Under the Spanish rule, the legislative powers were shared by three entities: (1) the Governor-General who could promulgate executive decrees, edicts or ordinances with the force of the law; (2) the Royal Audencia, which passed laws in the form of autos accordados; and (3) the Crown of Spain acting through its councils.
Serving as chief legislator was a governor-general who was assisted by two advisory bodies where he stood as president. The other entity exercising legislative powers in the Philippines was the Royal Audencia which was the Spanish Supreme Court in the Philippines. The governor-general also stood as the president of this body.
Many historians observed, however, that the legislative function during the Spanish period was monopolized by a set of interlocking bodies, where the Chief Legislator, the governor-general, exercising unbounded powers, also stood as president and member of other bodies which were supposed to advise him. Filipino representation was also largely absent in the legislative bodies.
sourcewww.senate.gov.ph