Interim National Assembly (Philippines)
Interim National Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Philippines | |
.svg) | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | Never convened |
| Preceded by | Congress of the Philippines |
| Succeeded by | |
| Leadership | |
De jure members |
|
| Constitution | |
| 1973 Constitution | |
The Interim National Assembly was the de jure unicameral legislature of the Philippines established the original text of the 1973 Constitution, which was never convened. It was effectively superseded by a series of nine constitutional amendments ratified through a referendum plebiscite held from October 16 to 17, 1976.[1]
Section 1 of Article XVII provided for the creation of the assembly and reads as follows:
Section 1. There shall be an interim National Assembly which shall exist immediately upon the ratification of this Constitution and shall continue until the Members of the regular National Assembly shall have been elected and shall have assumed office following an election called for the purpose by the interim National Assembly. Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, the interim National Assembly shall have the same powers and its Members shall have the same functions, responsibilities, rights, privileges, and disqualifications as the regular National Assembly and the Members thereof.
In 1978, the Interim Batasang Pambansa (IBP), a separate elected body, was inaugurated, replacing the unconstituted Interim National Assembly. The IBP was given the same powers and its members had the same functions, rights, privileges, responsibilities and disqualifications as those of the Interim National Assembly.[2] A consultative assembly and legislative advisory council named Batasang Bayan, however, helped formulate decrees promulgated by President Ferdinand Marcos from then until the IBP was finally convened.[3]
No elections were held for the Interim Batasang Pambansa until 1978. During the period following the 1976 constitutional amendments, legislative functions were carried out by the Batasang Bayan, an advisory council whose members were appointed by President Marcos.
Several differences between the Interim National Assembly and the IBP were:
- The IBP is composed of members who are directly elected by the people;
- The IBP has no share in the treatymaking power (Amendment No. 2);
- The IBP does not elect the interim president and the interim prime minister (Amendment No. 3);
- The IBP cannot impeach the incumbent president nor withdraw confidence from the prime minister (a result of the referenda of January 17, 1973, January 30, 1973, July 27–28, 1973 and February 27–28, 1975 and the plebiscite-referendum of October 16–17, 1976); and
- The incumbent president is also a member of the IBP (while the interim president in the Interim National Assembly would have had to resign his seat in the legislature and severe his party affiliation).
The Assembly would also have been composed of the following as its members:[4]
- The incumbent president;
- Vice president;
- Presidents of the of the 1971 Constitutional Convention;
- Members of the Senate and House of Representatives who expressed in writing to the Commission on Elections within 30 days after the ratification of the 1973 Constitution their option to serve in the Assembly; and
- Delegates to the 1971 Constitutional Convention who have opted to serve in the Assembly by voting affirmatively for the transitory provisions (Article XVII).
The primary purpose of the assembly was to prioritize measures that would ensure an orderly transition from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government, including the reorganization of the national government structure, the eradication of graft and corruption, the creation of programs to maintain peace and order, the implementation of agrarian reform, the standardization of government employee compensation, and the reduction of the gap between the rich and the poor.[5]
President Marcos effectively suspended the convening of the Interim National Assembly through Proclamation No. 1103, s. 1973, citing that nearly 15 million barangay constituents voted to adopt the new constitution, on the condition that the assembly provided in its transitory provisions should not be convened.[6]
In An Introduction to the Politics of Transition, authored by Marcos, he stated that the people rejected the Interim National Assembly because "they were convinced that it was tainted by the old Congress: for those who drafted the Constitution also made themselves Assemblymen".
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Caoili, Olivia C. (1986). "The Batasang Pambansa: Continuity in the Philippine Legislative System" (PDF). Philippine Journal of Public Administration. 30 (1).
- ^ "G.R. No. 56350, April 02, 1981". batas.org - Philippine Supreme Court Decisions & Jurisprudence. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ^ Presidential Decree No. 995
- ^ Marcos, Ferdinand E. (1978). An Introduction to the Politics of Transition (2nd ed.). Marcos Foundation, Inc.
- ^ "Editorial" (PDF). Philippines Information Bulletin. 1 (1): 32. January 1973.
- ^ "Proclamation No. 1103, s. 1973". Official Gazette of the Philippines. 1973-01-17.