Local government in the Philippine islands,

176 LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

Municipal Organization. —The municipal government
was vested in a municipal president, a vice-president, and
one representative from each barrio of a municipality who
acted as councilor. The president was appointed by the
provincial governor subject to the approval of the Department Governor. The vice-president was chosen at
large by the qualified electors of the municipalities; and the
councilor of each barrio was chosen by the qualified electors of the barrio.
The Governor-General under this Act was authorized
to call an election for municipal president in any organized municipality of the Department upon the recommendation of the Department Governor. The officers elected at
such elections held office until those elected at the next general elections qualified; and thereafter, the elections in these
municipalities were held coincident with elections prescribed
in the Election Law for regularly organized provinces and
municipalities.
The president, vice-president, or councilor had to have
the qualifications prescribed by law for elective municipal officers. In case of an appointed municipal president,
it was sufficient if he was a duly qualified elector of the
province.
Besides the officers named above, each municipality
had also a secretary, a treasurer, and such other officers or
employees as the municipal council might determine and
the provincial board authorize. Ecclesiastics, soldiers in
active service, persons receiving salaries from provincial.
departmental, or municipal funds, persons delinquent in the
payment of public taxes, and contractors for public works
within the province were disqualified from being elected
or appointed to a municipal office.
The municipal president, vice-president, secretary, and
treasurer had similar powers and duties to those perform