Commonwealth Government

and the Second Republic

Commonwealth Government
Is the 10 year transitional period in Philippine history from
1935 to 1945 in preparation for independence from the
United States as provided for under the Philippine
Independence Act or more popularly known as the 
Tydings-McDuffie Law.

It was interrupted when the Japanese occupied the

Philippines in January 2, 1942. The Commonwealth
government, lead by Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio S.
Osmeña went into exile in the U.S., Quezon died of
tuberculosis while in exile and Osmeña took over as
president.
Important Legislations and Events
during the American Period that made
the Philippines a Commonwealth of
the United States:
The Philippine Bill of 1902 - Cooper Act
 

United States Congressman Henry Allen Cooper sponsored the Philippine Bill of
1902, also known as the Cooper Act. The bill proposed the creation and
administration of a civil government in the Philippines. 
President Theodore Roosevelt signed it into law in July 2, 1902.
Here are some of the more important provisions of the Cooper Act:

▪ Ratification of all changes introduced in the Philippine government by the

president of the U.S., such as the establishment of the Philippine Commission,
the office of the civil governor and the Supreme court
▪ Extension of the American Bill of Rights to the Filipinos except the right of trial
by jury
▪ Creation of bicameral legislative body, with the Philippine Commission as the
upper house and a still-to-be-elected Philippine Assembly as the Lower House
▪ Retention of the executive powers of the civil governor, who
was also president of the Philippine Commission
▪ Designation of the Philippine Commission as the legislating
authority for non-Christian tribes
▪ Retention of the Judicial powers of the Supreme court and
other lower courts
▪ Appointment of two Filipino resident commissioners who would
represent the Philippines in the US Congress but would not enjoy
voting rights
▪ Conservation of Philippine natural resources
 
  
The bill contained 3 provisions that had to be fulfilled first
before the Philippine Assembly could be establishing
these were the:
 
▪ Complete restoration of peace and order in the Philippines
▪ Accomplishment of a Nationwide census
▪ Two years of peace and order after the publication of the
census
The Philippine Assembly
The assembly was inaugurated on October 16, 1907 at the
Manila Grand Opera House, with US secretary of War 
William Howard Taft as guest of honor. Sergio Osmeña was
elected Speaker while Manuel Quezon was elected Majority Floor
leader. The Recognition of the Philippine Assembly paved the
way for the establishment of the bicameral Philippine Legislature.
The Assembly functioned as the lower House, while the Philippine
Commission served as the upper house.
Resident Commissioners

Benito Legarda and Pablo Ocampo were the

first commissioners. Other Filipinos who
occupied this position included Manuel
Quezon, Jaime de Veyra, Teodoro Yangco,
Isaro Gabaldon, and Camilo Osias.
The Jones Law
To further train the Filipinos in the art of government, the U.S. Congress
enacted the Jones Law on August 29, 1916. It was the first official
document that clearly promised the Philippine independence, as stated
in its preamble, as soon as a stable government was established. The
Jones Law or the Philippine Autonomy act, Replace the Philippine bill of
1902 as the framework of the Philippine government. It provide for the
creation of the executive powers. The vice governor general, assisted by
his Cabinet, would exercise executive powers. The vice governor would
act concurrently as the Secretary of Education.
Creation of the Council of State
Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña, Governor General Francis Burton
Harrison issued an executive order on October 16, 1981, creating the first
Council of State in the Philippines. It was the Council's duty to advise the
governor general on matters such as the creation of policies for administering
government offices.
It was composed of the governor general, the department secretaries, the
speaker of the Lower House, and the Senate president. During Harrison's term,
the executive and legislative branches of government worked harmoniously
with each other.
The Os-Rox Mission
it was headed by Sergio Osmeña and Manuel Roxas. The Os-Rox group went to the
United States in 1931 and was able to influence the U.S. Congress to pass a pro-
independence bill by Representative Butter Hare, Senator Henry Hawes, and
Senator Bronso Cutting. The Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law provided for a 10-year
transition period before the United States would recognize Philippine
independence. U.S. President Herbert Hoover did not sign the bill; but both
Houses of Congress ratified it.

it was rejected by a the American High Commissioner representing the US

president in the country and the Philippine Senate, specifically the provision that
gave the U.S. president the right to maintain land and other properties reserved
for military use.
The Tydings-McDuffie Law
In December 1933, Manuel L. Quezon returned to the Philippines from
the United States with a slightly amended version of the Hare-Hawes-
Cutting bill authored by Senator Milliard Tydings and representative
McDuffie. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the new U.S. president,
signed it into law on March 24, 1934.
It was officially called the Philippine Independence Act of the United
States Congress; Public Law 73-127 or more popularly known as the The
Tydings McDuffie Law provided for the establishment of the
Commonwealth government for a period of ten years preparatory to the
granting of Independence.
The Second Republic
Is officially known as the Republic of the Philippines; and also known as
the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic, was a Japanese puppet state
 established on October 14, 1943 during the Japanese occupation of the islands.

the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, President Manuel L. Quezon had

declared the national capital Manila an "open city", and left it under the rule of 
Jorge B. Vargas, as mayor. The Japanese entered the city on January 2, 1942, and
established it as the capital. Japan fully captured the Philippines on May 6, 1942,
after the Battle of Corregidor.
Independence
Before the formation of the Preparatory Commission, the Japanese gave an option to put the
Philippines under the dictatorship of Artemio Ricarte, whom the Japanese returned from 
Yokohama to help bolster their propaganda movement. However, the Philippine
Executive Commission refused this option and chose to make the Philippines a republic instead.
During his first visit to the Philippines on May 6, 1943, Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō promised to
return independence to the Philippines as part of its propaganda of Pan-Asianism (Asia for the
Asians).
On December 13, 1943, a version of the Philippine flag with no markings on the sun was
adopted as the Second Republic's flag through Executive Order 17. By virtue of this
proclamation the Philippine flag was inverted to signify that the Philippines was officially in a
state of war. The (war) flag remained as the official flag until the formal dissolution of the
Second Philippines Republic.
Greater East Asia Conference
was an international summit held in Tokyo from November 5 to 6,
1943, in which Japan hosted the heads of state of various
component members of the Greater East Asia
Co-Prosperity Sphere. The event was also referred to as the Tokyo
Conference. The Conference addressed few issues of substance, but
was intended from the start as a propaganda show piece, to
illustrate the Empire of Japan's commitments to the Pan-Asianism
 ideal and to emphasize its role as the "liberator" of Asia from
Western colonialism.
Problems of the Republic
During his term in office, Laurel was faced with various problems
that the country was experiencing, such as the following:
•Shortages of food, clothing, oil, and other necessities
•Heavy Japanese military presence throughout the entire region[15]
•Japanese control of transportation, media, and communications
Laurel attempted to show that the independence of the republic was
genuine by rectifying these problems.
Food Shortages
Prioritizing the shortages of food, he organized an agency to distribute rice, even though most of
the rice was confiscated by Japanese soldiers. Manila was one of the many places in the country
that suffered from severe shortages, due mainly to a typhoon that struck the country in
November 1943.
The Japanese, in order to raise rice production in the country, brought a quick-
maturing horai rice, which was first used in Taiwan. Horai rice was expected to make the
Philippines self-sufficient in rice by 1943, but rains during 1942 prevented this from happening.
Japanese army patrols would slaughter the carabaos for meat, thereby preventing the farmers
from growing enough rice to feed the large population. Before World War II, an estimated three
million carabaos inhabited the Philippines. By the end of the war, an estimated nearly 70% of
them had been lost.
Japanese Money
The first issue in 1942 consisted of denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 50 centavos and
1, 5, and 10 Pesos. The next year brought "replacement notes" of the 1, 5 and 10
Pesos while 1944 ushered in a 100 Peso note and soon after an inflationary 500
Pesos note. In 1945, the Japanese issued a 1,000 Pesos note. This set of new
money, which was printed even before the war, became known in the Philippines
as Mickey Mouse money due to its very low value caused by severe inflation.
Anti-Japanese newspapers portrayed stories of going to the market laden with
suitcases or "bayong" (native bags made of woven coconut or buri leaf strips)
overflowing with the Japanese-issued bills. In 1944, a box of matches cost more
than 100 Mickey Mouse pesos. In 1945, a kilogram of camote cost around
1000 Mickey Mouse pesos. Inflation plagued the country with the devaluation of
the Japanese money, evidenced by a 60% inflation experienced in January 1944.
Education
The Japanese allowed Tagalog to be the national language of the Philippines. To
this end, a pared-down, 1,000-word version of the language was promoted to be
learned rapidly by those not yet versed in the language.
Love for labor was encouraged, as seen by the massive labor recruitment
programs by the KALIBAPI by mid-1943. Propagation of both Filipino and
Japanese cultures were conducted. Schools were reopened, which had an overall
number of 300,000 students at its peak.
End of the Republic
On September 21, 1944, Laurel placed the Republic under martial law. On
September 23, 1944, the Republic officially declared war against the
United States and United Kingdom. Following the return of 
American-led Allied forces, the government of the Second Republic
evacuated Manila to Baguio. The republic was formally dissolved by
Laurel in Tokyo on August 17, 1945 - two days after the 
Surrender of Japan.