Seeking materials about "History of Legal Education in the Philippines"

Dear Mr. Sucgang,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

Depending on the time frame you are interested in, you may need to search multiple locations for records related to your research topic.

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located several series in the Records of the Bureau of Insular Affairs (Record Group 350) that may be of interest to you, including the series Draft Manuscripts of Publications Relating to Philippine Political and Education Affairs, ca. 1911 - 1923; the series Assorted Petitions, Circulars, Correspondence and Publications Relating to the Philippine Islands, 1893-1932 that includes an 1893 report on education in the Philippine Islands and circular letters covering 1919 for the Bureau of Education; the series Manuscript Reports of the U.S. High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands, 1936-1939 that contains annual reports of private schools and colleges; the series General Records, 1902-1904 that consists of published maps of the Philippine Islands, showing schools, military posts, telegraph lines and cables, ports, lighthouses, post offices and territorial boundaries; the series Biographical Reference Files, ca. 1902 - ca. 1945 that contains information on people active in the social and political affairs of the Philippine Islands; and the series Financial Accounts of Philippine Students Educated in the United States, 1903-1917 that includes information about Philippine Island natives at United States schools. These records have not been digitized. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov with questions about these records.

Next, we located the series Printed Materials, 1899-1899 in the General Records of the Department of State (Record Group 59) that contains school textbooks used in the Philippines from 1888 to 1898. Please contact RDT2 for information about and access to these records.

Additionally, we located the series Guerilla Unit Recognition Files, 1941-1948 in the Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1917 - 1985 (Record Group 407) that includes 10 files with references to the Philippine Law School that may be of interest to you. These files have been digitized and are available online via the Catalog. You may contact RDT2 for assistance with these records. They are part of the larger Philippine Archives Collection held at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.

Plus, we located the series Photographs of the Philippine Islands, 1898-1935 in Record Group 350 that includes photographs of educational facilities in the Philippines. A few of the images have been digitized, but most have not. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures (RDSS) at stillpix@nara.gov for information about and access to these records.

We also suggest that you use the Catalog to review records related to various organizations involved in education in the Philippines, including the Second Philippine Commission, the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Insular Affairs, and the Education Division of USAID's Mission to the Philippines to name a few.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2 and RDSS. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

You may also be interested in this 2016 thesis, Raising the Bar for Philippine Legal Education: An Analysis and Proposal for Reforms, and there are multiple results related to studying and teaching law in the Philippines and to law school in the Philippines available on WorldCat that may be helpful for your research.

Finally, you may wish to contact the National Archives of the Philippines and the libraries and archives of universities in the Philippines to see if they can offer you any additional assistance.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!