1st Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines

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The First Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines also known as the Third National Assembly of the Commonwealth of the Philippines was the meeting of the bicameral legislature of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives from July 9 until December 20, 1945. It only convened after the re-establishment of the Commonwealth Government on February 27, 1945 and the calling of five special sessions by President Sergio Osmeña, Sr. who replaced Manuel L. Quezon when he died of tuberculosis during his exile in 1944. It soon elected Senator Manuel A. Roxas and Elpidio Quirino as Senate President and Senate President Pro-Tempore while in the House, it elected its Speaker Iloilo Rep. Jose C. Zulueta and Speaker Pro-Tempore Pangasinan Rep. Prospero Sanidad. Only 15 Senators who were elected in the 1941 General Elections attended the Special Sessions because of the following:

• Daniel Maramba died of natural causes before the outbreak of the World War II.

• 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 Jose Yulo were arrested by the US Army's Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC) because they had worked in capacity in the Japanese-sponsored Government. Alas, Madrigal, Paredes, Recto, Sebastian, Tirona and Yulo had been part of Japanese-sponsored President Jose P. Laurel's Cabinet.

Among the members of the First Commonwealth Congress was Representative Elisa Ochoa from Agusan, the first woman ever elected to the Philippine national legislature.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Restoration of the bicameral legislature 1.2 Outbreak of the Second World War 2 Sessions 3 Legislation 3.1 Major legislation 4 Leadership 4.1 Senate 4.2 House of Representatives 5 Members 5.1 Senate 5.2 House of Representatives 6 See also 7 External links 8 References 9 Further reading

[edit] Background

[edit] Restoration of the bicameral legislature

Barred from serving as president beyond 1941, Quezon orchestrated a set of amendments to the 1935 Constitution, which also included restoring the bicameral legislature. It provided for the replacement of the National Assembly by the Congress of the Philippines composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Unlike the Jones Law Senate, whereby two senators were elected from each of the 12 senatorial districts that the Philippines was divided into, the 1940 amendment prescribed that all the 24 senators were to be elected at-large and were to serve for a staggered 6-year term so that one-third of the Senate membership is replaced every two years. Similar to the National Assembly, the House of Representatives had a cap of 98 members. The amendments which were contained under Resolution No. 38 were adopted by the National Assembly on September 15, 1939, and were ratified in a plebiscite on June 18, 1940. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved it on December 2, 1940,^[1] effectively paving the way for the abolition of the National Assembly after the incumbency of those elected in 1938 on December 30, 1941.

[edit] Outbreak of the Second World War

Through the most part of the life of the Second National Assembly international conflicts that led to the Second World War 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 the President extensive emergency powers to meet the worsening conditions. All preparations culminated when Japan attacked the Philippines a few hours after attacking Pearl Harbor and started bombing Philippine cities 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 1941 elections where Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña were reelected as president and vice president, respectively.

[edit] Sessions

• First Special Session: June 9 – July 13, 1945
• Second to Fifth Special Session: August 14 – December 20, 1945

[edit] Legislation

The First Commonwealth Congress passed a total of 48 laws: Commonwealth Act No. 672 to 720

[edit] Major legislation

• Commonwealth Act No. 672 – Restoration of the Capital of the Philippine National Bank
• Commonwealth Act No. 675 – Immediate Payment of the Salaries of Deceased Filipino Soldiers Including Recognized Guerrillas
• Commonwealth Act No. 676 – Authorization of the Advance Bonus Payment for the Three-Month Salaries of Government Officials and Employees
• Commonwealth Act No. 681 – Rehabilitation of the Philippine Anti-Tuberculosis Society
• Commonwealth Act No. 685 – Rehabilitation of the Quezon Institute
• Commonwealth Act No. 686 – Advance Bonus to Public School Teachers and Low-Salaried Government Employees
• Commonwealth Act No. 689 – Creation of the Philippine Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
• Commonwealth Act No. 710 – Appropriations for the Payment of Pensions of Retired Government Personnel
• Commonwealth Act No. 714 – Appropriations for the Payment of Pensions of Retired Philippine Constabulary Personnel
• Commonwealth Act No. 716 – Penalization of Illegal Increase of Rentals

[edit] Leadership

[edit] Senate

• President of the Senate:

Manuel A. Roxas (NP)

• Senate President Pro-Tempore:

Elpidio Quirino (NP)

• Majority Floor Leader:

Melecio Arranz (NP)

[edit] House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Jose C. Zulueta (NP-Liberal Wing, 1st District Iloilo)

• Speaker Pro-Tempore:

Prospero Sanidad (NP-Liberal Wing, 2nd District Ilocos Sur)

• Majority Floor Leader:

Eugenio P. Perez (NP-Liberal Wing, 2nd District Pangasinan)

[edit] Members

[edit] Senate

First to Fifth Special Session Senator Party[a] 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 Jesus 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 Maramba[3] NP 1941 1946   Jose F. Ozamiz[3] 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 A. Roxas [1] NP 1941 1946   Proceso E. Sebastian [4] NP 1941 1947   Emiliano T. Tirona [4] NP 1941 1947   Ramon Torres NP 1941 1946   Jose 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, Jose Yulo. [edit] House of Representatives Province District Representative[a] Abra Lone Jesus Paredes Agusan Lone Elisa R. Ochoa Albay 1st Isabelo V. Binamira 2nd Jose S. Valenciano 3rd Marcial O. Rañola Antique Lone Emigdio Nietes Bataan Lone Antonio G. Llamas Batanes Lone Vicente Agan Batangas 1st Miguel Tolentino 2nd Eusebio Orense 3rd Jose 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 Fuentebella Capiz 1st Ramon A. Arnaldo 2nd Jose A. Dorado 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 Perez 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 Aquino Sr.[2] 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). [edit] See also Congress of the Philippines Senate of the Philippines House of Representatives of the Philippines Philippine general election, 1941 [edit] External links List of Senators. Senate of the Philippines. Retrieved on 2006-09-16. The LAWPHi'L Project - Philippine Laws and Jurispudance Databank. Arellano Law Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-09-16. [edit] References ^ History of the Senate - Senate of the Philippines. Accessed on April 15, 2007. ^ The Philippine Free Press Online - Emergency Powers. Accessed on April 16, 2007. ^ The Sunday Times - PP1017 is not at all similar to PP1081. Accessed on April 16, 2007 [edit] Further reading Philippine House of Representatives Congressional Library The Presidents of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines. ISBN 971-8832-24-6.  Pobre, Cesar P.. Philippine Legislature 100 Years. 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