August 24, 1934 Speech to the Constitutional Convention by Pedro D. Melendez

On August 24, 1934 my Lolo, delegate Pedro D. Melendez addressed the Constitutional Convention. Here is his original speech. He was an advocate for the native peoples and tribes of his region, Bukidnon. He notes the North American's subjection of its' indigenous people and parallels that atrocity as insight  to the importance in preserving the "non-Christian" Filipinos and other vibrant tribal communities. "You will note that our non-Christian territory can constitute a kingdom by itself. The importance of conserving our non-Christian regions cannot be under-estimated." #familyhistory #filipino