The 1978 Batasang Pambansa Proves There was NO Real Parliamentary System

I'm getting tired of people who still insist that the parliamentary system will never work, because it was "tried and tested" during the reign of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.. However, further data have proven that there was really no parliamentary system. Salvador "Doy" Laurel even mentioned that in Marcos' own words, Marcos was never legitimately installed as president or prime minister. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. even mentioned in his speech in Los Angeles, "We had a parliamentary form of government without a parliament." The government was supposed to be British type, and it went to the French type. Ninoy rightfully called it 80 Days Around the World.

To think it over, the role of the president in a parliamentary system is supposed to be purely ceremonial. However, one must look at the comedy of errors with the Marcos rule. Marcos' prime minister, until he himself handpicked Cesar Virata as prime minister, was himself (read here). Lee Kuan Yew even gave a negative assessment of Virata to be a nonstarter and no political leader.

As today is the day that Marcos once considered lifting martial law from the Philippines, I would like to highlight why the Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) wasn't a real parliamentary system. On February 7, 1978 (and years later on February 7, snap elections would happen), Marcos as both president and prime minister (not a real parliamentary) wrote Presidential Decree No. 1296. April 7 became the date of the Batasang Pambansa elections. 

This is an interesting excerpt I'd like to share on that same Presidential Decree, proving that the Philippines never had a parliamentary system:

ARTICLE II—COMPOSITION AND APPORTIONMENT OF THE MEMBERS OF THE INTERIM BATASANG PAMBANSA

SEC. 11. Composition.—The interim Batasang Pambansa shall be composed of the incumbent President of the Philippines, representatives elected from the different re­ gions of the nation, those who shall not be less than eighteen years of age elected by their respective sectors, and those chosen by the incumbent President from the members of the Cabinet.

SEC. 12. Apportionment of regional representatives.— There shall be 160 regional representatives to the interim Batasang Pambansa apportioned among the thirteen regions of the nation in accordance with the number of their respective inhabitants and on the basis of a uniform and progressive ratio as follows:

Region I, .12 representatives, consisting of the following provinces: Abra; Benguet, including the City of Baguio; Ilocos Norte, including Laoag City; llocos Sur; La Union; Mt. Province; and Pangasinan, including the Cities of Dagupan and San Carlos;

Region II, 7 representatives, consisting of the following provinces: Batanes; Cagayan; Ifugao; Isabela; Kalinga-Apayao; Nueva Vizcaya; and Quirino;

Region III, 16 representatives, consisting of the follow­ ing provinces: Bataan; Bulacan; Nueva Ecija, including the Cities of Cabanatuan, Palawan and San Jose; Pam panga, including Angeles City; Tarlac; and Zambales, including Olongapo City;

Region IV, 19 representatives, which comprises Metro Manila as follows: Cities of Manila; Quezon; Caloocan; and Pasay; and the municipalities of Valenzuela, Malabon, Navotas, Makati, Parañaque, Las Pinas, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Pasig, Muntinglupa, Marikina, Pateros and Taguig;

Region IV-A, 20 representatives, consisting of the follow­ ing provinces: Batangas, including the Cities of Batangas and Lipa; Cavite, including the Cities of Cavite, Tagaytay and Trece Martires; Laguna, including San Pablo City; Marinduque; Occidental Mindoro; Oriental Mindoro; Pa­ lawan, including Puerto Princesa City; Quezon, including Lucena City; Rizal; and Romblon;

Region V, 12 representatives, consisting of the following provinces: Albay, including Legaspi City; Camarines Norte; Camarines Sur including the Cities of Iriga and Naga; Catauduanes; Masbate; and Sorsogon;

Region VI, 16 representatives, consisting of the follow­ ing provinces: Aldan; Antique; Capiz, including Roxas City; Iloilo, including Iloilo City;and Negros Occidental, including the Cities of Bacolod, Bago, Cadiz, La Carlota, San Carlos and Silay;

Region VII 13 representatives, consisting- of the fol­ lowing provinces: Bohol, incloding Tagbilaran City; Cebu, including the Cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Toledo and Danao; Negros Oriental, including the Cities of Bais, Camlaon and Dumaguete; and Siquijor;

Region VIII, 10 representatives, consisting of the followi ng provinces: Leyte, including the Cities of Ormoc and Tacloban; Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar; Northern Samar; and Samar, including Calbayog City;

Region IX, 8 representatives, consisting of the following provinces: Basilan; Sulu; Tawi-Tawi; Zamboanga del Norte, including the Cities of Dapitan and Dipolog; and Zamboanga del Sur, including the Cities of Pagadian and Zamboanga;

Region X, 9 representatives, consisting of the following provinces: Agusan del Norte, including Butuan City; Agusan del Sur; Bukidnon; Camiguin; Misamis Occidental, including the Cities of Oroquieta, Ozamis and Tangub; Misamis Oriental, including the Cities of Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog; and Surigao del Norte, including Surigao City;

Region XI, 10 representatives, consisting of the following provinces: Surigao del Sur; Davao del Norte; Davao Oriental; Davao del Sur, including Davao City; and South Cotabato, including General Santos City;

Region XII, 8 representatives, consisting of the following provinces: Lanao del Norte, including Iligan City; Lanao del Sur, including Marawi City; Maguindanao, including Cotabato City; North Cotabato; and Sultan Kudarat.

The foregoing apportionment shall not be considered a precedent in connection with the reapportionment of repre­ sentative districts for the regular National Assembly under Section 2, Article VIII and Section 6. Article XVII of the Constitution.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the number of regional representatives for any region shall not be less than the number of representative districts therein existing at the time of the ratification of the Constitution. There are also allotted two additional seats for regional representatives to Region IV in view of inhabitants, such as students, in the region not taken into account in the 1975 census.

SEC. 13. Sectoral representatives.—There shall be three sectors to be represented in the interim Batasang Pam- bansa, namely: (1) youth; (2) agricultural labor; and (3) industrial labor to be elected in the manner herein provided. Each sector shall be entitled to four sectoral representa­ tives, two of whom shall come from Luzon, one from Visayas, and one from Mindanao: Provided, That the youth sector shall be entitled to two additional sectoral representatives who shall be elected from any region.

The Bohol Provincial Library gives this detail on its Facebook page:

April 7, 1978, elections were held for members of the Interim Batasang Pambansa, known as Mambabatas Pambansa or Assemblymen. They were elected per region, through a bloc-voting system. This election was held on President Ferdinand E. Marcos’s lucky number, the number 7.

The Interim Batasang Pambansa (IBP) served as a transitional legislative body mandated by the 1973 Constitution as the Philippines shifted from a presidential to a semi-presidential form of government.

The members of the Interim Batasang Pambansa elected in Region VII were: Natalio B. Bacalso, Bartolome C. Cabangbang, Eutiquio C. Cimafranca, Alfonso N. Corominas, Jr., Hilario Davide, Jr., Filemon L. Fernandez, Jorge M. Kintanar, Valentino L. Legaspi, Mariano R. Logarta, Enrique L. Medina, Jr., Dominador M. Pernes, Jesus L. Villegas, Julian B. Yballe. All belonged to the Pusyon Bisaya party.

Before conducting the first national election under martial law, President Ferdinand E. Marcos implemented a new Election Code of 1978. But the election of April 7, 1978, of 165 regional members of the Interim Batasang Pambansa did not change the authoritarian rule of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. President Marcos formed the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL or New Society Movement) which fielded candidates in all regions, headed by Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos in Metro Manila.

The opposition parties of the past, such as the Liberal Party, boycotted the elections as a meaningless exercise. Only in Metro Manila did an organized opposition contest the elections, led by the Lakas ng Bayan (Laban or People’s Power) star, former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., whose wife, Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino, campaigned while Ninoy was kept in prison. The opposition candidates belonged to the Laban, Nacionalista Party, Pusyon Bisaya, National Union for Liberation and other independent candidates denounced martial law and asked for the restoration of democracy. On election eve, the people in Metro Manila joined in a noise barrage against the government.

The election resulted in the total defeat of the Laban candidates in Metro Manila. Opposition protests of massive vote buying and cheating led to the arrest of its leaders and hundreds of protesters. Only 16 opposition candidates in other parts of the country survived the KBL avalanche. Later, on April 27, 1978, the election of 14 sectoral members of the interim legislature, representing the youth, agricultural and urban workers sectors, was held. The COMELEC announced the results on the same day.

On June 12, 1978, the 80th anniversary of Philippine independence from Spain, the Interim Batasang Pambansa (Provisional National Assembly) held its inaugural session at the newly constructed building on Constitutional Hall, Diliman, Quezon City. Almost all the assemblymen were present, except those from Region XII, where no winning candidates had yet been proclaimed. The oldest member was 82-year-old Pablo Floro of Metro Manila, and the youngest was the 19-year-old Rogelio C. Payuan of Cavite City, a youth sectoral representative. In addition to the 165 elected members, the body had 35 members appointed by the President and 14 sectoral representatives.

However, Marcos as President and prime minister with indefinite tenure dominated the body. He could still legislate by decree, veto measures adopted by the parliament, or dissolve it altogether. In turn, the body could not remove the President-prime minister, ratify treaties, or repeal or change any decree of the President. On July 31, 1978, the members of the IBP elected former Chief Justice Querube C. Makalintal as Speaker.

It should be noted that the first legislative body was the Interim Batasang Pambansa, and it existed from 1978 to 1984. After it bowed out of existence, President Marcos called an election for the members of the regular Batasang Pambansa. This election was held on May 14, 1984. The regular Batasang Pambansa was abolished immediately after the People Power Revolution in 1986, and Congress was restored with the passage of the 1987 Constitution.

Sources and References:

1. Gregorio F. Zaide, Sonia M. Zaide, History of the Republic of the Philippines, Metro Manila, 1983, 1987, pp. 398–399, 406

2. Manuel D. Duldulao, A Century of Philippine Legislature, Experience Philippines, Quezon City, Vol. II, p. 632

3. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO)

4. Wikimedia Commons

In short, Marcos was no ceremonial president in a parliamentary system. I wonder if people who insist that the first Marcos Administration was under a "parliamentary system" (such as Raissa Espinosa-Robles, read here) are willing to prove that the Batasang Pambansa is "proof" that the Philippines was under a parliamentary system. 

To do so, they could start by going to Singapore and Malaysia. Their best source may be Mrs. Robles or anybody who still believes in the lie of a Marcos parliamentary regime. Semi-presidential isn't parliamentary. The Batasang Pambansa was no real parliament.