Chapter 18
The Campaign for Independence
Nationalism
-a belief, creed or political
ideology that involves a
voluntary accepted or
coercively imposed mode of
identification with individual
persons and a nation.
Nasyonalismo- pananaw ng
isang indibidwal bilang kasapi ng
isang bansa o kaya ay
pagnanasa ng isang indibidwal
na paunlarin at palakasin ang
isang bansa.
Immediate Independence
• mabilis na pagkamit ng kalayaan ng bansa
• United States had no effective answer for Philippine
Independence- “The only definite was the promise to
grant independence in the near future.”
Jones Law
•
Jones Law- contained the first formal
and official declaration of the United
States Federal Government's
commitment to grant independence to
the Philippines.
• Nagtaguyod: William Atkinson Jones
• Pambungad ng batas: Ang layunin ng
U.S. sa pagsakop ng Pilipinas ay
ipagkaloob ang kasarinlan sa Pilipino
sa sandaling ito ay magkaroon ng
matatag na pamahalaan.
The Filipino Leaders, encouraged by the Jones Law,
concluded that Independence from the United States could
be ultimately obtained through increased political
pressure and active campaigns.
2 DECADES of American direction: Filipinos felt confident
>advanced in experience and participation in public
affairs>enables them to manage their country on their
own.
The Commission of Independence
November 1918:
“The Philippine Legislature was the legislative body of the Philippines
during the earlier part U.S. colonial administration. It was a bicameral
legislature, with the Philippine Commission, headed by the U.S.
Governor General serving as the upper house, and the Philippine
Assembly serving as the lower house.”
The Philippine Legislature created the Commission of Independence
• Commission = granting power/authority to
carry out a particular task.
• Commission of Independence = para sa pagaaral sa lahat ng mga bagay na may
kinalaman sa pagkakasundo at kaayusan ng
kalayaan ng Pilipinas/ “for the purpose of
studying all matters related to negotiation
and organization of the independence of the
Philippines.”
• Full power + Control -> Commission
• March 1919: the Legislature approved a
Declaration of Purposes for the guidance
of Commission.
• Declaration> Task (of the Commission) > “To
relieve the anxiety of our people which two
decades of occupation have only served to
accentuate.”
• Commission for Independence = 11 senators
+ forty congressmen
*Most important pledges of the commission:
1) Dispatch independence missions to U.S.
/Magpadala ng mga misyon sa U.S.
2) Direction of publicity campaign for
independence/Pangangampanya para sa kalayaan
*Independence Missions: Nacionalista + Democrata
(Major and minor parties) participated to give the
campaign a semblance/show of national UNITY.
*Nacionalistas- Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmena,
Manuel A. Roxas, Jose Abad Santos, Benigno Aquino
Sr., Camilo Osias, Elpidio Quirino
*Democratas- Claro M. Recto, Emilio Tria Tirona, Juan
Sumulong, Pedro Gil, Ruperto Montinola
• The missions presented a set argument in
favor of their cause:
• Ang kalayaan ay “ideal” para sa mga Pilipino
kaya’t ito’y hinahangad
• Pagbigay pansin ng mga Amerikano sa
kalayaan ng Pilipinas sa panahong makamit
ang kaayusan
• Isang matatag na gobyerno para sa mga
Pilipino
• Pagbigay ng kalayaan ng U.S. sa Pilipinas
• April 1919: Publicity campaign > Philippine
Press Bureau, in Washington
• >aimed at developing the necessary interest
in Congress and the American public to
compel consideration of the Philippine
question, which admittedly received little
preferential attention from Americans.
• Press Bulletin> circulated in U.S. (1924) and
American writers and publicists were hired to
advertise an entire people.
The Independence Missions
First Parliamentary Mission – 1919;
led by Pres. Quezon, Senator Jose
Palma and 40 Nacionalista parties;
came at a bad time (World War I had
just ended) - the officials were busy
and more concerned in problems of
political and economic readjustments;
Republican leaders were
unconvinced that Filipinos were ready
for independence and announced an
indefinite postponement of the
question of the Philippine Independence;
President Woodrow Wilson sent a
recommendation to the Congress on
behalf of the Philippines (the only
recommendation he made in his 8 yrs
of presidency)>Ignored by Republican
Administration; FAILED.
• Second Parliamentary
Mission – April 1922; led by
Quezon and Osmena;
questions raised by the
Wood-Forbes Mission
Report- how and when
Filipinos’ aspirations might
be fulfilled; President
Harding: “No backward step
is contemplated”; NO ACTION
WAS TAKEN> FAILED.
• Special Mission > led by
Manuel Roxas (new speaker)
>against Governor Wood’s
“reactionary and militaristic
rule”
shattered hopes – President Calvin
Coolidge: “in spite of the progress
made in the Philippines, the Filipinos
were as yet unprepared, financially
and in other ways, to maintain their
independence”
• Coolidge rebuked the Mission members especially for
their complaints against Governor Wood.
• “…..their failure will be rather a testimony of
unpreparedness for the full obligations of citizenship
than an evidence of patriotic eagerness to
advance their country.”
• He assured the Filipinos that the American people
would gladly accord them independence if it became
apparent that it would be good for them “from the
point of view of both their domestic concerns and
their status in the world.”
• The Independence commission successively sent
independence missions to Washington in 1923-1925 but
ALL THE MISSIONS FAILED…
The Fairfield Bill
What is the Fairfield Bill?
• It is an administration alternative to the
independence measure was reported out
of committee and although it was never
debated in congress, it for a time seemed
certain to pass and introduced on the
committee on insular affairs on April
1924.
-Chief of Bureau of Insular Affairs of the War Department
-He directly supervised the Philippines.
Important Dates
August 1922- the second parliamentary mission was
returned w/ no more assurances from U.S
In 1923-1925- the independence commission
successively sent independence mission to
Washington
November 1923- new house speaker of the
Philippines Manuel A. Roxas lead the special mission
to asked for Woods relief the Philippine
Independence.
February 21,1924 - president Calvin Coolidge –
delivered his reply to the memorial in serve letter.
• Hare-Hawes Cutting Act- proposed a 30 yrs.
Period of autonomy w/c the Phil. Would have
control of insular affairs w/ an elective
Governor General for the Commonwealth of
the Phil.
• 1944 – Fairfield Bill provided for absolute
Independence for the Philippines.
• Third Parliamentary Mission - considered one
of the most distinct of all missions because of
incidents attending its return to the phil.
The Independence Campaign
Continues
• 1929 - congressional interest in Phil.
Independence would not revived until the Great
Depression.
• 1924 - the insular auditor disallow the 1 million
peso appropriation w/c financed the mission
and the publicity bureau in Washington
• August 1925 - Osmena went as a special envoy
to Washington
-to confer w/ the Washington government and
congress for the final solution of the Phil.
problem.
• Muslim Leaders at one time or another
addressed petition to the Governor
General and to Congress opposing
Independence for their territory and
demanding continuation of American Rule
and some for other muslims they don’t
want to be separated from the Christians
Filipinos but receive to Independence with
them.
• Fortunately for the Philippines, The
Coolidge Administration did not commit
itself to The Bacon Bill and Congress
turned out to be not at all enthusiastic.
• Bacon Bill - one the reactionary bills
separating Mindanao Sulu and Palawan
from the jurisdiction of the Phil.
Autonomy Government
• November 1923 - proposed of
separation of Muslim territory from Phil.
Government
• Mindanao and Sulu- unorganized
territory under the American flag.
Moro Province and Christian Northhave an arguments for the Bacon Bills of
the Phil.
The Supreme
National Council
• Launched by Quezon
• Formed to united the political parties of
the Filipinos for a more effective fight for
independence
• It was generally just the Independence
Commission under a different name
• The formation period was between 19261927
Three Objectives
• Attraction of substantial Filipinos not
heretofore prominent in the campaign
for independence
• Decentralization of the campaign so that
the provinces might take an active part
• Attempt gradual and peaceful use of the
political authority vested in the
American Governor-General and the
Philippine Legislature
The Plebiscite Controversy
• Its purpose was to counteract the antiindependence campaign in the United
State premised on the assumption that
the Filipino people did not desire
independence.
• The bill was vetoed in December 1925
only to be reintroduced and approved in
July 1926
American Interest Groups-“Friends”
of the Philippine Independence
Tariff
Free
Trade
Great Depression
Interest Groups
Agriculturists
Patriotic groups
Isolationists
Anti-imperialists
Payne-Aldrich Act of 1909
Underwood-Simmons Act
American Federation of Labor(AFL)
Free Trade and Independence
Philippine Independence
• March-October 1929- Manuel Roxas & Sergio Osmena
were in Washington as a legislative committee to
present the Philippine case affecting the free
entry of Philippine products to the US.
• December 1929- new mission towards Philippine
independence by Roxas, assisted by (House
Majority Floor Leader) Manuel C. Briones & 2
democrata leaders: Pedro Gil & Juan Sumulong
• January 15, 1930- Philippine independence
hearing began wherein the focused on the HareHawes-Cutting Bill--was the first US law passed
for the decolonization of the Philippines
The OsRox Mission
Hare-Hawes-Cutting Bill
• The act established a transition
government for 12 years before
receiving independence on July 4,
1946.
• It divided the Philippine
Legislature into two camps which
are the “pro” and “anti”
Pro: Osmena & Roxas
Anti: Manuel Quezon
Hare-Hawes-Cutting Bill REJECTION
*Manuel L. Quezon caused the Philippine
Legislature to reject the bill for the
following reasons:
1. The provisions affecting trade
relations between the United States and
the Philippines would seriously imperil
the economic, social, and political
institutions of the country and might
defeat the avowed purpose to secure
independence for the Philippines at the
end of the transition period.
2. The immigration clause was
objectionable and offensive to
the Filipino people.
3. The powers of the High
Commissioner were to indefinite.
4. The military, naval, and other
reservations provided for in the
act.
Tydings-McDuffie Act
May 1, 1934- the Philippine
Legislature accepted the
Tydings-McDuffie Act
which removed the
provision of military
reservations in the
Philippines and
substituted another for
“ultimate settlement as
to naval bases and
fueling stations."