THE

COMMONWEALTH
GERPHIS

GOVERNMENT
A Presentation by GARCIA & GATMAYTAN
 TOPICS
The Commonwealth Government
WHAT WE'LL DISCUSS

Presidents of the Commonwealth

Government

Significant Events

Overall contribution of Commonwealth

period and transition to WWII
THE COMMONWEALTH
Started in November 13, 1935, lasted until 1945 before
being interrupted by the Japanese occupation.

It is a ten year transition to Philippine independence from

American colonialism. [Refer to Tydings-McDuffie Law]

Manuel Quezon was the 1st President of the

Commonwealth Government.
 Political Description of The Commonwealth
THE COMMONWEALTH
Centralization of Power to Manuel Quezon

Presidential system of government; unicameral legislature and

eventually a bicameral legislature.

“Progressive conservatism” and “partyless democracy”

Two Presidents: Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña

 Social Description of the Commonwealth

Social Welfare measures were implemented:

THE COMMONWEALTH - 8 hour working days
- Minimum wage
- Right to form unions

Public Education
The Teaching of English
Commercialization
Mass Media
Electoral Politics
 Social Descriptions of the Commonwealth
THE COMMONWEALTH
The Chinese were once again seen as outsiders during this Era.

The Philippine Commission extended American exclusion

laws to the Philippines.

The Commonwealth government allowed an annual quota

of five hundred immigrants per nationality,
 Economic Description of the Commonwealth
THE COMMONWEALTH
Tax laws were adjusted to improve income.

Quezon's "Social Justice" Program:

Break up land estates for distribution among farmers
Resettlement programs
Made Quezon popular
 Significant Events

THE COMMONWEALTH Sakdal Uprising:

An indication of the persistence of social problems from the

late Spanish into the American colonial period.

The Sakdal Movement was founded by Benigno Ramos

An uprising / revolt of the peasants in agricultural areas of

central Luzon

Opposed the Nacionalista Party

Quezon used this event to justify the centralization of power

 Significant Events

THE COMMONWEALTH Establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth Army:

Philippine Commonwealth Act 1:

Creation of the PH Commonwealth Army

Presidential Order (6 Fed. Reg. 3825):

States that the Philippine Commonwealth Army is called to
the service of the Armed Forces of the United States
 Significant Events

THE COMMONWEALTH Tagalog as a basis for the National Language:

Executive Order No. 134, December 30, 1937:

Filipino as the Philippine's national language

Based on the National Language Institute, the NLI, as well as

other Filipino scholars, determined Tagalog as the dialect
spoken by majority of the Filipinos.  
 MANUEL LUIS QUEZON
Y MOLINA

Born on Aug 19, 1878 in Baler Province

1st President of the Commonwealth Government
In favor and supported the
Tydings-McDuffie law
PRESIDENT
Built a new capital that later became Quezon City
MANUEL L. QUEZON
 SERGIO OSMEÑA

Born on September 9, 1878 in Cebu City

"Grand Old Man of Cebu"
Vice President to Manuel L. Quezon
PRESIDENT
2nd President of the Commonwealth Government
SERGIO OSMEÑA
OSROX Mission & Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act
 OVERALL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT
The Commonwealth Government served as
CONCLUSION

transitional government before the Philippines

gained its independence.

Tagalog became the basis for the national

language, Filipino.

Establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth

Army.
 TRANSITION TO JAPANESE
OCCUPATION
The Japanese invaded and occupied the Philippines in
1942.
CONCLUSION

Quezon went to the United States where he formed a

government in exile.

Jose P. Laurel served as the puppet president for the

Japanese during Japanese occupation.

After the country was freed from the Japanese, the

Commonwealth republic was reformed.
 Abinales, P. N., Amoroso, D. J. (2005) State and Society in the Philippines. United States of 
America: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Britannica, T. E. (2018, August 15). Manuel Quezon. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from 
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Manuel-Quezon
Britannica, T. E. (2019, April 25). Sakdal Uprising. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from 
REFERENCES

https://www.britannica.com/event/Sakdal-Uprising
National Historical Commision of the Philippines. (2012).Sergio Osmena: Remembering the
Grand old man of Cebu. Retrieved July 25, 2019 from http://nhcp.gov.ph/sergio-osmena-
remembering-the-grand-old-man-of-cebu/
Official Gazette. (n.d.). The Jones Law of 1916. Retrieved July 17, 2019 from 
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/the-jones-law-of-1916/ 
Official Gazette. (n.d.). The Commonwealth of the Philippines. Retrieved July 17, 2019 from
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-commonwealth-of-the-philippines/
 PHILIPPINE-HISTORY.ORG. (2019). The Philippine Commonwealth Era. Retrieved July 17, 2019
from https://www.philippine-history.org/philippine-commonwealth.htm
Quezon III, M. (2007). Partyless Democracy redux. Retrieved July 18, 2019 from 
http://www.quezon.ph/2007/07/18/partyless-democracy-redux/
The Commonwealth of the Philippines: GOVPH. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2019, from 
REFERENCES

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-commonwealth-of-the-philippines/
The Philippine Commonwealth Era. (2019, January 12). Retrieved July 18, 2019, from 
https://www.philippine-history.org/philippine-commonwealth.htm
Tupaz, V. (2012). How Filipino became the national language. Retrieved July 25 2019 from
https://www.rappler.com/nation/18809-how-filipino-became-the-national-language