1901 Excerpts from the Report of the Philippine Commission Related to Batangas
The annual Reports of the Philippine Commission provide a comprehensive picture of life and conditions in Batangas — and elsewhere in the Philippines — early during the American colonial era. Excerpts of these reports that are relevant to the Province of Batangas are made available in this web site for the benefit of teachers, students, researchers and enthusiasts of Batangas history, culture and folklore. For citation purposes, the pages given are as they appear in the reports themselves.
The 1901 Report of the Philippine Commission covered the period from 1 December 1900 to 15 October 19011. There was no section particularly dedicated to Batangas so in this page are included extracts of certain pages which mention Batangas which are relevant to the retelling of the story of the province.
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| A public session of the Philippine Commission in 1901. Image digitally extracted from the 1901 Report of the Philippine Commission. |
[p. 7]
[p. 8]
and Tayabas adjoining Batangas in the mountain region are affected by the disturbances in Batangas. In Mindoro, a thinly-settled and almost unexplored island, there are insurrectos. Our troops did not occupy it until August of this year, but they now have driven in to the unhealthy and trackless forests of the interior the 200 insurrectos who had made the island a refuge, and have captured their leader, a white man named Howard. Malvar, in Batangas, though chased from one hiding place to another, has thus far eluded capture.
[p. 12]
[p. 14]
(This section contains an excerpt related to Batangas from General Orders No. 179 issued by the United States Army.)
III. In the provinces of Batangas, Cebu, and Bohol, all civil courts now in operation will be permitted to discharge their functions in all cases of citizen versus citizen or civil official versus citizen or vice-versa; the military taking over jurisdiction in all cases where it is charged by a military officer that a party is giving information or rendering assistance to person or persons engaged directly or indirectly in insurrection; for assassination or attempt at assassination of a person or persons engaged or employed in the military service; for murder or attempt at murder of citizens because of service rendered or supposed to have been rendered to troops in any manner whatsoever, either voluntarilyr under compulsion. Military jurisdiction will also attach directly in cases of all disorders in places not actually the residence of a civil judge and trial by provost courts will obtain in such places. At place of residence of the civil court, disorderly persons, if arrested by the military, will be placed under control by the civil court.
The writ of habeas corpus having been suspended by an act of the Philippine Commission within the provinces and sections above mentioned in this paragraph, prisoners in custody by military authority are lawfully detained and the reasons therefore may not be demanded by any civil judge.
[p. 15]
(This page contains the contents of Act. 178 of the Philippine Commission which restored Batangas and two other provinces to the executive control of the military Governor. The contents of the act may be seen by clicking the link below, which will open a new browser window.)
[p. 41]
(This section is an excerpt from a part of the report related to forestry developments)
2 The General MacArthur mentioned is Arthur, father of Douglas of the “I shall return” fame.