Report of the Philippine commission to the President. : January 31, 1900[-December 20, 1900] [Vol. 1, no. 1]

REPORT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION.

59

follows: Three of the cabezas de barangayes in office at the time and
three who have served as captains or as cabezas de barangayes. The
election is held under the presidency of the captain of the cuadrilleros, the soldiers being chosen by acclamation. Bachelors who have
passed the limit of "quinta"-the drafting of 1 out of 5 for the
army-and the sons of delegates and of rich people are preferred for
the appointments in so far as the regulations will permit. After the
election has been held minutes of the same are made out and signed
by all who are present at the election. The parochial priest then certifies to the same and they are sent to the governor of the province
for his approval.
The justices of the peace.-A royal decree in the year 1890 established
in each town in the Philippines the office of "juez de paz," for the
purpose of administering peace and justice to the inhabitants of the
pueblos.
To be eligible to the office of justice of the peace it is necessary that
the person be for two years at least preceding the election a resident
of the town; that he be more than 23 years old; that he know how to
speak, read, and write the Spanish language; that he possess one or two
academic titles; that he be well known as an honest, honorable, and
industrious man; that he have sufficient means of subsistence, and that
he be free from any criminal or legal prosecution in any tribunal of
justice.
When the time comes for the election of the juez de paz, the chief
judge of the province sends a letter to all parochial priests of the towns
of the province and asks them for proposals of persons for the office.
The priests make their proposals after having conferred with members
of the principalia and obtained their opinion. The judge of the province also asks the civil governor to propose men for the office in the
different towns. After all the proposals have been received they are
sent to the audiencia in Manila in order that this supreme court may
examine the list and make the nominations. The supreme court
almost invariably nominates the first person on the list (terna) unless
some particular person has been especially recommended.
Functions of the justice of the peace.-The justice of the peace
should understand how to render judgments in both civil and criminal
cases. In civil matters the jurisdiction of the justice of the peace is
'imited to cases where less than $200 is involved. Cases involving
the sum of $200 or more are passed upon by the chief judge of the
province. In criminal cases, the justice of the peace hears only the
preliminaries and passes the case up to the principal court of the
capital of the province for sentence.
The justice of the peace is aided by a secretary who directs and
advises the justice in all his work, by two "witnesses," by two or
three writers, and two alguaciles, who act as porters in the court-house