Commonwealth of the Philippines | |||||||||||
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1935–1942 Japanese occupation: 1942–45 1945–1946 | |||||||||||
Anthem: The Philippine Hymn (from September 5, 1938)[4] | |||||||||||
Status | Associated state and protectorate of the United States | ||||||||||
Capital | Manilaa | ||||||||||
Common languages | |||||||||||
Government | Presidential commonwealth | ||||||||||
President | |||||||||||
• 1935–44 | Manuel L. Quezon | ||||||||||
• 1944–46 | Sergio Osmeña | ||||||||||
• 1946 | Manuel Roxas | ||||||||||
High Commissioner | |||||||||||
• 1935–37 | Frank Murphy | ||||||||||
• 1937–39 | Paul V. McNutt | ||||||||||
• 1939–42 | Francis Bowes Sayre | ||||||||||
• 1945–46 | Paul V. McNutt | ||||||||||
Vice President | |||||||||||
• 1935–44 | Sergio Osmeña | ||||||||||
• 1946 | Elpidio Quirino | ||||||||||
Legislature |
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Historical era | Interwar, World War II | ||||||||||
15 November[6][7][8][9] 1935 | |||||||||||
4 July 1946 | |||||||||||
22 October 1946 | |||||||||||
Area | |||||||||||
1939 | 300,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||
• 1939 | 16000303 | ||||||||||
Currency | Peso | ||||||||||
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Today part of | Philippines | ||||||||||
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The Commonwealth of the Philippines (Spanish: Commonwealth de Filipinas,[1][3] Tagalog: Komonwelt ng Pilipinas) was the name of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 when it was still controlled by the United States. The Philippine Commonwealth had been created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which was approved by the U.S. Congress in 1934. When Manuel L. Quezon became president in 1935, he was the first Filipino to head an elected government in the Philippines.
The President of the Philippine Commonwealth had strong control of the islands and was guided by a Supreme Court. The National Assembly or law-making part of the government, members mostly come from the Nacionalista Party, was at first only one, but later became two, a lower part and a higher part. In 1937, the government chose Tagalog, the language of Manila, as the national language. Women were allowed to vote, and the economy was strong.
The Philippine Commonwealth government was forced out of the country from 1942–1945, when the Philippines was under Japanese control. In 1946, the Philippine Commonwealth ended when the Third Philippines Republic began.
Officials of the Commonwealth of the Philippines – Funcionarios del Commonwealth de Filipinas
This Proclamation shall be effective upon its promulgation at Manila, Philippine Islands, on November 15, 1935, by the Secretary of War of the United States of America, who is hereby designated as my representative for that purpose.