314 | Coven. Leotces wAFRAoRE Remvuc ration of small landholders thels actual — and apparently intended — effect was to empower the US. reine and Prillppine elites by legally disenfranchising milion of rural peoples © Ser Chapter Fourteen rough Seventeen. CHAPTER TWELVE INSULAR‘ACTORS: SUBORDINATE OFFICIALS AND POLITICIANS Continuity: Municipal Code As prospects for the revolutionary. govemman began to dim, local elites began seeking elepmaton of splat under US. auplces. Commissioner Worcester was aware af thee devdommei dhe ep fang fn organising loeal cil gavernmeny even though uch acy exceeded the instructions of President McKinley to the Schurman Commission The fist electors under U. S. supervision were held during May 1899 nthe municipality of Baliueg, Bulacan? The Primary motive behind the elacoral exercise was not = dese fo secre the democrae consent of thee bung governed Rather i was “the necessity to consolidate captured tentory ‘nd to gun the suppor ofthe local leaders Soon after, more + RV Cron Anamucn’s CouOMAL Desk (1974), 278, Seale Mier, “BeoLne Asan” (158), 132 2 The elon was hld pursuant t General Field Order No which was ‘aged on May 7, 1898 by Ganeral Hensy W. Lawton, commande of fe MicArdr * Calinane, Implementing the New Orde’ (197), 12. Se also Fortes, Ti PrRurree Lavoe (198 1150-0 Laoy, Ti ANERECAIN Te rar 315316 | Cwm Lecacess mAFRAGLERERUBUC lectons were held in four Cavite municipalities. On Janu 5,150, board contig ofthe wo tuseados an hree US Gticens was cated and tld to submit «plan for the gxaon of manip governess (ata Oder No ‘The board's recommendations laid the groundwork for ‘Act No, 82 of the Philippine Commission. The law, which was ‘more popularly known as the Municipal Code, had been drafted by Worcestert and was enacted after public debate on January 31, 1901.5 To a large extent, the code was based on the lunimplemented Spanish Municipal Law of 1893. But there were significant differences. At the close of public hearings, Worcester attested to the commission's good falth in drafting the code and claimed that it would be too much to expect no faults in it. Worcester believed this was especially true “when ‘one remembered that it was an attempt to apply a system of popular government to conditions with which the authors ‘were not entirely familiar.”* ‘The Schurman Commission had described the Spanish Jaw as being “intended to abolish the crying evils of excess centralization that had slways characterized Spanish ‘government in the Philippines.” President McKinley, therefore, ordered the Taft Commission to provide municipalities with a greater degree of power and autonomy than ty ad pevenly pwned Fi insructons were In the distibution of powers among the ‘governments organized by the Commission the (171), 2s G May, Soca Bieaemms DT Paras (980, 5, $205 Hayden A StuovInNena Devon (19% 267, |US, Pilppine Commiaton Minto Puble Sere 19001503 (enpuh) Vout * Se Philippine Conunsion Minutes, sya, Vol 1160-7, 1220, 20811, "1436 Most comment focus on el tate x provisions th code A ‘ppl commen was one by Tomas del Rosi He props a near (Zein for agaclura lane ot ye aati wl “sch ands ‘ve yield ht it erop(VoLI50." « rhlppine Connon Minutes pe VoL 1234, "Report ofthe Piipine Commision, 100, VoL, Sr lo Ueoy, TH "Ausncassb Toe rons (910) Voll. Inswan Across: Orreues 0 Pouncuns | 317 presumption’is always to be in favor of the Smaller subdivision, 50 that all the powers which can properly: be exercised by the ‘municipal goverment shall be vested in that goverment. [As for the electoral franchise, McKinley's instructions had Contained a general role that inal eases the munxpa fiers ‘oho administer the loa flare ofthe people are to be ected by the people” Foe instructions appeared to be obeyed when the ‘commission, on November 22, 1900, enacted legislation for crgarizing municipal in the heavily forested, Inineralrch province Of Benguet (Act No, 48). The same cetera qualifications were established, with important fxceptions in the non-Chisan provinces of Nueva Vizcaya nd Lepanto-Bontoc (Acts No. 387, secon 6 and 411) "The legislation extended the elctoral franchise to all rmaes, eighteen years o olde, whoa resided inthe province for at least six months preceding any election (Act No 8, Sec. 40), The comparatively broad electoral franchise, however, did not reflect any deep commitment to democracy, Rather, i was part ofan effort to preempt US. miners who had been moving Into the province in large numbers and were treatening {0 fake over loa! pola! organizaons (ry, 1953, 9. All officers, in. Benguet, heretofore, were tobe Eppointed by, and bold ofSce at the dscretin of the cv governor, subject to the advice and consent ofthe commision. ‘The municipal franchise, meanwhile, ensured tat, if nothing ise, miner "would zemaina: minosty in any maniipal ection. "Ten wecks later, when the municipal pode was enacted, the commision decided to provide fora much more restrictive tlectorl franchise in Hispnicized areas. This was justified on the bois of the plain fact thatthe masses ofthe Flipinos were not fied to exercise a share in governing thee communities” “Haring ofa Plein Chapter Tin” + toy Pymsrbe Len Towt Ao Cour (1905), 198-4. Mowe Sra ‘Seca (190,969 Jud the mcr ranch“ engin marked. ‘Stes withthe wr eablihed ix Pucto Re and Hawall whit318 | Couonn. Leaaces WAFRAGLE REPLALC LeRoy, who intally served in the civilian government 3s ‘Commissioner Worcesters private secretary, candidly acknowledged that “the traditional caciqus ofthe people were definitely recognized ae the governing clas.” The vight to participate in the election of & mucipal president, vice- president and a councl (the size of which was determined by a ‘municipality's clas), therefore, was only extended to males toentythree years or older who had held public office during the Spanish regime, of who could read and write English or Spanish, or who paid minimum of thity pesos per year in eal estate taxes (Act No. B2, Sec. 6) “The effect of these restrictions was to limit eligible voter oles than 25 percent ofthe colony’ total population. ‘As such, the Muniipal Code from the outset “operated perpetuate the stratification rather than promote the ‘democratization of Philippine society." Obviously, not all municipal oficala were eelfish and corrupt® The code also “strengthened the hold of the landed elite on their commanities" "At the same Ue, the original code provided for an extraordinary degree of muniipal autonomy. The code Telained the boundaries utilized by the Spaniards in 1898.9 ‘Most mergers were effected by a separate act of the ‘commision oF after 1907, the legislature. By 1913, most ofthe smaller and less wealthy municipalities had been integrated Into their larger, more” prosperous neighbor. It provided comporste status to each municipality organized in "Tee were 85 marcpalts 1, Dut by 107 he ruber had Ben ‘shed 57 por of he Pine Comms, 113, Vey swan AoroRs: OnCALsANO POUTIANS | 31 Hispanicized areas and clasified them according to population. in tenne of autonomy, Secon 39 was bey. It Euthorized municipal oueils to design their own projects tnd, more significanty, to “make appropriations for awful fn necessary municipal expenditures” "The money woul come from the first ever Philippine real estate tna mate that tok up over half ofthe Municipal Code (Municipal Code, Act No. 82, Section 39) The land tx provisions reflected Worcestr’s belief that “thre should be a ‘ery direct relationship between the source of wealth and the things which are made the basis of taxation” To lessen ‘opposition, the code provided thet a potion ofthe revenues lcd would be tamed over to the municipality where the land was located, Some of these funds were designated for “the support of fee public primary schools” but the municpal ‘oun! had “discretion to expend the remaining” «mounts (Municipal Code, Section 3 (h) Problems soon developed: Many municipal councils wore disposed “to vote all of the-available funds for the payment of their own salaries and leave nothing for the improvement or repair of roads, the construction of buildings, or the payment of schoolteachers The commission s00n found the situation to be intolerable and cast about for solutions. in March 1903, it opted to empower {eatin which were tl donut by US. cso anal ary laws arising from the municipal presidents and counds, ‘This proved inadequate and the commision continued {0 rope foran effective response, ‘Under the original code, municipal treasurers were sppointe by the municipal president, subject othe approval oftheir respective councils. tn November 193, this prerogative was transfered to the provincial treasurer, subject 10 the Teaco HERiga anathema) SO re SACRE as as a eat ce eee Sara cea as Sat Re