approved. They shall notreceive during their tenure any other emolument from theGovernment or any other source.

Section 7. The President-elect and the Vice President-electshall assume office at the beginning of their terms.

If the President-elect fails to qualify, the Vice President-electshall act as President until the President-elect shall have

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qualified.

If a President shall not have been chosen, the VicePresident-elect shall act as President until a President shall

have been chosen and qualified.

If at the beginning of the term of the President, thePresident-elect shall have died or shall have becomepermanently disabled, the Vice President-elect shall becomePresident.

Where no President and Vice-President shall have beenchosen or shall have qualified, or where both shall have diedor become permanently disabled, the President of the

Senate or, in case of his inability, the Speaker of the Houseof Representatives, shall act as President until a President ora Vice-President shall have been chosen and qualified.

The Congress shall, by law, provide for the manner in whichone who is to act as President shall be selected until aPresident or a Vice-President shall have qualified, in case of death, permanent disability, or inability of the officialsmentioned in the next preceding paragraph.

Section 8. In case of death, permanent disability, removal

from office, or resignation of the President, the Vice-President shall become the President to serve the unexpiredterm. In case of death, permanent disability, removal fromoffice, or resignation of both the President and Vice-President, the President of the Senate or, in case of hisinability, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, shallthen act as President until the President or Vice-Presidentshall have been elected and qualified.

The Congress shall, by law, provide who shall serve asPresident in case of death, permanent disability, orresignation of the Acting President. He shall serve until thePresident or the Vice-President shall have been elected andqualified, and be subject to the same restrictions of powersand disqualifications as the Acting President.

Section 9. Whenever there is a vacancy in the Office of theVice-President during the term for which he was elected, thePresident shall nominate a Vice-President from among theMembers of the Senate and the House of Representativeswho shall assume office upon confirmation by a majority

vote of all the Members of both Houses of the Congress,

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voting separately.

Section 10. The Congress shall, at ten o'clock in the morningof the third day after the vacancy in the offices of the

President and Vice-President occurs, convene in accordancewith its rules without need of a call and within seven days,enact a law calling for a special election to elect a Presidentand a Vice-President to be held not earlier than forty-fivedays nor later than sixty days from the time of such call. Thebill calling such special election shall be deemed certifiedunder paragraph 2, Section 26, Article V1 of this Constitutionand shall become law upon its approval on third reading bythe Congress. Appropriations for the special election shall becharged against any current appropriations and shall be

exempt from the requirements of paragraph 4, Section 25,Article V1 of this Constitution. The convening of theCongress cannot be suspended nor the special electionpostponed. No special election shall be called if the vacancyoccurs within eighteen months before the date of the nextpresidential election.

Section 11. Whenever the President transmits to thePresident of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable todischarge the powers and duties of his office, and until he

transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, suchpowers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice-Presidentas Acting President.

Whenever a majority of all the Members of the Cabinettransmit to the President of the Senate and to the Speakerof the House of Representatives their written declarationthat the President is unable to discharge the powers andduties of his office, the Vice-President shall immediatelyassume the powers and duties of the office as ActingPresident.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inabilityexists, he shall reassume the powers and duties of his office.Meanwhile, should a majority of all the Members of theCabinet transmit within five days to the President of theSenate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,their written declaration that the President is unable todischarge the powers and duties of his office, the Congress

shall decide the issue. For that purpose, the Congress shallconvene, if it is not in session, within forty-eight hours, in

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accordance with its rules and without need of call.

If the Congress, within ten days after receipt of the lastwritten declaration, or, if not in session, within twelve days

after it is required to assemble, determines by a two-thirdsvote of both Houses, voting separately, that the President isunable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, theVice-President shall act as President; otherwise, thePresident shall continue exercising the powers and duties of his office.

Section 12. In case of serious illness of the President, thepublic shall be informed of the state of his health. Themembers of the Cabinet in charge of national security and

foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forcesof the Philippines, shall not be denied access to thePresident during such illness.

Section 13. The President, Vice-President, the Members of the Cabinet, and their deputies or assistants shall not,unless otherwise provided in this Constitution, hold anyother office or employment during their tenure. They shallnot, during said tenure, directly or indirectly, practice anyother profession, participate in any business, or befinancially interested in any contract with, or in any

franchise, or special privilege granted by the Government orany subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof,including government-owned or controlled corporations ortheir subsidiaries. They shall strictly avoid conflict of interestin the conduct of their office.

The spouse and relatives by consanguinity or affinity withinthe fourth civil degree of the President shall not, during histenure, be appointed as Members of the ConstitutionalCommissions, or the Office of the Ombudsman, or asSecretaries, Undersecretaries, chairmen or heads of bureausor offices, including government-owned or controlledcorporations and their subsidiaries.

Section 14. Appointments extended by an Acting Presidentshall remain effective, unless revoked by the electedPresident, within ninety days from his assumption orreassumption of office.

Section 15. Two months immediately before the nextpresidential elections and up to the end of his term, a

President or Acting President shall not make appointments,except temporary appointments to executive positions when

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continued vacancies therein will prejudice public service orendanger public safety.

Section 16. The President shall nominate and, with the

consent of the Commission on Appointments, appoint theheads of the executive departments, ambassadors, otherpublic ministers and consuls, or officers of the armed forcesfrom the rank of colonel or naval captain, and other officerswhose appointments are vested in him in this Constitution.He shall also appoint all other officers of the Governmentwhose appointments are not otherwise provided for by law,and those whom he may be authorized by law to appoint. The Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of otherofficers lower in rank in the President alone, in the courts, or

in the heads of departments, agencies, commissions, orboards.

The President shall have the power to make appointmentsduring the recess of the Congress, whether voluntary orcompulsory, but such appointments shall be effective onlyuntil disapproved by the Commission on Appointments oruntil the next adjournment of the Congress.

Section 17. The President shall have control of all theexecutive departments, bureaus, and offices. He shall

ensure that the laws be faithfully executed.

Section 18. The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Philippines and whenever itbecomes necessary, he may call out such armed forces toprevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion.In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safetyrequires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days,suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or placethe Philippines or any part thereof under martial law. Withinforty-eight hours from the proclamation of martial law or thesuspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, thePresident shall submit a report in person or in writing to theCongress. The Congress, voting jointly, by a vote of at leasta majority of all its Members in regular or special session,may revoke such proclamation or suspension, whichrevocation shall not be set aside by the President. Upon theinitiative of the President, the Congress may, in the samemanner, extend such proclamation or suspension for aperiod to be determined by the Congress, if the invasion orrebellion shall persist and public safety requires it.

The Congress, if not in session, shall, within twenty-four

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hours following such proclamation or suspension, convene inaccordance with its rules without need of a call.

The Supreme Court may review, in an appropriate

proceeding filed by any citizen, the sufficiency of the factualbasis of the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or the extensionthereof, and must promulgate its decision thereon withinthirty days from its filing.

A state of martial law does not suspend the operation of theConstitution, nor supplant the functioning of the civil courtsor legislative assemblies, nor authorize the conferment of jurisdiction on military courts and agencies over civilians

where civil courts are able to function, nor automaticallysuspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.

The suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpusshall apply only to persons judicially charged for rebellion oroffenses inherent in, or directly connected with, invasion.

During the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeascorpus, any person thus arrested or detained shall be judicially charged within three days, otherwise he shall bereleased.

Section 19. Except in cases of impeachment, or as otherwiseprovided in this Constitution, the President may grantreprieves, commutations, and pardons, and remit fines andforfeitures, after conviction by final judgment.

He shall also have the power to grant amnesty with theconcurrence of a majority of all the Members of theCongress.

Section 20. The President may contract or guarantee foreignloans on behalf of the Republic of the Philippines with theprior concurrence of the Monetary Board, and subject tosuch limitations as may be provided by law. The MonetaryBoard shall, within thirty days from the end of every quarterof the calendar year, submit to the Congress a completereport of its decision on applications for loans to becontracted or guaranteed by the Government orgovernment-owned and controlled corporations which wouldhave the effect of increasing the foreign debt, andcontaining other matters as may be provided by law.

Section 21. No treaty or international agreement shall be

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valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirdsof all the Members of the Senate.

Section 22. The President shall submit to the Congress,

within thirty days from the opening of every regular sessionas the basis of the general appropriations bill, a budget of expenditures and sources of financing, including receiptsfrom existing and proposed revenue measures.

Section 23. The President shall address the Congress at theopening of its regular session. He may also appear before itat any other time.

THE 1987 CONSTITUTIONOF THE

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

ARTICLE VI

THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT

Section 1. The legislative power shall be vested in the

Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senateand a House of Representatives, except to the extentreserved to the people by the provision on initiative andreferendum.

Section 2. The Senate shall be composed of twenty-fourSenators who shall be elected at large by the qualifiedvoters of the Philippines, as may be provided by law.

Section 3. No person shall be a Senator unless he is anatural-born citizen of the Philippines and, on the day of theelection, is at least thirty-five years of age, able to read andwrite, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippinesfor not less than two years immediately preceding the dayof the election.

Section 4. The term of office of the Senators shall be sixyears and shall commence, unless otherwise provided bylaw, at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following theirelection. No Senator shall serve for more than twoconsecutive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for

any length of time shall not be considered as an interruptionin the continuity of his service for the full term of which he

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was elected.

Section 5. (1) The House of Representatives shall becomposed of not more than two hundred and fifty members,

unless otherwise fixed by law, who shall be elected fromlegislative districts apportioned among the provinces, cities,and the Metropolitan Manila area in accordance with thenumber of their respective inhabitants, and on the basis of auniform and progressive ratio, and those who, as providedby law, shall be elected through a party-list system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties ororganizations.

(2) The party-list representatives shall constitute twenty per

centum of the total number of representatives includingthose under the party list. For three consecutive terms afterthe ratification of this Constitution, one-half of the seatsallocated to party-list representatives shall be filled, asprovided by law, by selection or election from the labor,peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities,women, youth, and such other sectors as may be providedby law, except the religious sector.

(3) Each legislative district shall comprise, as far aspracticable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory.

Each city with a population of at least two hundred fiftythousand, or each province, shall have at least onerepresentative.

(4) Within three years following the return of every census,the Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislativedistricts based on the standards provided in this section.

Section 6. No person shall be a Member of the House of Representatives unless he is a natural-born citizen of thePhilippines and, on the day of the election, is at leasttwenty-five years of age, able to read and write, and, exceptthe party-list representatives, a registered voter in thedistrict in which he shall be elected, and a resident thereof for a period of not less than one year immediately precedingthe day of the election.

Section 7. The Members of the House of Representativesshall be elected for a term of three years which shall begin,unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtiethday of June next following their election. No Member of the

House of Representatives shall serve for more than threeconsecutive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for

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any length of time shall not be considered as an interruptionin the continuity of his service for the full term for which hewas elected.

Section 8. Unless otherwise provided by law, the regularelection of the Senators and the Members of the House of Representatives shall be held on the second Monday of May.

Section 9. In case of vacancy in the Senate or in the Houseof Representatives, a special election may be called to fillsuch vacancy in the manner prescribed by law, but theSenator or Member of the House of Representatives thuselected shall serve only for the unexpired term.

Section 10. The salaries of Senators and Members of theHouse of Representatives shall be determined by law. Noincrease in said compensation shall take effect until afterthe expiration of the full term of all the Members of theSenate and the House of Representatives approving suchincrease.

Section 11. A Senator or Member of the House of Representatives shall, in all offenses punishable by not morethan six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest whilethe Congress is in session. No Member shall be questioned

nor be held liable in any other place for any speech ordebate in the Congress or in any committee thereof.

Section 12. All Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall, upon assumption of office, make a fulldisclosure of their financial and business interests. Theyshall notify the House concerned of a potential conflict of interest that may arise from the filing of a proposedlegislation of which they are authors.

Section 13. No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may hold any other office or employment inthe Government, or any subdivision, agency, orinstrumentality thereof, including government-owned orcontrolled corporations or their subsidiaries, during his termwithout forfeiting his seat. Neither shall he be appointed toany office which may have been created or the emolumentsthereof increased during the term for which he was elected.

Section 14. No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may personally appear as counsel before

any court of justice or before the Electoral Tribunals, orquasi-judicial and other administrative bodies. Neither shall

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he, directly or indirectly, be interested financially in anycontract with, or in any franchise or special privilege grantedby the Government, or any subdivision, agency, orinstrumentality thereof, including any government-owned or

controlled corporation, or its subsidiary, during his term of office. He shall not intervene in any matter before any officeof the Government for his pecuniary benefit or where hemay be called upon to act on account of his office.

Section 15. The Congress shall convene once every year onthe fourth Monday of July for its regular session, unless adifferent date is fixed by law, and shall continue to be insession for such number of days as it may determine untilthirty days before the opening of its next regular session,

exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. ThePresident may call a special session at any time.

Section 16. (1). The Senate shall elect its President and theHouse of Representatives, its Speaker, by a majority vote of all its respective Members. Each House shall choose suchother officers as it may deem necessary.

(2) A majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to dobusiness, but a smaller number may adjourn from day today and may compel the attendance of absent Members in

such manner, and under such penalties, as such House mayprovide.

(3) Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings,punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with theconcurrence of two-thirds of all its Members, suspend orexpel a Member. A penalty of suspension, when imposed,shall not exceed sixty days.

(4) Each House shall keep a Journal of its proceedings, andfrom time to time publish the same, excepting such parts asmay, in its judgment, affect national security; and the yeasand nays on any question shall, at the request of one-fifth of the Members present, be entered in the Journal. EachHouse shall also keep a Record of its proceedings.

(5) Neither House during the sessions of the Congress shall,without the consent of the other, adjourn for more thanthree days, nor to any other place than that in which the twoHouses shall be sitting.

Section 17. The Senate and the House of Representativesshall each have an Electoral Tribunal which shall be the sole

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judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, andqualifications of their respective Members. Each Electoral Tribunal shall be composed of nine Members, three of whomshall be Justices of the Supreme Court to be designated by

the Chief Justice, and the remaining six shall be Members of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as the casemay be, who shall be chosen on the basis of proportionalrepresentation from the political parties and the parties ororganizations registered under the party-list systemrepresented therein. The senior Justice in the Electoral Tribunal shall be its Chairman.

Section 18. There shall be a Commission on Appointmentsconsisting of the President of the Senate, as ex officio

Chairman, twelve Senators, and twelve Members of theHouse of Representatives, elected by each House on thebasis of proportional representation from the political partiesand parties or organizations registered under the party-listsystem represented therein. The chairman of theCommission shall not vote, except in case of a tie. TheCommission shall act on all appointments submitted to itwithin thirty session days of the Congress from theirsubmission. The Commission shall rule by a majority vote of all the Members.

Section 19. The Electoral Tribunals and the Commission onAppointments shall be constituted within thirty days afterthe Senate and the House of Representatives shall havebeen organized with the election of the President and theSpeaker. The Commission on Appointments shall meet onlywhile the Congress is in session, at the call of its Chairmanor a majority of all its Members, to discharge such powersand functions as are herein conferred upon it.

Section 20. The records and books of accounts of theCongress shall be preserved and be open to the public inaccordance with law, and such books shall be audited by theCommission on Audit which shall publish annually anitemized list of amounts paid to and expenses incurred foreach Member.

Section 21. The Senate or the House of Representatives orany of its respective committees may conduct inquiries inaid of legislation in accordance with its duly published rulesof procedure. The rights of persons appearing in, or affectedby, such inquiries shall be respected.

Section 22. The heads of departments may, upon their own

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initiative, with the consent of the President, or upon therequest of either House, as the rules of each House shallprovide, appear before and be heard by such House on anymatter pertaining to their departments. Written questions

shall be submitted to the President of the Senate or theSpeaker of the House of Representatives at least three daysbefore their scheduled appearance. Interpellations shall notbe limited to written questions, but may cover mattersrelated thereto. When the security of the State or the publicinterest so requires and the President so states in writing,the appearance shall be conducted in executive session.

Section 23. (1) The Congress, by a vote of two-thirds of bothHouses in joint session assembled, voting separately, shall

have the sole power to declare the existence of a state of war.

(2) In times of war or other national emergency, theCongress may, by law, authorize the President, for a limitedperiod and subject to such restrictions as it may prescribe,to exercise powers necessary and proper to carry out adeclared national policy. Unless sooner withdrawn byresolution of the Congress, such powers shall cease uponthe next adjournment thereof.

Section 24. All appropriation, revenue or tariff bills, billsauthorizing increase of the public debt, bills of localapplication, and private bills, shall originate exclusively inthe House of Representatives, but the Senate may proposeor concur with amendments.

Section 25. (1) The Congress may not increase theappropriations recommended by the President for theoperation of the Government as specified in the budget. Theform, content, and manner of preparation of the budgetshall be prescribed by law.

(2) No provision or enactment shall be embraced in thegeneral appropriations bill unless it relates specifically tosome particular appropriation therein. Any such provision orenactment shall be limited in its operation to theappropriation to which it relates.

(3) The procedure in approving appropriations for theCongress shall strictly follow the procedure for approvingappropriations for other departments and agencies.

(4) A special appropriations bill shall specify the purpose for

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which it is intended, and shall be supported by fundsactually available as certified by the National Treasurer, orto be raised by a corresponding revenue proposal therein.

(5) No law shall be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations; however, the President, the President of theSenate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, theChief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the heads of Constitutional Commissions may, by law, be authorized toaugment any item in the general appropriations law for theirrespective offices from savings in other items of theirrespective appropriations.

(6) Discretionary funds appropriated for particular officials

shall be disbursed only for public purposes to be supportedby appropriate vouchers and subject to such guidelines asmay be prescribed by law.

(7) If, by the end of any fiscal year, the Congress shall havefailed to pass the general appropriations bill for the ensuingfiscal year, the general appropriations law for the precedingfiscal year shall be deemed re-enacted and shall remain inforce and effect until the general appropriations bill ispassed by the Congress.

Section 26. (1) Every bill passed by the Congress shallembrace only one subject which shall be expressed in thetitle thereof.

(2) No bill passed by either House shall become a law unlessit has passed three readings on separate days, and printedcopies thereof in its final form have been distributed to itsMembers three days before its passage, except when thePresident certifies to the necessity of its immediateenactment to meet a public calamity or emergency. Uponthe last reading of a bill, no amendment thereto shall beallowed, and the vote thereon shall be taken immediatelythereafter, and the yeas and nays entered in the Journal.

Section 27. (1) Every bill passed by the Congress shall,before it becomes a law, be presented to the President. If heapproves the same he shall sign it; otherwise, he shall vetoit and return the same with his objections to the Housewhere it originated, which shall enter the objections at largein its Journal and proceed to reconsider it. If, after suchreconsideration, two-thirds of all the Members of such House

shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with theobjections, to the other House by which it shall likewise be

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reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of all theMembers of that House, it shall become a law. In all suchcases, the votes of each House shall be determined by yeasor nays, and the names of the Members voting for or against

shall be entered in its Journal. The President shallcommunicate his veto of any bill to the House where itoriginated within thirty days after the date of receiptthereof, otherwise, it shall become a law as if he had signedit.

(2) The President shall have the power to veto any particularitem or items in an appropriation, revenue, or tariff bill, butthe veto shall not affect the item or items to which he doesnot object.

Section 28. (1) The rule of taxation shall be uniform andequitable. The Congress shall evolve a progressive systemof taxation.

(2) The Congress may, by law, authorize the President to fixwithin specified limits, and subject to such limitations andrestrictions as it may impose, tariff rates, import and exportquotas, tonnage and wharfage dues, and other duties orimposts within the framework of the national developmentprogram of the Government.

(3) Charitable institutions, churches and personages orconvents appurtenant thereto, mosques, non-profitcemeteries, and all lands, buildings, and improvements,actually, directly, and exclusively used for religious,charitable, or educational purposes shall be exempt fromtaxation.

(4) No law granting any tax exemption shall be passedwithout the concurrence of a majority of all the Members of the Congress.

Section 29. (1) No money shall be paid out of the Treasuryexcept in pursuance of an appropriation made by law.

(2) No public money or property shall be appropriated,applied, paid, or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use,benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination,sectarian institution, or system of religion, or of any priest,preacher, minister, other religious teacher, or dignitary assuch, except when such priest, preacher, minister, or

dignitary is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal

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institution, or government orphanage or leprosarium.

(3) All money collected on any tax levied for a specialpurpose shall be treated as a special fund and paid out for

such purpose only. If the purpose for which a special fundwas created has been fulfilled or abandoned, the balance, if any, shall be transferred to the general funds of theGovernment.

Section 30. No law shall be passed increasing the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as provided in thisConstitution without its advice and concurrence.

Section 31. No law granting a title of royalty or nobility shall

be enacted.

Section 32. The Congress shall, as early as possible, providefor a system of initiative and referendum, and theexceptions therefrom, whereby the people can directlypropose and enact laws or approve or reject any act or lawor part thereof passed by the Congress or local legislativebody after the registration of a petition therefor signed by atleast ten per centum of the total number of registeredvoters, of which every legislative district must berepresented by at least three per centum of the registered

voters thereof.

The presentation of the letter

Governor-General Weyler, who began his term in the Philippines on June 5, 1888,

was known to have liberal leanings. He took an interest in education in the

Philippines, uplifting the state of teachers and opening 106 schools before his term

ended in 1891. He personally inspected schools as well as government buildings in

most parts of the country. Sandico and the Women of Malolos decided to appeal to

him when he visited Malolos on December 12, 1888.

During his visit to Malolos, Weyler set aside time to hold an audience with the

townsfolk. Upon getting word of this, Sandico wrote a letter in Spanish and asked the

women he had been teaching to sign the letter. The letter was signed by 20 women,

who went to the convent to present the letter to Weyler in the afternoon. One of their

leaders, Alberta Uitangcoy, handed him the letter. The women then waited around for

a response, compelling the governor-general to read it on the spot. The friars in the

convent relentlessly questioned the women as to what was in the letter, but the women

refused to reveal its contents and spoke and behaved to the friars in such a way that

showed Weyler that the friars were no longer revered by the people of Malolos.

Weyler promised that he would soon reply to the letter , then left.

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The outcome of the letter

The governor-general initially denied the women’s request but the women continued

to appeal for the school, with the help of reformist Doreteo Cortes and schoolteacher

Guadalupe Reyes. Rufina Tanjosoy-Santos and others helped pay for the women’s

expenses when they traveled to Manila to follow up on their request. In sympathywith the women, the Spanish Minister of Colonies Manuel Becerra, a friend of Del

Pilar’s, sent Weyler a letter of instruction on January 29, 1889 which reminded

Weyler that he must strictly enforce the teaching of Spanish in all Philippine schools.

On February 20, 1889, the women finally received permission to open their school on

certain conditions. First, the women were required to fund the school themselves since

the government refused to. Second, their teacher would be Guadalupe Reyes rather

than Sandico, who had been blacklisted by the friar-curate of Malolos. Third, the

classes would have to be held in the day and not at night, probably due to the

association of nighttime gatherings with subversive meetings.

The school was immediately opened in the home of one of the women, Rufina T.

Reyes. Tanjosoy-Santos took care of most of the expenses.

Some of the women had already learned to read, write and speak Spanish in a colegio

in Manila: Alberta Uitangcoy, Eugenia and Aurea Tanchangco, and Basilia Tantoco.

Nevertheless, they took interest in the classes because discussions included political

issues that concerned them. While in the school, the women read the 1st issue of La

Solidaridad , where they were significantly featured, and the letter of Rizal which was

sent to them in March 1889.

But in April 1889, Sandico was accused by the Church officials of immoral teaching

and of eating meat on days of abstinence. Sandico went into hiding then left the

country under an assumed name on May 17, 1889, a week after authorities ordered his

school to be closed down. The school for the Women of Malolos was closed down

with it.

[The Women

The Women of Malolos consisted of 20 women from the principal mestizo-sangley

clans of the town: The Tanchanco, Reyes, Santos, Tantoco, and Tiongson families of

combined native, Chinese, and Spanish ancestry. A few of them had receivededucation at a college like Colegio de la Concordia. They all lived in the Chinese

neighborhood of Malolos, Pariancillo. They were all were related by either blood or

affinity and were friends as well.

During the Philippine Revolution against Spain, many of them aided the

revolutionaries. Later, many of them were involved in women’s socio-civic

organizations. For most, their main commitment was to family. All of them were

accomplished at keeping house; in fact they specifically requested for a night school

as they were all busy with household tasks during the day, although none of them

were married at the time. Whether married or not, throughout their lives most of the

women ran organized households, whether for their own family or for parents or

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siblings. A number of them were involved in business as well. The individual women

are described briefly below by family.

• Elisea Tantoco Reyes – Known by the nickname “Seang,” she was 15 at the

time the women approached Weyler. Though she did not go on to higher

education, she spoke Spanish well. Her father was a reformist who was persecuted by the Spanish government during his term as gobernadorcillo.

Along with her family, she aided the revolutionary army by providing

supplies. She joined the National Red Cross formed in 1899 by Emilio

Aguinaldo’s wife during the Philippine-American War. In 1906, she became a

member of the Pariancillo chapter of the Asociacion Femenista de Filipinas

(AFF) which was formed by the sisters of Rizal, which later became the Club

de Mujeres. She married Gregorio Galang at the age of 31 and had 1 child.

She remained in her family’s home in Malolos for most of her life. She died in

1969 at the age of 96.

• Juana Tantoco Reyes – The younger sister of Elisea, she was called “Anang”

and was 14 at the time. Along with her family, she aided the revolutionaryarmy by providing supplies. She did not have higher education and she later

married her 4th cousin, Mariano Tiongson Buendia. Sadly, she died 2 months

after giving birth to their daughter in 1900.

• Leoncia Santos Reyes – The 1st cousin of Elisea and Juana’s father, she was

24 at the time. She was a fluent speaker of Spanish and at merely 17 was noted

as a property owner. She married her firsst cousin Graciano T. Reyes, a

reformist and a friend of Sandico’s, in 1889. They had 13 children and she ran

a store while her husband attended to a business of his own. She was widowed

around 1930. She died in 1948 at the age of 84.

• Olympia San Agustin Reyes – The half-sister of Leoncia, she was 12 years

younger. She was the youngest of the women to sign the letter, being only 12

at the time. She eventually married Vicente T. Reyes, the brother of Elisea and

Juana. The couple had 9 children but Olympia died after giving birth to twins

at the age of 34.

• Rufina T. Reyes – Though she did not sign her family name, it is certain that

Rufina was one of the women as the classes were eventually held in her house.

At that time, she was 19. She was a first cousin of Elisea and Juana and, like

them, a niece of Graciano T. Reyes. Along with her family, she aided the

Katipunan. She joined the Red Cross and was a founding member of the

Pariancillo, Malolos committee of the AFF. She died at the age of 40.

•

Eugenia Mendoza Tanchangco - Nicknamed “Genia,” she was then 17. Her father was the great Capitan Tomas Tanchanco gobernadorcillo 1879 and the

justice of peace of Malolos from 1887-1889. She studied at Colegio de la

Concordia in Manila. It is recorded that she met Rizal at a baptismal party in

Malolos in 1888, prior to the encounter with Weyler. When she was 19 she

married Ramon Vicente Reyes, who became a municipal official, and they had

11 children. She was widowed in 1935 and died in 1969 at the age of 98.

• Aurea Mendoza Tanchangco – Eugenia’s younger sister, she was 16 during

the encounter with Weyler. Like her sister, she was sent to La Concordia,

living with relatives in Binondo while finishing her education. She was known

to be excellent in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish and was considered

the brightest student in the women’s school. With her family, she gave aid tothe revolutionary army. In 1898, she married a former Spanish Army doctor,

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who began courting her in her textile shop. Her husband, Eugenio Hernando,

later became an officer in the Philippine Army under Aguinaldo and Director

of the Bureau of Public Health under Manuel L. Quezon. They had 14 children

and Aurea became a member of the Club de Mujeres. She died of stomach

cancer within 4 months of her husband’s death in 1958. She was 86 years old.

• Basilia Villariño Tantoco – Called “Ilyang,” she was 23 at the time. She wasEugenia and Aurea’s second cousin. She studied with private tutors and in a

college in a Manila and was known to be a devout Catholic. In the early

1880s, she resisted the sexual advances of the friar curate of Malolos. She was

one of those chosen to lead the group in presenting the letter to Weyler.

During the Philippine Revolution, her uncle, father and 5 brothers were active

in the Katipunan. She acted as a courier for the Katipunan, hiding messages in

her clothing. During the establishment of the republic in Malolos, she and her

brother Juan donated their houses to the government. Connected by a bridge,

they were used to house the office of the Secretaria de Hacienda. A founding

member of the Red Cross, she was on its board of directors and headed the 3rd

commission. She was a member of the AFF in Malolos as well. In 1917, sheset up the Escuela Catolica de Malolos, a pre-school and grade school which

closed in 1922. As the firstborn as well as the only daughter in her family, she

managed her family’s extensive properties after the death of her parents until

she died in 1925 at the age of 60.

• Teresa Tiongson Tantoco – A 1st cousin of Basilia’s and, like her, second

cousin to Eugenia and Aurea, “Esang” was 21 at the time of the encounter

with Weyler. She was the eldest in her family. She also joined the Red Cross

and the AFF. In the AFF, she was treasurer of the 1st Pariancillo committee.

She had a daughter out of wedlock in 1897 and she married Julian Reyes in

1912, when she was 45. She was over 74 when she died in 1942.

• Maria Tiongson Tantoco – Teresa’s younger sister, she was then 19. She

married Lino Santos Reyes, who was the cabeza de barangay. The Secretaria

de Exterior of the Republic of Malolos was housed in their home. She became

a member of the AFF. She had a dozen children and died at the age of 44 after

an operation.

• Anastacia Maclang Tiongson – She was 1st cousin to Teresa and Maria

Tantoco and second cousin to Eugenia and Aurea Tanchangco and to Basilia

Tantoco. Nicknamed “Taci,” she was 14 at the time. She and her family aided

the revolutionaries by providing supplies. She later joined the Red Cross. In

1899, she fled the American invasion of Malolos with her family. They

resettled in Dagupan, where she opened the firsst movie house in the province.A shrewd businesswoman, she was also the firsst and sole distributor of San

Miguel Beer in Dagupan, and the first to distribute it in Pangasinan. She also

sold ice as a companion business and became a large landowner. At the age of

36, she married Vicente Torres and had 1 surviving daughter. She died of

appendicitis in 1940, when she was 66.

• Basilia Reyes Tiongson – She is known to be a personal acquaintance of

Marcelo del Pilar, based on his letters. A firsst cousin of Anastacia Tiongson

and Maria Tantoco, she was called “Ylia” and was then 28.

• Paz Reyes Tiongson – One of those who signed the letter with only her first

name, she was the younger sister of Basilia and like her known to have been

acquainted with Del Pilar. She was 24 at the time of the encounter with

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Weyler. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the official classes, due to

illness. She died early in 1889, probably of a heart ailment.

• Aleja Reyes Tiongson – The younger sister of Basilia and Paz, “Ejang” was

23 at the time. She also signed only her first name on the letter.

• Mercedes Reyes Tiongson – Known as “Merced” for short, she was the

younger sister of Basilia, Paz, and Aleja. She was then 18 and was the onewho organized the group to open a school for learning Spanish. During the

Philippine Revolution, she aided the Katipunan by sending supplies. She took

over the management of the family property after the deaths of her father and

older siblings, overseeing the lands on horseback. In 1903, she married

Sandico, who became governor and senator for 2 terms each. The couple’s 2

sons died when they were barely out of infancy, so they adopted her

goddaughter. Mercedes was one of the founding members of the Red Cross.

On the national board of directors of the Red Cross, she headed its 2nd

commission. She was a founding member of the AFF. She died in 1928 of a

heart attack following an asthmatic attack, at the age of 58

• Agapita Reyes Tiongson – The youngest sister of Basilia, Paz, Aleja, andMercedes Tiongson, she was 16 at the time. “Pitang,” as she was known, was

especially close to Mercedes, and like her aided the revolutionary army. She

studied at Colegio de Santa Isabel. She married Francisco Batungbakal when

she was 42. The couple had no children, so she raised her goddaughter. In

1937, when she was 65, she died from a diabetic coma. Much of her property

was willed for the construction of a hospital, which was never built.

• Filomena Oliveros Tiongson – Known as “Mena,” she was 3rd cousin to the

Reyes- Tiongson sisters, Anastacia Tiongson, Leoncia Reyes, and the Tantoco

sisters. She was around 23 when the letter to Weyler was presented. It is

recorded that while the new friar-curate was calling on her sisters in 1889, she

heard about it while in her uncle’s house across the street from her home. She

immediately took a knife and went home to participate in the conversation

with the friar, all the while pretending to clean her nails with the knife. With

her sister Cecilia, she wittily parried the friar’s accusations regarding such

matters as their rare visits to the church, infrequency of confession, and gossip

that they had eaten meat on Holy Thursday. She married Eladio Adriano in

1892. The couple had 3 surviving children. Filomena aided the Katipunan and

the Malolos Republic, and joined her husband and sisters in petitioning

Governor-General Polavieja for clemency for Rizal in 1896. She maintained a

close friendship with the Rizal sisters and became a founding member of the

AFF of Malolos. She helped with family business undertakings and themanagement of their landholdings. Blinded late in life, she died suddenly in

1930, when she was about 65.

• Cecilia Oliveros Tiongson – One of the women who did not sign her last

name, she was around 21 during the encounter with Weyler. Called “Ylia,”

she was the younger sister of Filomena. She was known for her audacious

responses in dealing with the friar-curate who was appointed to Malolos in

1889. When the friar-curate sent the gobernadorcillo to invite Cecilia and her

sisters to the convent, Cecilia told him off by saying she could not believe the

gobernadorcillo would solicit women for the priest. When the friar-curate

visited her and her sisters, she was joined by her sister Filomena in parrying

the friar’s accusations, boldly pointing out among other things that they wouldhave less time to do good deeds and to earn money if they went to church too

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frequently, that the church only required confession once a year, and that

women who visited the friar at the convent in Malolos were considered to

have lost their virtue. She joined Filomena and other relatives in pleading for

clemency for Rizal and remained a friend of the Rizal sisters. With the rest of

her family, she helped the Katipunan by sending them supplies. She later

became a member of the Red Cross. At age 63, following the death of Filomena, Cecilia married her brother-in-law, Eladio Adriano. She died 4

years later at the age of 67.

• Feliciana Oliveros Tiongson – Known as “Cianang,” she was the younger

sister of Filomena and Cecilia. She was 19 at the time the letter was presented.

She witnessed the exchange between her older sisters and the friar. She was

also with her sisters when they went on their knees to plead for clemency for

Rizal and like them maintained a friendship with the Rizal sisters. Along with

her family, she aided the Katipunan by sending them supplies. She became a

member of the AFF. She helped her sister Filomena raise her children and

grandchildren. Highly religious, she taught the children prayers in Spanish and

gave them lessons in catechism as well as the rudiments of reading andarithmetic. She died in 1938 at the age of 70.

• Alberta Santos Uitangcoy – Called “Iding,” she was the firsst cousin of

Leoncia Reyes. She received higher education at La Concordia. With her

strong will, she was chosen along with Basilia Tantoco as the leader of the

group in presenting the letter to Weyler. At that time she was 23. It was she

who personally handed the letter to Weyler. She married Paulino Santos, then

cabeza de barangay, the following year. The couple had 9 children. Still,

Uitangcoy found time for social involvement, becoming a founding member

of the Red Cross and the AFF. After she was widowed in 1927, she took over

the administration of the family properties. She died in 1953 at the age of 88,

after a long period of debilitation.

Reactions

The friars were naturally threatened by the school. But the progressives and reformists

were delighted by it. The newspaper La Opinion and other newspapers as well as

individuals from Madrid, France, England, Austria, and elsewhere, sent La

Solidaridad messages congratulating the women. Jaena, La Solidaridad ’s founding

editor, was especially effusive in his praise of the women, lauding them for their

“noble courage” and “beautiful tenacity and fairness.”

In a letter to Rizal, Del Pilar observed that the women’s triumph had fanned the

flames of the anti-friar movement: “Because of the propaganda of these ladies who

preach by word and by actions, the idea is now spreading in the provinces that it is

dishonorable for a man and for a woman to associate with the friar, and this is

producing great results.”

Rizal then wrote his famous letter to the Women of Malolos, in which he said that the

women’s action made him see Filipino women in a new light. He confessed that he

used to think most Filipino women were servile to the friars and was pleased to find

that there were women who understood that true religiousness was more about

actions, intentions and judgments guided by reason, which is a gift from God. Heencouraged them in their desire to be educated, that they may raise their children to

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act honorably and fight for their rights. In addition to this letter, Rizal probably

alluded to the women’s action in writing about students agitating for a school in his

novel El Filibusterismo.

Another of Del Pilar’s good friends, reformist Fernando Canon, wrote a sonnet in

praise of the women. Del Pilar’s own reactions to the incident were recorded in a personal letter that he sent to his niece Josefa Gatmaytan on March 13, 1889. In this

letter, he addressed not only his niece but all the women of Bulacan. First, he extolled

the women’s proposal as an example for the women of his native Bulacan. Then, like

Rizal, he noted the influence of women over their children, and often on the rest of

their family as well. Thus it was important to educate women, for cultivating

intelligence was necessary to achieve true virtue. He underscored the importance of

learning Spanish as well.

Socio-historic implications

The actions of the Women of Malolos played an important role in the struggle to

uplift the state of women, particularly when it came to education. The women won

respect by demonstrating initiative, firmness of purpose, and a desire for education

that was unexpected for Filipino women of their time. Though the success of their

petition was short-lived, it was proof of the capacity of women to actively participate

in social change, which no doubt encouraged them and others as well in working

towards reform in the Philippines under Spain and thereafter.

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Art.v11.Executive Department