CITY OF SAN FERNANDO --- The 125th anniversary of the inauguration of the Malolos Congress was recently commemorated by Bulacan province at the grounds of the historical Barasoain Church in Malolos City.
The Malolos Congress was convened in Bulacan on September 15, 1898 as the country’s first legislature tasked to draft the country’s first constitution.
The Congress of Malolos ratified on September 29, 1898 the Act of the Declaration of Independence proclaimed in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898. It included the granting of basic rights to Filipinos such as being able to study, voting or being voted, owning properties, expressing opinion, choosing religion and other civil rights.
Themed “Kongreso ng Malolos Saligan sa Pagsulong ng Nagbabagong Panahon,” the commemoration was highlighted by a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the president of the First Philippine Republic.
The September 15, 1898 to January 21, 1899 sessions of the Congress of Malolos have remained the model and basis for the drafting and adoption of current congressional laws.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) said the Congress of Malolos approved in October 1898 the first floating domestic loan worth P20 million payable within 40 years. It funded the operation of the First Republic.
The commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Malolos Congress is the culminating activity of the weeklong Singkaban 2023 celebration and was organized by the NHCP, along with the Bulacan provincial government.