Malolos Congress
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	September 15, 1898
Disbanded	November 13, 1899
Preceded by	Cortes of Cádiz Ayuntamiento
Succeeded by	Taft Commission
Leadership
President of the National Assembly	Pedro Paterno
Vice President of the National Assembly	Benito Legarda
Seats	136[1][lower-alpha 1]
Meeting place
Barasoain Church

The Malolos Congress (also known as the Revolutionary Congress),^[3] formally known as the National Assembly, was the legislative body of the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. Members were chosen in the elections held from June 23 to September 10, 1898. The assembly consisted of elected delegates chosen by balloting in provincial assemblies and appointed delegates chosen by the president to represent regions under unstable military and civilian conditions. The Revolutionary Congress was opened on September 15, 1898, at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan. President Emilio Aguinaldo presided over the opening session of the assembly.

After the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution on January 22, 1899, replaced the revolutionary government with the Philippine Republic,^{[lower-alpha 2]} the Malolos Congress became the legislative branch of that government, designated in the constitution as the Assembly of Representatives.^[4]

Sessions

• Regular session: September 15, 1898 – November 13, 1899
• Special session: February 4, 1899

Leadership

• President of the Revolutionary Congress

Pedro Paterno

• Vice President/Deputy

Benito Legarda

• Secretary

Gregorio S. Araneta and Pablo Ocampo

Members

Soldiers of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during a session of the congress.

Emilio Aguinaldo (seated, center) and ten of the delegates to the first Assembly of Representatives.

In 2006, it was asserted by the president of the Bulacan Historical Society, engineer Marcial Aniag, that among the 85 delegates who convened in Malolos there were 43 lawyers, 17 doctors, five pharmacists, three educators, seven businessmen, four painters, three military men, a priest, and four farmers.^[6] Five of the 85 delegates did not have a college degree.^[6]

Ratification of the declaration of independence

One of the first acts of the Revolutionary Congress was the ratification on September 29, 1898 of the Philippine Declaration of Independence against Spain which had been proclaimed on June 12, 1898.^[7]

Malolos Constitution

Mabini had planned for the Revolutionary Congress to act only as an advisory body to the president and submitted a draft of Constitutional Program of the Philippine Republic^[7] while Paterno submitted a constitutional draft based on the Spanish Constitution of 1869. The Congress, however, began work to draft a constitution. The resulting document, the Malolos Constitution, was promulgated on January 21, 1899.^[7] Its proclamation resulted in the creation of the Philippine Republic, which replaced the Revolutionary Government.

Notes

References

• Kalaw, Maximo Manguiat (1927). The Development of Philippine Politics. Oriental commercial.

Further reading

• The Malolos Congress (PDF). National Historical Institute. 2010.