RPH 113 - 10 1935 The Commonwealth Constitution

1935:
The Commonwealth
Constitution
MODULE CONTENT
COURSE TITLE: Readings in Philippine History

MODULE TITLE: 1935: The Commonwealth Constitution
NOMINAL DURATION: 3 hours
SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this module you MUST be able to:
 Effectively communicate, using various techniques and genres,
historical analysis of a particular event or issue that could help others
understand the chosen topic
TOPIC:
Primary Source: Preamble of the 1935 Commonwealth
ASSESSMENT METHOD/S:
1. Quizzes
REFERENCE/S:
Readings in Philippine History by John Lee P. Candelaria and
Veronica C. Alporha, pp.75-76
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/constitution-day/
https://www.emaze.com/@AZIRRRRQ
Bachelor of Science Date Developed:

Bulacan
in Accounting July 2020
Polytechnic Page 2 of 5
Information System Date Revised:
College
Readings in July 2020
Philippine History Document No. Developed by:
Revision # 02
RPH 113 20-RPH 113 Farrah Mae S. Santos
Information Sheet RPH 113-10
1935: The Commonwealth Constitution
Learning Objectives:
After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:
 To analyze social, political, economic, and cultural issues in the Philippines
using the lens of history
 To recognize that the problems of today are consequences of decisions and
events that happened in the past
 To understand several enduring issues in Philippine society through history
 To propose recommendations or solutions to present day problems based
on the understanding of the past and anticipation of the future through the
study of history
Introduction:
It is worth mentioning that after the Treaty of Paris, the Philippines was
subject to the power of the United States of America, effectively the new
colonizers of the country. From 1898 to 1901, the Philippines would be placed
under a military government until a civil government would be put into place.
1935: The Commonwealth Constitution
Two acts of the United States Congress were passed that may be
considered to have qualities of constitutionality. First was the Philippine
Organic Act 1902, the first organic law for the Philippine Islands that provided
for the creation of a popularly elected Philippine Assembly. The act specified
that legislative power would be vested in a bicameral legislature composed of
the Philippine Commission as the upper house and the Philippine Assembly as
lower house. Key provisions of the act included a bill of rights for Filipinos and

Bulacan
College
Revision # 02
the appointment of two non-voting Filipino Resident Commissioners of the
Philippines as representative to the United States House of Representatives.
The second act that functioned as a constitution was the Philippine Autonomy
Act of 1916, commonly referred to as “Jones Law,” which modified the
structure of the Philippine government through the removal of the Philippine
Commission, replacing it with a Senate that served as the upper house and its
members elected by the Filipino voters, the first truly elected national
legislature. It was also this Act that explicitly declared the purpose of the
United States to end their sovereignty over the Philippines and recognize
Philippine independence as soon as a stable government can be established.
In 1932, with the efforts of the Filipino independence mission led by
Sergio Osmeňa and Manuel Roxas, the United States Congress passed the
Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act with the promise of granting Filipinos’ independence.
The bill was opposed by then Senate President Manuel L. Quezon and
consequently, rejected by the Philippine Senate.
By 1934, another law, the Tydings-McDuffie Act, also known as the
Philippine Independence Act, was passed by the United States Congress that
provided authority and defined mechanisms for the establishment of a formal
constitution by a constitutional convention. The members of the convention
were elected and held their first meeting on 30 July 1934, with Claro M. Recto
unanimously elected as president.
The constitution was crafted to meet the approval of the United States
government, and to ensure that the United States would live up to its promise
to grant independence to the Philippines.
Primary Source: Preamble of the 1935 Commonwealth
The Filipino people, imploring the aid of Divine Providence, in order to
establish a government that shall embody their ideals, conserve and develop
the patrimony of the nation, promote the general welfare, and secure to
themselves and their posterity the blessings of independence under a regime of
justice, liberty, and democracy, do ordain and promulgate this constitution.
The constitution created the Commonwealth of the Philippines, an
administrative body that governed the Philippine from 1935 to 1946. It is a
transitional administration to prepare the country toward its full achievement
of independence. It originally provided for a unicameral National Assembly with
a president and vice president elected to a six-year term without re-election. It
was amended in 1940 to have a bicameral Congress composed of a Senate and
a House of Representatives, as well as the creation of an independent electoral
commission, and limited the term of office of the president and vice president
to four years, with one re-election. Rights to suffrage were originally afforded to
male citizens of the Philippines who are twenty-one years of age or over and are
able to read and write; this was later on extended to women within two years
after the adoption of the constitution.
While the dominant influence in the constitution was American, it also
bears traces of the Malolos Constitution, the German, Spanish, and Mexican
constitutions, constitutions of several South American countries, and the
unwritten English Constitution.
The draft of the constitution was approved by the constitutional
convention on 8 February 1935, and ratified by then U.S. President Franklin B.

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College
Revision # 02
Roosevelt on 25 March 1935. Elections were held in September 1935 and
Manuel L. Quezon was elected President of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth was briefly interrupted by the events of the World
War II, with the Japanese occupying the Philippines. Afterward, upon
liberation, the Philippines was declared an independent republic on 4 July
1946.

Bulacan
College
Revision # 02

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1935:

COURSE TITLE: Readings in Philippine History

SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Bachelor of Science Date Developed:

Bachelor of Science Date Developed:

Bachelor of Science Date Developed:

Bachelor of Science Date Developed:

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