Department of Justice - Republic of the Philippines

The Department of Justice traces its beginnings at the Revolutionary Assembly in Naic, Cavite on April 17, 1897. The establishment of a regime of law was tasked to Don Severino delas Alas who headed the Department of Grace and Justice. Shortly after the proclamation of Independence in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898, President Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree on September 26, 1898 reorganizing the Department. A year later, the American military force established the Office of the Attorney of the Supreme Court in place ofthe Department. On June ll, 1901, the new office was renamed the Office of the Attorney General and on September 1, 1901, the Office became the Department of Finance and Justice. In the 1916 government reorganization, the Department became a separate entity and was given executive supervision over all courts of first instance and other inferior courts. Under the Japanese occupation, the Department was made a Commission. The civilian government established by the Ja...