Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

POLITICAL SECTION

103

now, there has not been any movement to follow the exam-,
pies of American cities which have abandoned the mayor-:
council form of government and adopted either the Commission
Plan or the City Manager Plan. The reforms so far introduced
have for their main objective the improvement of the existing
system. Changes are being introduced slowly but progressively. The present system has proved adequate to take care
of the activities of our municipalities at present. The system
as it is now is comparatively'simple, and so long as it answers
the needs of our local units, it would not be wise to make
radical changes. Most of the activities of our provinces and
municipalities are undertaken pursuant to the requirements of
Insular laws. Thus the educational system, police, elections
and assessments of property for taxation purposes are regulated,
by general laws and properly so, these being matters in which'
the country as a whole is vitally concerned and cannot properly
be left to the municipalities to legislate upon at will.
Our account of the government and administration of our
provinces and municipalities will be incomplete unless we point
out how far they are subjected to the supervision and control
of the Central Government. Formerly, the government of
provinces, chartered cities, municipalities and other political
divisions were under the administrative supervision and control
of the Executive Bureau which used to be immediately under,
the Governor-General. By virtue of the Jones Law and Acts
Nos. 2666 and 2674, these powers of supervision and control'
became vested in the Secretary of the Interior and are exercised
by him through the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes in the
case of special provinces and the municipal units under them,
and through the Executive Bureau in the case of the regular
provinces, chartered cities and all other political divisions not
being in the territory under the Bureau of Non-Christian
Tribes.
The policy of America since the implantation of her sover-*
eignty in these Islands contemplates the establishment of'
popular government. This was the plan indicated by President McKinley in his Instructions to the members of the Taft
Commission. It was, however, a government to be set up not
all at once. The policy pursued was to extend popular controls