In the closing years of the Spanish regime, the revolutionary government of Emilio Aguinaldo inaugurated a Congress on September 15, 1898, at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan. This Congress was later on referred to as the Malolos Congress.
The Malolos Congress, also known as the Assembly of Representatives, was the lawmaking body of the First Republic. It was a unicameral body composed of representatives, one-third of whom were chosen by the officials of the municipalities under the control of the Revolutionary Government, and the others appointed by Aguinaldo to represent the areas under the American Army which could not send delegates. The Malolos Congress is best remembered for framing the Malolos Constitution. The functions and powers of the legislative branch of the First Republic was defined and enumerated by the Malolos Charter as follows:
Barasoain Church
1. To watch over the interest of the Philippine people;
2. To carry out the revolutionary laws and discuss the vote upon said laws;
3. To discuss and approve treaties and loans; and
4. To examine and approve the accounts presented annually by the Secretary of Finance, as well as “extraordinary and other taxes which may be here-after imposed.”
Several reasons prompted the creation and convening of the Malolos Congress. Primarily, it was established to attract the country’s elite—the intellectuals and the wealthy—to join the revolution. Secondly, the creation of a representative government was given primarily to make good impression on foreign powers. A popular Assembly was deemed necessary in order to enhance the image of the new Republic.
The delegates to the Congress constituted the cream of the country’s professionals and intellectuals. An official directory of the Malolos Assembly of Representatives listed a total of 201 members who had served the body at one time or another. Most historians, however, have placed the Assembly membership at only 130.
The Assembly, despite time constraints, turned out to be a prolific legislature. Its first official act was the ratification of the “Act of Declaration of Independence” on September 29, 1898. It also passed a number of important laws designed to protect the new Republic from incursions of foreigners and to protect the local business and labor.
With the outbreak of the Philippine-American War in February, 1899, the Assembly’s activities were hampered by the emergency situation. source www.senate.gov.ph