Histo 12 Quiz 2 (Philippine Commonwealth)

chronological order of events

1. 1935 commonwealth elections, sept 16, 1935

2. inaugration of manuel quezon, november 15, 1935

3. national defense act, december 21, 1935

4. women’s suffrage plebscite, april 30, 1937

5. national language, 1937

6. quezon city, october 12, 1939

7. japanese invasion, december 8, 1941

8. government in exile, feb 20, 1942

9. jewish refugees, 1938-1941

10. death of quezon, aug 1, 1944

11. philippine independence, july 4, 1946

Quezon as Commonwealth’s Strongman

• Elected as the first President of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935

• Strongman refers to a leader who exercises absolute power by force, will, and intimidation

  • Manuel L. Quezon dominated prewar Philippines during the Commonwealth era with assertive leadership

  • It also enabled him to implement reforms that helped prepare the Philippines for independence – ones that went against of what was expected at the time

• He pursued an ambitious nation-building agenda that included social justice reforms, national defense, women’s suffrage, the establishment of a national language, and the creation of Quezon City

• Despite criticism that he centralized executive power, Quezon believed that strong leadership was necessary to build stable democratic institutions during the Commonwealth period

• His presidency shaped the political, economic, and cultural foundations of the modern Philippine state

Places Named After Quezon During His Lifetime (and significance of this?)

remarkable that monuments and places were named after him because usually that would happen only after the figure has died

1. Quezon City (Established by Commonwealth Act No. 502), once was the national capital

2. Quezon Bridge (above pasig river, connecting manila and quiapo)

3. Quezon Memorial Circle (circular park)

4. Quezon Institute

Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935–1946)

• Strong executive branch and an independent Supreme Court

• Legislature initially unicameral, later became bicameral

  • Unicameral — National Assembly

  • Bicameral — Congress (Senate + House of Representatives) 

• In 1937, Tagalog was chosen as the basis of the national language 

• Women’s suffrage officially adopted

• The economy recovered from the Great Depression before Japanese occupation

• From 1942–1945, the Commonwealth government operated in exile during Japanese occupation

  • Ended in 1946 when the Philippines gained independence under the 1935 Constitution

happenings of the first commonwealth presidential elections

• On September 16, 1935, the first Commonwealth presidential elections were held

• Candidates included Manuel L. Quezon, Emilio Aguinaldo and Gregorio Aglipay

• In the end, Manuel L. Quezon was elected President and Sergio Osmeña as Vice President under the Nacionalista Party

• On November 15, 1935, the Commonwealth Government was officially inaugurated

  • The ceremony held at the Legislative Building, Manila

  • Attended by an estimated 300,000 spectators

definitions of tariff (the free trade)

• Tariff  is a tax imposed on imported / exported goods

  • Used by Governments to:

    • Generate revenue

    • Protect local industries from foreign competition

    • Regulate international trade

• Free trade reduces or removes tariffs and other trade barriers

  • During the Commonwealth, the Philippines and the United States maintained free trade, allowing many goods to move with little or no tariffs

  • While free trade expanded exports, it also increased the Philippine economy’s dependence on the U.S. market

the sugar problem (free trade)

• The sugar industry was one of the Philippines’ most significant industries and a major contributor to the national economy

  • Its prosperity depended largely on duty-free access to the U.S. market, an “artificial condition” created during the American colonial period

• The industry faced uncertainty because the Tydings–McDuffie Act gradually ended trade privileges

  • On November 15, 1940, Philippine sugar exports to the U.S. would face increasing restrictions, leading to the removal of preferential treatment

  • Quezon emphasized that the industry could survive only by reducing production costs and becoming competitive in the global market

what were Quezon’s Proposed Solution to the Sugar Problem

1. Restructure the Industry — Remove sugar lands and mills that were no longer economically viable

2. Reduce Production Costs — Make Philippine sugar competitive in the world market after the loss of U.S. trade preferences

3. Improve Workers’ Welfare — Require sugar centrals and planters to pay higher and fairer wages

4. Support Small Planters — Provide financial assistance or benefit payments for those receiving an unfair share of sugar revenues

5. Promote Social and Labor Reforms — Fund programs to improve working conditions and stabilize the sugar industry.

Philippine Economic Adjustment Act  (Tydings–Kocialkowski Act)

an act meaning to gradually increase tariffs on products and slowly end free trade

• In April 1937, the Joint Preparatory Committee on Philippine Affairs recommended a 15-year transition period instead of an immediate end to free trade

  • The plan proposed gradually reducing duty-free export quotas, rather than imposing steadily increasing export taxes

• In 1940, the Philippine Economic Adjustment Act (also known as the Tydings–Kocialkowski Act) was enacted

  • The Law eliminated the scheduled increase of export taxes on:

    • Coconut oil, cigars, embroideries, pearl buttons

      • Instead, these products were allowed declining duty-free quotas for exports to the United States, easing the transition toward Philippine independence

The Sakdal Uprising (1935)

• J’accuse 

• A revolutionary group that meant to be a political party, under Benigno Ramos

• Protested against the commonwealth government and Americans

• Armed revolt, causing casualties

• ⁃ Quezon appeared, showing/reminding the people that he was in control

Quezon’s response to sakdal uprising

• Introduced Social Justice to address poverty and rural unrest after the Sakdal Uprising 

• Sought to improve the living conditions of farmers and workers 

  • Promoted land reform, fair labor practices, and protection of tenants

  • Strengthened labor rights through laws on minimum wages and working conditions

  • Established agencies to mediate landlord-tenant dispute 

• Reflected the Social Justice provision of the 1935 Constitution

• Aimed to reduce social inequality while maintaining peace and stability during the Commonwealth period

women’s suffrage during quezon’s presidency

• quezon was a public supporter of women’s suffrage, 1937

• However,  the campaign for women’s voting rights had begun decades earlier through the efforts of Filipino suffragists such as Pura Villanueva Kalaw, Paz Mendoza Guazon, and Josefa Llanes Escoda

• Nonetheless, Quezon strongly supported the movement and encouraged the fulfillment of the constitutional requirement for women’s enfranchisement

• The 1935 Constitution provided that Filipino women gain the right to vote if a majority voted in favor of suffrage in a national plebiscite

• On April 30, 1937, a nationwide plebiscite was held for qualified women voters

  • President Quezon publicly endorsed women’s suffrage and directed his administration to facilitate the plebiscite

  • More than 447,000 women voted in favor, exceeding the required 300,000 affirmative votes

• women were given a right to vote and run for public office

establishment of a national language

• In 1937, President Manuel L. Quezon declared Tagalog as the basis of the Philippine national language

• Quezon believed that a common language would strengthen national identity, improve communication, and unite Filipinos from different regions.

beginnings of japanese invasion and government in exile

• On December 8,1941, Japan invaded the Philippines after the attack on Pearl Harbor

  • As Japanese forces advanced toward Manila, President Quezon and the Commonwealth government evacuated to Corregidor, the country’s principal military stronghold. Quezon moved from Australia to Washington DC for safety

• In Washington, D.C., Quezon established the Philippine Government-in-Exile

  • Remained the internationally recognized legal government of the Philippines during the J apanese occupation

  • Quezon worked closely with Franklin D. Roosevelt and allied leaders to secure military and political support

Humanitarian Efforts: Refuge for Jewish Refugees

• Before the outbreak of World War II, Quezon opened the Philippines to Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution in Europe

• • Quenzon’s  administration admitted more than 1,300 Jewish refugees from 1938 and 1941

  • This saved lives and remains one of the Philippines’ most celebrated contributions during the Holocaust

quezon’s death

• On August 1, 1944, Quezon died of tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, at the age of 65

  • He did not live to witness the liberation of the Philippines in 1945 or the country’s formal independence in 1946

• Quezon’s remains were later returned to the Philippines and are now interred at the Quezon Memorial Shrine, located in the city he envisioned and founded

quezon’s legacy

• Regarded as the “Father of the National Language” for promoting a common Filipino language

• Remembered for strengthening national defense, championing women’s suffrage, establishing Quezon City, and leading the Commonwealth government

• His leadership helped lay the political and institutional foundations for an independent Philippine Republic