The development of Philippine politics

396 THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHILIPPINE POLITICS

The Presiding Officers of the Legislature
The Philippine legislature in actual practice indirectly
assumed certain administrative prerogatives. In a way it
became a part of the administrative machinery. This was
the reason why, upon the election of the new legislature in
1919, Acting Governor-General Yeater was obliged to convene it immediately in order that the Philippine government
could properly function. He said that for the proper conduct and continuance of various governmental activities it
was "absolutely necessary that the new Legislature be called
so that it might reorganize as soon as possible and, through
its leaders, continue to assume and perform the duties and
responsibilities which our laws and constitutional practices
have conferred upon the Filipino people."
An immediate organization of the legislature was
needed so that the new Filipino cabinet could be appointed.
We have seen that by the Reorganization Act the Filipino
secretaries of department were to be chosen at the beginning of every legislature, ostensibly from the majority party
which had just triumphed. Another reason why, for administrative purposes, an immediate legislative organization
was necessary was the administrative function assigned to
the presiding officers. The most salient feature of the legislative system of this period was the importance of the part
played by the presiding officers of both houses. This had
its historic explanation in the power of the Speaker of the
Philippine Assembly. Upon the organization of the Assembly in 1907, the Rules of the American House of Representatives were adopted and it may be remembered that at that
time the Speaker of the American House of Representatives
was the most influential leader in legislation at Washington.
He appointed all the chairmen of committees; he was a
member himself of the committee on rules; and he must
first give official recognition to members desiring to speak.
These powers placed in him an effective control of legislation.
The American system was on the whole adopted in the
Philippines with the added advantage for our Speaker that