Manuel L. Quezon was elected the first President of the Philippine Senate and has continued to occupy this important position until the present. Legislative power is, therefore, now entrusted to the Philippine Legislature, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Philippine Senate. All the members of the Legislature are Filipinos. 174. The Philippine Legislature. Every country has some body or bodies under different names which pass laws. In the Philippines, the body which enacts laws is called the Philippine Legislature. It is the political center of the country. The Philippine Legislature, as we have said, is composed of two separate and coördinate houses, the House of Representatives, the lower house, and the Philippine Senate, the upper house. Thus, one acts as a check on the other. The Philippine Legislature meets in Manila on the sixteenth day of October of every year, unless it is a legal holiday; in this case it meets on the first day following which is not a legal holiday. It may not continue in session more than one hundred days, Sundays not included. The Legislature may be called in special session at any time by the Governor-General for a period not longer than thirty days, not counting Sundays. In case there is a dispute concerning the election or qualifications of any elective member of either house, the dispute is decided by the other members of the house. The members enjoy certain privileges, including absolute freedom of speech. Both houses keep journals of their proceedings. A legislative reference division of the Philippine Library and Museum looks up information and drafts bills for members. Each House elects its committees. They are the life of the Legislature. The Steering Committee in the House and the Finance Committee in the Senate are probably the most important committees. Every member of the Legislature has serious duties. He represents both his district and all the people of the Islands. Members should be thorough and conscientious students, who consult the opinion of the people and endeavor to advance the needs of the country by careful legislation. The Philippine Legislature has enacted many good laws. 175. The House of Representatives.-The House of Representatives,2 formerly the Philippine Assembly, is Iñigo Abenis 2 MEMBERS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 1922-25 ✓ Teodoro Abueva Agustin Alvarez Salazar Benigno S. Aquino Pedro Aunario José Avelino Pascual B. Azanza Gregorio M. Bañaga Eutiquo Boyles Vicente E. Manapat Pedro Martinez Jimeno José Padilla Aurelio Palileo Evaristo Panganiban Andres Pascual Gregorio Perfecto Ugalingan Piang Alfonso Ponce Enrile Adolfo Brillantes Manuel C. Briones Agapito Buenconsejo Raymundo O. Camacho Nicolas Rafols Irineo Ranjo the popular branch of the Legislature. It represents directly public opinion in the Philippines. The House consists of ninety-three members, eightyfour of whom are elected by the voters, and nine appointed by the Governor-General to represent the Mountain Province, the Province of Nueva Vizcaya, and the provinces in the former Department of Mindanao and Sulu. Every province has at least one representative, while the more populous provinces, as Cebú, which has seven, are given more representatives. The official term is three years. The qualifications of an elective member of the House of Representatives are that he must be a qualified elector, over twenty-five years of age, able to read and write either Roman Campos Juan Cariño Claudio Castillejos Sulpicio V. Cea Hermogenes Concepción Ricardo Gonzales Serafin P. Hilado Pablo Lorenzo Antonio G. Llamas Claro M. Recto Antonio H. Rocha Pedro Sabido Angel Salazar Cornelio G. Sarigumba Proceso Sebastian Lamberto Siguion Reyna Vicente Singson Pablo Datu Tampugaw Manuel Terencio Federico R. Tirador Fermin Torralba Pedro Valdez Liongson Tomas Vargas José D. Zenarosa the English or Spanish language, and an actual resident of the district from which chosen for at least a year immediately prior to his election. The House chooses its Speaker, secretary, and other officers. The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House. Acts appropriating money are usually first passed by the House of Representatives. 176. The Philippine Senate.—The Philippine Senate3 which succeeded the Philippine Commission is the more select and conservative branch of the Legislature. The members are usually older than the men to be found in the House of Representatives. This results because qualifications for office are higher, because the term of office is longer, and because men of experience are more likely to seek seats in the Senate than in the House. The Islands are divided into twelve senatorial districts each electing two senators except the twelfth. The two senators for this district are appointed by the GovernorGeneral to represent the Mountain Province, the Province of Nueva Vizcaya, and the provinces in the former Department of Mindanao and Sulu. A senator thus repre 3 MEMBERS, PHILIPPINE SENATE, 1922-25 Juan B. Alegre Santiago Lucero Francisco Soriano Vicente de Vera Hermenegildo Villanueva |