For Philip, yet to be Sir Philip, the year 1921 wasn’t just a historical footnote; it was a personal and political whirlwind. As Malta’s economy experienced post-war inflation and the streets buzzed with the clamor of social unrest, Philip — then the island’s Advocate for the Poor, essentially early 20th-century legal aid — faced challenges. His private life was shadowed by the recent loss of his father and his brother.
Despite his youth, Philip had the family’s standing with the church and a well-respected legal practice. His professional fate seems to have proceeded through familial and professional networks.
His father-in-law’s election to the Senate (Col. Achille Samut) to the 1921 bicameral Parliament gave him connections. He was first cousins with another parliamentarian, Ugo Pasquale Mifsud, through his mother. Many of the parliamentarians were also lawyers. It was these relationships that propelled him towards the seat of Attorney-General, thrusting him into a delicate balancing act between the British rulers and the Maltese clergy.
| Name | Party | Senate | Portrait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hon. Sir G. Strickland, G.C., LL.B., B.A., M.L.A., | Constitutional Party | No |  |
| Hon. S. C. Henry, M.L.A. | Constitutional Party | No |  |
| Hon. R. Hamilton, M.L.A. | Constitutional Party | No |  |
| Hon. Col. A. Samut, C.B., C.M.G., Senator, | Constitutional Party | Yes |  |
| Hon W Salomone, M.L.A. | Constitutional Party | No |  |
| Hon. E. Vassallo, PAA, M.L.A., | Constitutional Party | No |  |
| Hon. A. Gera de Petri, M.L.A. | Constitutional Party | No |  |
| Hon. Prof. A. Cuschieri, O.C., Father , Graduates | Graduates* | Yes |  |
| Hon Mons Can A.M. Hili, MLA | PDN | No |  |
| Hon Mons Can F. Ferris D.D. L.L.D, M.L.A. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon Rev E Dandria, D.D., PhD, M.L.A. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon Mons Can Acrid. G. Apap Bonogna D.D. S.T.D, I.C.D, Senator | Clergy | Yes |  |
| Hon. Prof. Mons. M. Gonzi, D.D., B.L., Labour Party | Labour Party | Yes |  |
| Hon. Rev. Can. C. Bugelli, M.L.A., U.P.M. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon. Mons. Can. P. Galea, J.U.D., Senator, Clergy | Clergy | Yes |  |
| Hon. Mons Ignazio Panzavecchia | UPM | Yes |  |
| Hon. L. Borg, M.L.A. | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon. A. Dalli, M.L.A. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon. Marquis A. Mattei, L.L.D., M.L.A. | UPM | Yes |  |
| Hon. Comm. J. Howard, O.B.E., Senator, U.P.M. | UPM | Yes |  |
| Hon Not S. Borg-Olivier M.L.A. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon. G. Degiorgio, M.L.A., U.P.M. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon. L. Arrigo, M.B.E, M.L.A. | U.P.M. | No |  |
| Hon. A. Pullicino, MD. (Vice President of the Senate) | UPM | Yes |  |
| Hon. Chev. E. Said, B.A., M.D., L.M., M.L.A., U.P.M. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon S. Zammit Hammet | Trades Union Council | yes |  |
| Hon. L. Apap. | Chamber of Commerce | Yes |  |
| Hon. Prof C. Mifsud, M.D., Graduate | Graduates | Yes |  |
| Hon. L. Portelli, M.L.A., Labour Party | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon. V. Busuttil, M.L.A., (D’cd) | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon. P. G. Frendo, LL.D., M.L.A., Labour Party | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon. V. Farrugia, M.L.A., Labour Party | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon. Mon. Chev. AM Galea | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon. M. Borg, M.L.A., Labour Party | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon. Lt. Col. M. Dundon, D., M.L.A. | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon A. Mifsud. Ph, LBST, MLA | Labour Party | No |  |
| Hon Chev JC Camilleri | Chamber of Commerce | Yes |  |
| Hon. U. P. Mifsud, LL.D., B.Lit., M.L.A. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon. Marquis P. Apap Bologna (Vice President of the Senate) | Nobility | Yes |  |
| Hon F. Buhagiar, L.L.D, M.L.A. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon Col W. Savona | Trades union council | Yes |  |
| Hon. P. Borg Grech, M.L.A. | Labour party | No |  |
| Hon. L. Camilleri, LL.D., M.L.A. | PDN | No |  |
| Hon. G. Adami, LL.D., M.L.A. | UPM | No |  |
| Hon. G. Micallef, LL.D., M.L.A. | PDN | No |  |
| Hon Count Caruana Gatto, L.L.D., B.A. | Nobility | Yes |  |
| Hon. F. N. Buttigieg L.L.D. M.L.A | UPM | No |  |
| Hon. F. Caruana Gatto, L.L.D., B.A. | Graduates | Yes |  |
| Hon E. Mizzi L.L.D., M.L.A. | PDN | No |  |
| Hon. Max Debono, L.L.D. (President of the Senate) | UPM | Yes |  |
| Hon Prof A. Bartolo, L.L. D.,B. LIT., F.R.H.S.,M.L.A. | Constitutional Party | No |  |