Philippine Organic Act (1902) - Overview

Overview

The Philippine Organic Act provided for the creation of an elected Philippine Assembly after the following conditions were met:

1. the cessation of the existing insurrection in the Philippine Islands;
2. completion and publication of a census; and
3. two years of continued peace and recognition of the authority of the United States of America after the publication of the census.

After the convening of the Assembly, legislative power shall then be vested in a bicameral legislature composed of the Philippine Commission as the upper house and the Philippine Assembly as the lower house. Supervision of the islands was assigned to the War Department's Bureau of Insular Affairs.

Other key provisions included:

• a bill of rights for the Filipinos,
• the appointment of two Filipino nonvoting Resident Commissioners to represent the Philippines in the United States Congress, and
• the disestablishment of the Roman Catholic Church.
• conservation of natural resources for the Filipinos
• exercise of executive power by the civil governor who would have several executive departments
• establishment of the Philippine Assembly to be elected by the Filipinos two years after the publication of a census and only after peace had been restored completely in the country

This act was superseded by the Philippine Autonomy Act, or the Jones Act, enacted on August 29, 1916.