The Campaign for

Independence
Mary Donna Grace Cuenca
• The successful suppression of the various revolutionary outbreaks or
disturbances following the formal end of the Filipino-American War was
enough reason for the Filipino elite to pursue the alternative of peaceful
struggle.
• Filipino collaboration resulted to increase in Filipino participation in
government.
• While this process of Filipinization fitted in the overall colonial scheme, it
also encouraged the Filipinos to campaign for independence.
• The Philippine independence movement during the American period never
became the bitter and sometimes bloody struggle that marked the
experience of other colonial regimes in Asia, for the United States
accommodated herself to Philippine nationalism.
• In 1916, the Filipinos received the promise of independence “as soon as a
stable government can be established” by them.
• This is contained in the preamble of the Jones Law
• The issue of independence was avoided during the First World War as a
gesture of loyalty to the Americans.
• But by the end of the war in 1918, the Filipinos felt that they had
established the stable government required by the Jones Law.
• So in November of 1918, the Philippine Legislature created the
Commission of Independence “for the purpose of studying all matters
related to the negotiation and organization of the independence of the
Philippines.”
• The most important undertaking of the Commission of
Independence was the dispatch of independence missions to the
United States and the direction of the publicity campaign for
independence.
• The First Parliamentary Mission was sent to the United States in
1919, the only one during the administration of Woodrow Wilson.
• This was a huge delegation, led by Senate President Quezon and
Senator Rafael Palma, and consisted of some 40 leading Filipinos
representing both the Democrata and Nacionalista parties and the
various elements of agricultural, commercial and professional life in
the Philippines.
• The Mission came at a bad time– the war had just ended and the US
was more concerned with problems of political and economic
readjustments resulting from the war.
• While the mission was graciously received in Washington, Congress
were unconvinced that the Filipinos were ready for independence an
indefinite postponement of the question “until more convincing
proof had been offered of the ability of the Filipino people to stand
alone.”
• The Final action taken by Woodrow Wilson was a recommendation to
Congress in favor of Philippine independence, which was ignored by
the succeeding Republican administration.
• When Warren Harding became president, Quezon went to
Washington (1921) as a one-man mission to find out the policy of the
new president.
• Harding assured Quezon that no backward policy will be pursued.
• In April 1922, the Second Parliamentary Mission, led by Quezon and
Osmena went to Washington to get a definitive statement about
Philippine independence.
• The second Parliamentary Mission returned to the Philippines with
no more than vague assurances that there would be no diminution
of Filipino control of their government, but no advance in their
independent plea.
• The Independence Commission successively sent independence mission in
1923, 1924 and 1925.
• The 1923 independence mission was unique in that aside from Philippine
independence, it specifically asked for Governor Wood’s relief as governor
of the Philippines.
• Then president of the US, Calvin Coolidge replied, which shattered the
hopes of the Filipinos that independence will be granted to them in the
near future.
• Coolidge felt that there had not been a full realization of the fundamental
ideas of democratic self-government.
• He rebuked the Mission members for their complaints against Governor
Wood.
• In 1924 however, sentiment was strong in the American Congress to come
up with a solution to the Philippine problem.
• There was a growing feeling that Filipinos should be given what they
wanted—immediate independence at “any cost”.
• The Fairfield Bill was thus introduced. In tis final form, the bill provided for
absolute independence for the Philippines in 1944, after a twenty year
commonwealth period.
• Strong opposition to the bill was expressed in the Philippines, although
Quezon and Osmena secretly wanted it passed, as they felt it was the best
legislation they could get from the US.
• The American administration later did not pursue the bill, for they felt no
Filipino support for it.
• After the 1924 Parliamentary Mission, congressional interest in either
independence or increased autonomy waned.
• Interest in Philippine independence would not be revived until the Great
Depression in 1929.
• Agricultural distress brought about by the Depression, caused various
economic interests in the United States to oppose existing free trade
between the Philippines and the US.
• Free trade was facilitated via the Payne-Aldrich Act of 1909 and
Underwood-Simmons Act of 1913.
• American agricultural interests from the beginning found free trade
undesirable, for they viewed the unlimited free entry of Philippine
products into the US a menace to their own products.
• American farmers viewed Filipino products as competition, and this
competition became especially glaring on the Americans when the Great
Depression hit them.
• They wanted either a revision of the tariff agreement or to give the
Filipinos independence.
• Also, Filipino immigration to the US became a contentious issue, as they
became competitors for labor.
• In the US therefore the political climate was changing in favor of granting
political independence to the Philippines.
• From 1929-1934, Filipino representatives went to Washington to steer the
independence movement.
• Although privately leaders of the independence movement realized
that the grant of Philippine independence would mean the
re-imposition of tariffs on the Philippines, and hence would affect
Philippine economy, they still agitated for independence because
that was the general sentiment of the people.
• In December of 1931, Osmena and Roxas left for the US as the OsRox
Mission to secure an independence bill.
• They succeeded, as they brought home the Hare-Hawes Cutting Act,
which provided for the establishment of a ten year commonwealth to
serve as a transition government before the Proclamation of
independence on July 4, 1946.
• Osmena and Roxas considered the Hare-Hawes Cutting Act the best that
could be secured from Congress.
• Quezon disagreed. He was hopeful for a more favorable bill.
• He caused the Philippine Legislature to reject the bill based on the
following reasons: (1) the provisions on trade relations between the US
and the Philippines would imperil the economic, social and political
institutions of the country; (2) the immigration clause was objectionable
and offensive to the Filipino people; (3) the powers of the High
Commissioner were too indefinite; (4) the military, naval and other
reservations provided for in the act were inconsistent with true
independence, violated dignity and were subject to misunderstanding.
• In November 1933, Quezon left for the US for the purpose of securing
a better bill.
• This he wasn’t able to do, all that he secured was a face-saving re-run
of the Hare-Hawes Cutting Act under a different name—the Tydings
McDuffie Act.
• But the important thing was that Quezon brought it home and he
was considered the hero of his people.
• On May 1, 1934, the Philippine Legislature accepted the
Tydings-McDuffie Act.
• Thus, the Commonwealth Period began.