Local government in the Philippine islands,

188

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

ilization. Others like the Negritos were shown to be incapable of any appreciable degree of advancement. The
Moros had a fairly well organized government system;
other tribes had crude tribal governments; and in not a few
cases the family was the only recognized social unit.214
Their problems were considered distinct from those of their
Christian brothers who had enjoyed a certain degree of
civilization under the Spanish regime. So when the Philippine Comrmission began to establish civil government in
the Philippines, they enacted laws to suit the conditions
peculiar to the non-Christian provinces.
Non-Christian provinces were first organized under
special acts of the Commission. Whenever the civilization
of the inhabitants of a certain territory warranted the establishment of civil government, the Commission passed
a law to that effect. The first non-Christian province especially organized was the province of Benguet, which was
given civil government under Act No. 49 of the Philippine Commission. This step was taken as an experiment
for the extension of government to the non-Christians.
With a view to ascertaining from personal observation how
Benguet laws were actually working and to determine the
practicability of applying them to other non-Christian territories, Commissioners Worcester and Moses visited Benguet.
The Commission found that the working of the provincial government was not very encouraging. It was the
first government established and its officials met with numerous and serious obstacles, not the least of which was
their isolation.
The next province especially organized was Nueva
Vizcaya under Act No. 337, which contained the most important characteristics of the Benguet Law (Act No. 49).

214 Report of the Philippine Commission (1900-1901).