Creation of The Assembly
As a result of the Philippine Organic Act (also known as the Cooper Act), the Philippine Commission conducted a census in 1903, which was published on March 25, 1905. The United States government promised its colony that two years after the census' publication, they would create the Philippine Assembly, a group of elected Filipino officials who would participate in legislative decisions. When the act was passed in 1902, the appointed Governor-General to the Philippines, William Howard Taft, envisioned that the Assembly would improve Philippine-American relations, and prepare the Filipinos for eventual self-rule. President Roosevelt hesitated to grant the Philippines greater authority, however, and viewed the Assembly as more of an experiment rather than a true step toward Philippine autonomy. Regardless, when the Philippine Commission reported in 1907 that the two-year waiting period had passed peacefully, Roosevelt allowed 1904 Governor-General Luke Wright to call for the Assembly's formation. On July 30, 1907, the first national elections were held for the Assembly.
Although several parties and independents vied for positions in the Assembly, two political groups in particular—the Partido Nacionalista and Partido Nacional Progresista—dominated the proceedings. The Nacionalista Party, which espoused "immediate and complete independence," and was headed by future Vice President/President Sergio Osmeña, captured majority of the 80-seat Assembly. On October 16, 1907, the Philippine Assembly was inaugurated at the Manila Grand Opera House. The event was attended both by Taft (at this time appointed Secretary of War), and the new Governor-General James Smith. After its inauguration, the Assembly convened and was led by Osmeña and Manuel L. Quezon, later to become the Vice President and President, respectively, of the new Filipino Commonwealth government in 1935. Upon the creation of the Assembly, Philippine legislature was to take after the model of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Assembly was to become the lower house of Philippine legislation. The Philippine Commission, formerly the only legislative authority, was appointed the upper house. Throughout the Assembly's history, there was conflict in the legislature between the elected Assembly (composed entirely of Filipinos) and the appointed Commission (made up of mostly American authorities). This period came to an end when the Jones Law was passed, and on October 16, 1916, a bicameral legislature composed exclusively of Filipinos was established. This brought the Filipinos closer to the attainment of an efficient, independent Philippine government.
Read more about this topic: Philippine Assembly, Background
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