Research and prepare a matrix of the members of Malolos Congress who
drafted the constitution. Identify their personal backgrounds by showing
whether they became the predecessors of the present-day politicians and
elites.
The following are the members of the Malolos Congress who drafted the
constitution:
a. Emilio Aguinaldo – he became the dictator, the captain general of the
Filipino forces, the president of the Revolutionary Government, and the
president of the Philippine Republic under the Malolos Congress.
Aguinaldo led his country to fight and achieve independence. At the
present time, he is the predecessor of Rodrigo Duterte, the current
president of the Republic of the Philippines.
b. Baldomero Aguinaldo – he became the secretary of the Department of
War which later became the Department of National Defense at the
present time. The current head of the said position was appointed to Mr.
Delfin Lorenzana.
c. Leonardo Ibarra – he became the secretary of the Department of Interior.
At the present time, it was replaced with Department of Interior and Local
Government and Mr. Eduardo Ano, is the current secretary of the said
department.
d. Mariano Trias – he was appointed as the secretary of the Department of
Finance. At the present time, the person that precedes him is Carlos
Dominguez, the current head of the of the said Department.
e. Pedro A. Paterno – he was elected as the President of the Malolos
Congress. He also became a prime minister of the First Philippine Republic
who served as head of the country’s legislature and cabinet. He is also a
notable individual in the latter days of the Spanish empire who served as
a liaison between Spanish officials and Filipino radicals. More importantly,
Paterno was also the one who mainly drafted and authored the
constitution together with Apolinario Mabini and Felipe Calderon. At the
present time, the President of the Congress has been replaced with House
Speaker of which, Hon. Velasco, Lord Allan Jay Q. is in the position.
f. Benito Legarda – he became the Vice President of the Congress. He was
also a member of the Philippine Commission and a resident commissioner
to the United States. At the present day, the second highest-ranking
officers in the Philippine House of Representatives are the Deputy
Speakers. During the absence of the House Speaker, the House of
Representatives will be presided over by one of the House Deputy
Speakers.
g. Gregorio Araneta – he was a lawyer, businessman, nationalist and patriot,
who served his country during the Spanish colonization and American
occupation. He was also an attorney-general and was appointed as
secretary of finance and justice of the Congress. Currently, Sec. Menardo
Guevarra, head of the department of justice, is his predecessor.
h. Pablo Ocampo – he was appointed as the second secretary and a resident
commissioner to the United States. As a member of the House of
Representatives, Ocampo influenced the conditions of the Philippines'
relationship with the United States. He campaigned to defend the
archipelago's economy from what he saw as an imbalanced trade pact on
Capitol Hill, and he tried to advance the interests of the Philippine
legislature.
i. Apolinario Mabini – he became the secretary of Department of Foreign
Affairs. He drafted decrees and revised the First Philippine Republic's
constitution, which included the revolutionary government's structure.
Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., the current head of foreign affairs, is his
predecessor.
j. Felipe Calderon – he is a lawyer, statesman, and known as the father of
Malolos Constitution. He became the head of the committee and one of
those three who drafted and authored the constitution of the first
Philippine Republic, together with Mabini and Paterno.
k. Felipe Buencamino – a notable lawyer who became a delegate to the
Malolos congress and was appointed as the secretary of Development
(Fomento).
l. Cayetano Arellano (later replaced by Mabini) – he was appointed to the
position of Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs. He also
assisted Pedro Paterno in his draft of the constitution. At the present day,
Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr, the current head of the Department of
Foreign Affairs is the one who precedes him.
m. Jose Alejandrino – he served in the Malolos congress wherein he became
a member of two crucial committees to draft the constitution. He was
appointed as the revolutionary government’s director of agriculture and
industry. At the present day, William Dar, is the current secretary of
Agriculture.
n. Joaquin Gonzalez – he was a Filipino politician and a member of the
Malolos Congress that wrote the constitution. Along with Felipe Calderon,
he was one of the two elected representatives from the province of
Pampanga. Moreover, he also became one of the seven members of the
national assembly’s permanent commission under Malolos’ Constitution.
o. Arsenio Cruz Herrera – he was considered to be the first Filipino mayor of
Manila as well as a member of the Philippine assembly. He was elected as
one of the four congress members of Manila. He also served at the
commission that drafted the Malolos constitution. At the present day,
Francisco M. Domagoso also known as Isko Moreno is the current mayor
of manila.
p. Aguedo Velarde – he was appointed to represent his province in the
Malolos Congress. He ran for vice president but was defeated by Benito
Legarda. He was also one of the seven members of the Comision de
Justicia and was named professor of notarial law in the Universidad
Literaria de Filipinas. He accepted the role of secretary under the Paterno
cabinet after the Mabini cabinet fell apart, and he was chosen as one of
the members of the Consejo de Guerra.
q. Mariano Abella – his patriotism landed him a seat in the Malolos congress,
where he represented his province. He became a provincial governor and
a member of the messaging committee.
r. Ignacio Villamor – he was appointed as attorney-general and president of
the University of the Philippines. He participated a lot during the
discussion of the constitution especially in the section concerning the
compulsory education.
sources:
 Malcolm, G. (1921). The Malolos Constitution. Retrieved from:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2142663.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Ad6f2
491a9e48475a05adcea1f905151a
 Jimenez, J. (2021, May 20). Arsenio Cruz-Herrera and Filipino mayors.
Retrieved
from:
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/20/opinion/columnists/arseniocruz-herrera-and-filipino-mayors/874159National Historical Commission of
the Philippines. (2012, Sept 7). The First Philippine Republic. Retrieved from:
https://nhcp.gov.ph/the-first-philippinerepublic/?fbclid=IwAR2HJOV_nLHIu0k0Rk4GEKvIkKcXNRCqFco3oxxvyfmJiP
H_i1rsAmgiPqI
 Today in Philippine History, April 4, 1868, Felipe Calderon was born in Santa
Cruz
de
Malabon,
Cavite.
Retrieved
from:
https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1055/today-in-philippinehistory-april-4-1868-felipe-calderon-was-born-in-santa-cruz-de-malaboncavite
2. Make a three-paragraph reflection paper on the significance of First
Philippine Republic and Malolos Constitution in the present-day government.
The establishment of the First Philippine Republic at Malolos was paradoxical
as it marked both a significant achievement of the revolution and a major shift
towards a counter-revolutionary path. The declaration of this historical event
however, became meaningful for the Filipino nation because it allows us to
heighten our consciousness of our own identity that signifies our courage and
determination to persuade the rest of the world of our ability to resist and
govern ourselves after 300 years of colonial enslavement.
The constitution of Malolos was indeed a significant stepping stone in the
republic’s legal evolution as it served as a pivotal moment in our quest for
independence. Moreover, the first Philippine republic was the first ever
republican constitution in Asia and was drafted for the first time by
representatives of the Filipino people. It is an important reminder of our role as
the beacon of freedom, independence, and democracy in the region. This was a
pivotal document in the history as it opened the path to the three branches of
legal power namely the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial. The executive
power was represented by the president of the republic and his cabinet, which
is quite similar to the present-day government, while the judicial authority was
represented by the supreme court and lower courts. The remarkable
constitution allowed the present-day government to have a basis of the laws
that should be implemented that will give equal rights to the people of the
country.
To wrap it up, despite the fact that the first Philippine republic was
ephemeral, it had a compelling historical significance to the present-day
government and to the people of the Philippines. It was the Asia’s first sovereign
republic where in Filipinos had the opportunity to show themselves and the rest
of the world that they are brave and strong people, capable of fighting for their
rights and independence, able to self-organize, and protect their own interests.
Furthermore, the Philippine republic and the Malolos constitution is vital not
only because of the bravery that was exhibited by the Filipino people to fight for
independence but it also served as an evidence of long-awaited victories against
the Spaniards. It also became a symbolic hope for the future government since
it demonstrates that the Filipinos can stand on their own. Thus, it stands to
reason that these two are also the first step and the very foundation of our
current government in creating and implementing a systematic array of laws.
1. Watch the documentary film Raiders of the Sulu Sea in Youtube through the
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEtJ1mZdX10 then make a
timeline of the Moro Wars.
 In 1380, Islam had reached the southern Philippines’ shore and began
to spread to the north.
 On the 16th century, the Spaniards had colonized Zamboanga City
because of its geographical advantage which made it useful and
appealing to the catholic Spaniards. To protect their interests, the
Spanish built forts to deter potential invaders.
 On the 18th century, the Muslim people from the south were engaged
with slave raiding activities wherein they randomly attack some of the
coastal inhabitants of the Philippines. The merciless Illanuns, the
raiders of the Sulu sea, had led the attacks where in whenever they
captured someone, they would drill a hole in the victim's palm and
string through each person's hand.
 As the Spaniards aspired to propagate Christianity and get involved in
Mindanao's economic activities, eventually gaining control of the
island, the Muslims despised the Spaniards' objective of spreading
Christianity and prepared an attack on Zamboanga City to eliminate
their presence.
 On December 8, 1720, Rajah Dalasi, the king of Bulig in Maguindanao,
led a 3000 strong coalition of warriors against 600 Spanish soldiers and
launched a bloody attack together with the forces of the Sulu
Sultanate on Fort Pilar, located in Zamboanga City in the southernmost
peninsula of the Philippines. They attacked the city, burned the town
around the fort, cut down the Spaniards' supply lines, and started a
war against the soldiers inside the fort.
 However, the attack of the raiders failed as it was poorly conceived.
The Spanish victories, on the other hand, did not bring an end to the
war either. The Spaniards were now dead set on exterminating these
so-called pirates. They ordered steamships from England, which is
much faster than the slave-powered raiding vessels, effectively putting
an end to the Sultanates' once-feared navies.
 After years of failed attempts, The Spaniards had finally succeeded in
eliminating the raiding base of Balangingi island. They stormed the
forts, killing 450 samals. Balangingi's forts were all destroyed, along
with 150 raiding ships. However, the Spaniards showed mercy to the
350 Samal men and women who were still alive when they were taken.
 In 1858, Panglima Taupan, the leader of the Sama Balangingi, had
eventually decided to surrender since his family was already taken
captive by the Spaniards. Taupan was brought back to Zamboanga City
by the Spaniards.
 Even with their fleet of ships destroyed, some of the slave raiders still
continued to fight and resist the rule of the Spanish which only
resulted in vain.
 In the late 19th century, the Spanish American war saw the Philippines
passed from one colonial authority to another. Jikiri, a Tausug raider,
was a thorn in the Americans' side so he, together with other raiders,
were relentlessly pursued and murdered by the Americans. Just like
his forefathers, Rajah Dalasi and Panglima Taupan, Jikiri had eventually
succumb to defeat. Thus, the raiding days in the Philippines came to
an end.