Published in 1926 by La Pilarica Press in Manila, this treatise represents a seminal work in the development of Philippine political science and administrative law. Its author, Jose P. Laurel, would later become the President of the Second Philippine Republic during the Japanese occupation. At the time of writing, Laurel was a prominent legal scholar and statesman, having served as Secretary of the Interior—a role that oversaw local governments. This book was written during the American colonial era, a period when Filipino intellectuals were actively articulating the structures of a self-governing nation. It reflects the efforts of Filipino scholars like Laurel and Máximo M. Kalaw to systematize the country’s legal and administrative heritage, blending indigenous customs with Spanish and American legal influences.
Local Government in the Philippine Islands