1938 Philippine legislative election

Elections for the Second National Assembly were held on November 8, 1938, under a new law that allowed block voting,^[1] which favored the governing Nacionalista Party (formerly divided into the Democratica and the Pro-Independencia factions, which later reconciled). As expected all the 98 seats of the National Assembly went to the Nacionalistas. José Yulo, who was Quezon's Secretary of Justice from 1934 to 1938, was elected Speaker.

1938 Philippine legislative election

← 1935 November 8, 1938 1941 →
All 98 seats in the National Assembly of the Philippines 50 seats needed for a majority
Majority party   Leader José Yulo Party Nacionalista Leader's seat Negros Occidental–3rd Seats won 98 Seat change 15
Speaker before election Gil Montilla Nacionalista Democratico Elected Speaker José Yulo Nacionalista

Summary

Ahead of the first midterm polls in the country, the two factions of the Nacionalista Party had already reunited. The party went into the 1938 Elections with the confidence of having practically every branch of government under the control of its stalwarts. This reconsolidation of political forces left the opposition in tatters, with the Allied Minorities, a loose caucus of opposition parties, failing to stop the Nacionalista bid.

The elections of 1938 proved to be historic in two ways: It was the first and last time that a single party would secure 100 percent of the seats in the legislature, with the Nacionalistas winning all 98 seats; and it ushered in the years of one-party rule in the country.^[2]

Results

↓

98 Nacionalista

Party		Seats	+/–
	Nacionalista Party	98	New
	Allied Minorities	0	0
	Independent	0	−6
Total		98	0
Source: Julio Teehankee. "Electoral Politics in the Philippines" (PDF). quezon.ph. & Philippine Electoral Almanac Revised And Expanded. Presidential Communications Development & Strategic Planning Office. 2015.

Contributions

The Second National Assembly embarked on passing legislations strengthening the economy, the cloud of the Second World War loomed over the horizon. Certain laws passed by the First National Assembly were modified or repealed to meet existing realities.^[3] A controversial immigration law that set an annual limit of 50 immigrants per country which^[4] affected mostly Chinese and Japanese nationals escaping the Sino-Japanese War was passed in 1940. Since the law bordered on foreign relations it required the approval of the U.S. president which was nevertheless obtained. When the result of the 1939 census was published, the National Assembly updated the apportionment of legislative districts, which became the basis for the 1941 elections.

References

1. Oaminal, Clarence Paul (8 September 2014). "Roque V. Desquitado, first bar topnotcher outside of Cebu City". Philstar.com. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
2. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning (2013). Philippine Electoral Almanac. p. 11.
3. Commonwealth Act (CA) No. 494 amended CA 444 "Eight Hour Law" authorizing the President to suspend the law.
4. Immigration Act of 1940 (CA No. 613), Sec. 13. Accessed on April 13, 2007

External links

• Official website of the Commission on Elections