Prime Minister of the Philippines
Prime Minister of the Philippines | |
---|---|
Punong Ministro ng Pilipinas | |
1978) | |
Formation | January 2, 1899 (first creation) June 12, 1978 (second creation) |
First holder | Apolinario Mabini (first creation) Ferdinand Marcos (second creation) |
Final holder | Pedro Paterno (first abolition) Salvador Laurel (second abolition) |
Abolished | November 13, 1899 (first abolition) March 25, 1986 (second abolition) |
Succession | President of the Philippines (1899–1978; 1986–present) |
The prime minister of the Philippines
History
First creation (1899)
The 1899 Constitution of the Philippines created the office of the Council of Government (Spanish: Consejo de Gobierno) which was composed of the President of the Council (Spanish: Presidente del Consejo de Gobierno) and seven secretaries.[2] The president of the revolutionary government led by Emilio Aguinaldo, appointed his advisor Apolinario Mabini as the first President of the Council of Government through a decree issued January 2, 1899.[3] Mabini also became the finance minister of the Republic. The President of the Council was de facto equivalent to a prime minister.[4][5][6]
On December 10, 1898, the ongoing war between United States and Spain was concluded with Spain giving up all rights to Cuba and surrendering the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States.[7] Two days later, Aguinaldo ordered his lawyer Felipe Agoncillo to contest the Philippine status as an independent nation and no longer a Spanish colony since the declaration of independence on June 12, 1898.[8] The United States did not recognize Philippine sovereignty. This led to serious conflict when the insurgent Philippine Republic was formally established on January 23, 1899 at Malolos. By January 30, Aguinaldo had again dispatched Agoncillo, this time to the United States Senate, to lobby them to reconsider their plans and instead formally recognize Filipino independence.[9]
In the next few months, Mabini was pressured by political problems such as negotiating to end the hostilities between Filipinos and American forces left in the Philippines after the war. After the failure to reach successful agreements with the U.S. army to secure a cease fire, the first shot of the Philippine–American War erupted on February 4, 1899.[10] The revolutionary government was forced to vacate Malolos and transfer the seat of administration from place to place. Mabini, who was pressured then from his political adversaries and failure to stop the increasing guerilla insurgency during the war, left the post and surrendered to United States on May 7, 1899.[11]
One of the political adversaries who forced Mabini to leave office was
The next day, May 8, Aguinaldo appointed Paterno as the President of the Council of Government.[12] One of his first moves during his term was to draft a copy of "Autonomy Plan" to the Schurman Commission which asks for peace settlement with the US government. This also states that the Filipinos are ready to drop the idea of independence and accept US sovereignty over the archipelago.[13]
Meanwhile, the takeover by Paterno of the revolutionary government and his actions towards the Schurman Commission infuriated General Antonio Luna, the commanding officer of the Philippine Army. He ordered to arrest Paterno and other members of the Cabinet, however, he was unsuccessful to send Paterno to jail.[13] Due to his actions, Paterno was forced to write a manifesto on June 2, 1899, stating a formal declaration of war against the United States.[14][15] On June 5, Luna was assassinated in Nueva Ecija, one of the alleged reasons for his murder was due to this conflict with Paterno.[16]
During the war, the seat of Aguinaldo changed from place to place northwards as the Americans grew aggressive. On November 13, 1899, Paterno was captured by US forces in
From 1899 to 1901, Philippines was headed by American military governors. When Aguinaldo was captured by Gen.
Second creation (1978–1986)
In 1976, President
On April 7, 1978, the
Upon his inauguration for a third presidential term on June 30, 1981, Marcos formally relinquished his powers as Prime Minister. He appointed then-Finance Minister Cesar Virata to succeed him to the post during the opening of the fourth regular session of the IBP on July 27, 1981. Virata, a grand-nephew of former President Emilio Aguinaldo,[21] previously represented the country to World Bank's Council of Governors.[22] Until the 1986 People Power Revolution, Virata held this position. It was conjectured that Marcos bestowed his Prime Ministerial post to Virata because of the latter's distance from mainstream politics. Other than being Marcos' finance minister, Virata was not a political threat.[23]
Abolition
Upon her accession in late February 1986, Corazon Aquino appointed her Vice President and running mate Salvador Laurel to succeed Virata under her revolutionary government.[24] However, the premiership was later abolished in March 1986 with the release of Proclamation No. 3, or the "Freedom Constitution".[25]
The subsequent and currently-enforced
Powers and duties
The office of the President of the Council of Government was created by 1899 Constitution of the Philippines on Title IX, with the role as the head of secretaries to the President of the Republic.[2] The first President of the Council was Apolinario Mabini, who also happened to be the concurrent Minister of Foreign Affairs. The President of the Council is equivalent to present-day Prime Minister, having the management of the day-to-day operations of the government.
The
Apart being the head of government, the Prime Minister also presides over his Cabinet. He has the power to appoint Cabinet members, often from the National Assembly. Likewise, he also has the prerogative to remove them at his discretion.
He also has the following powers and duties:
- Appoint the Deputy Prime Minister that will have powers vested by the Prime Minister;[32]
- Present the program and state of the government to the National Assembly at the start of each regular session;[33]
- Control all ministries provided by the law;[34]
- Head the Armed Forces of the Philippines as their commander-in-chief;[1]
- Appoint the heads of government bureaus and offices, and promote brigadier-generals and commodores of the Armed Forces;[1]
- Grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons; remit fines and forfeitures after final conviction; and grant amnesties with the permission of the National Assembly, except at the time of impeachment;[35] and
- Guarantee foreign and local loans of the Republic.[36]
In Section 16, it was also mentioned that all powers previously vested by the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines to the President of the Republic shall be transferred to the Prime Minister unless the National Assembly provides those.[37] This includes the power of the Prime Minister to sign and create treaties and foreign agreements as well as appointment of ambassadors and consuls with the permission of the Commission on Appointments.[38]
However, upon the amendments to the 1973 Constitution in 1981, which created a so-called modified parliamentary form of government, which has some sorts of semi-presidentialism, to be patterned after that in Peru, most of the executive powers held by the Prime Minister were restored to the President, who would be directly elected by the people and has complete control over the ministries as chief executive, the one that would determine the national and foreign policies of the country and who commands the armed forces. The President retains the right to issue decrees with the force of law at any time pursuant to Amendment No. 6 to the said Constitution, ratified in 1976. The prime minister was still retained as the head of the Cabinet, but his power was relegated to supervising the ministries. He or she will be elected by the majority of all the members of the
Under Executive Order No. 708 issued on July 27, 1981, the powers of the prime minister were expanded, especially in relation to supervising such ministries. The prime minister was mandated to take charge and management of the day-to-day and details of administration of the government, to coordinate the activities of the ministries and to act on all matters delegated by the President without indicating the sentence, "By the Authority of the President." And in 1984, the Prime Minister was mandated also to head a Cabinet Standing Committee created to assist the President in his functions, whenever he may prescribe and as chairman of the committee, he was made as its executive officer to carry out its decisions and actions.
List of prime ministers
No. | Portrait | Name (Lifespan) |
Party | Term | Election | Legislature | President | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apolinario Mabini (1864–1903) |
Independent | January 2, 1899 – May 7, 1899 (125 days) |
1898 | Malolos Congress | Emilio Aguinaldo | ||
2 | Pedro Paterno (1857–1911) |
Independent | May 8, 1899 – November 13, 1899 (189 days) | |||||
Office abolished (November 13, 1899 – January 17, 1973)[c] | ||||||||
Office vacant (January 17, 1973 – June 12, 1978)[d] | ||||||||
3 | Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1989) |
KBL | June 12, 1978 – June 30, 1981 (3 years, 18 days) |
1978 | Interim Batasang Pambansa | Ferdinand Marcos | ||
4 | Cesar Virata (born 1930) |
KBL | July 28, 1981 – February 25, 1986 (4 years, 212 days) | |||||
1984 | Regular Batasang Pambansa | |||||||
5 | Salvador Laurel (1928–2004) |
UNIDO | February 25, 1986 – March 25, 1986 (28 days) |
Corazon Aquino | ||||
Position abolished (since March 25, 1986)[e] |
List of vice presidents
List of presidents
Timeline
Statistics
- Living former prime minister:
- Cesar Virata (1981–1986) (born December 12, 1930) — 93 years, 128 days
- List of prime ministers by age at the start of term:
- Ferdinand Marcos — 60 years, 274 days
- Salvador Laurel — 57 years, 99 days
- Cesar Virata — 50 years, 200 days
- Pedro Paterno — 41 years, 69 days
- Apolinario Mabini — 34 years, 163 days
- List of prime ministers by tenure of office:
- Cesar Virata (1981–1986) — 4 years, 240 days
- Ferdinand Marcos (1978–1981) — 3 years, 18 days
- Apolinario Mabini (1899) — 184 days
- Pedro Paterno (1899) — 131 days
- Salvador Laurel (1986) — 28 days
See also
Notes
- ^ Spanish: Primer Ministro de Filipinas
- ^ Filipino: Punong Ministro ng Pilipinas
- Spanish-American War, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States through the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. The First Philippine Republic that was headed by President Emilio Aguinaldo was dissolved after Aguinaldo was captured by American forces on March 23, 1901 in Palanan, Isabela. The succeeding 1935 and 1943 constitutions did not provide for a prime minister.
- ^ The 1973 constitution restored the office of prime minister, but it remained vacant until 1978.
- ^ The 1986 Provisional Constitution abolished the office of prime minister. The succeeding 1987 Constitution did not provide for a prime minister, with the president being the head of both state and government.
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Article IX, Section 12. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ a b Title IX, Article 73. 1899 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Guevara 1972, p. 81
- ^ Guevara 1972, p. 82
- ^ Hunt & Levine 2012, p. 47
- ^ Borthwick 2018, p. 198
- Yale. 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ^ Guevara 1972, p. Appendix G-1
- ^ Guevara 1972, p. 236
- ^ Tucker 2009, p. 352
- ^ Keat 2004, p. 804
- ^ a b Tucker 2009, p. 466
- ^ a b Mojares 2006, p. 25
- ^ Kalaw 1927, pp. 199–200
- ^ Mojares 2006, p. 26
- ^ Tucker 2009, p. 346
- ^ Mojares 2006, p. 31
- ^ a b Celoza 1997, p. 60
- ^ a b Taylor & Francis 2004, p. 3408
- ^ Teehankee 2006, p. 160
- The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the originalon May 2, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ^ Case 2002, p. 217
- ^ Celoza 1997, p. 75
- ^ Steinberg 2000, p. 153
- ^ "Philippines: Historical Overview" (PDF). Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ Article IX, Section 3. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article VII, Section 2. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article XIII, Section 2. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Pomeroy 1992, p. 263
- ^ Article IX, Section 9. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ "The Amended 1973 Constitution". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. April 7, 1981. Item 1 of Section 13 of Article VIII.
- ^ Article IX, Section 5. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article IX, Section 10. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article IX, Section 11. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article IX, Section 14. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article IX, Section 15. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article IX, Section 16. 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- ^ Article VII, Section 10. 1935 Constitution of the Philippines
Notes
Bibliography
Government documents
- 1899 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines
- 1935 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines
- 1973 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines
Published works
- Borthwick, Mark (April 20, 2018), Pacific Century: The Emergence of Modern Pacific Asia, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-0-429-97452-6
- Case, William (2002), Politics in Southeast Asia: Democracy or Less, ISBN 978-0-7007-1636-4
- Celoza, Albert F. (1997), Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines: the Political Economy of Authoritarianism, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 978-0-275-94137-6
- Guevara, Sulpicio (1972), The Laws of the First Philippine Republic (The Laws of Malolos), 1898-1899, Manila: National Historical Commission Digitally archived and reproduced at the Ann Arbor, Michigan, United Statessince 2005.
- Hunt, Michael H.; Levine, Steven I. (2012), Arc of Empire: America's Wars in Asia from the Philippines to Vietnam, Univ of North Carolina Press, ISBN 978-0-8078-3528-9
- Kalaw, Maximo Manguiat (1927), "Appendix C. Aguinaldo's Proclamation of June 23, 1898, Establishing the Revolutionary Government", The Development of Philippine Politics, Oriental commercial, retrieved April 15, 2011
- Keat, Gin Ooi (2004), Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-57607-770-2
- Mojares, Resil B. (2006), Brains of the Nation: Pedro Paterno, T.H. Pardo de Tavera, Isabelo de Los Reyes, and the Production of Modern Knowledge, Ateneo University Press, ISBN 978-971-550-496-6
- Pomeroy, William J. (1992), The Philippines: Colonialism, Collaboration, and Resistance, International Publishers Co., ISBN 978-0-7178-0692-8
- Steinberg, David Joel (2000), The Philippines: A Singular and A Plural Place, Basic Books, ISBN 978-0-8133-3755-5
- Taylor & Francis (2004), Europa World Year Book 2, Book 2, Taylor & Francis Group, ISBN 978-1-85743-255-8
- Teehankee, Julio (2006), Electoral Politics in the Philippines (PDF)
- Tucker, Spencer C. (2009), The Encyclopedia of the Spanish–American and Philippine–American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1