The AMERICAN COLONIAL

GOVERNMENT
 American Regime
 President Emilio Aguinaldo Declared the Biak Na
Bato Republic in November 1897.
 He proclaimed the independence of the
Philippines on June 12, 1898.
 The Dictatorial government in May 1898.
 He also established a revolutionary Government
in Malolos on June 1898.
 The First Philippine Republic in September 1898.
• The United States government formally
acquired the Philippines from Spain with the
signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10,
1898.
• The U.S. government declared military rule in
the Philippines on December 21, 1898.
 The Taft Commission

 
On March 16, 1900, United States President William
McKinley appointed the then Judge William Howard Taft to
head the second Philippine Commission, which would also
be known as the Taft Commission. Taft would become
Governor-General of the Philippines and later, the
president of the U.S.
 
President McKinley wanted to hasten the transition of the
Philippine military government into a civil one. The Taft
Commissions was given executive and legislative powers it
could use to achieve the President’s objective.
 
 The Commission arrives in the Philippines on June 3,
1900. It began legislative work on September 1, the first
law it passed set aside P2 million for the construction of
treads and bridges.
 In September 1900 to August 1902, the Commission
was able to enact 440 pieces of legislation for the
Philippines. Some of these laws included the Municipal
and Provincial codes, which established municipal and
provincial governments all over the country.
 The laws organizing the Philippine Constabulary and
the countries judicial system were enacted. Aside from
enacting laws the commissions also visited various
provinces and help it in the government peace efforts.
 The Spooner Amendment

 The modification sponsored by Senator John C.

Spooner, allowed the US president to fully
administer the Philippines.
 The military government of the Philippines was
replaced with a civil one albeit temporary
pending the legislation of permanent colonial
government by the United States.
 Civil Government under Taft
The Philippine civil government was inaugurated on
July 4, 1901, with William Howard Taft as its first
governor, the powers and duties of a governor were
passed on to Taft.
The Taft Commission continuing functioning as legislative
body.
 Cayetano Arellano was the first Filipino to hold a high position of
government he was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on
May 28, 1899.
 Gregorio Araneta was appointed as Secretary of Justice and
finance.
 Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Benito Legarda, and Jose Luzuriaga
were selected as members of the Philippine Commissions.
The Philippine Commonwealth Era
The Commonwealth era is the 10 year
transitional period in Philippine history from
1935 to 1945 in preparation for independence
from the United States as provided for under the
Philippine Independence Act or more popularly
known as the Tydings-McDuffie Law.
 The Philippine Bill of 1902 - Cooper Act

The United States Congressman Henry Allen

Cooper sponsored the Philippine Bill of 1902,
also known as the Cooper Act.
The bill proposed the creation and
administration of a civil government in the
Philippines. President Theodore Roosevelt
signed it into law in July 2, 1902.
 Here are some of the more important
provisions of the Cooper Act:
 Ratification of all changes introduced in the Philippine
government by the president of the U.S., such as the
establishment of the Philippine Commission, the office of the
civil governor and the Supreme court

 Extension of the American Bill of Rights to the Filipinos

except the right of trial by jury

 Creation of bicameral legislative body, with the Philippine

Commission as the upper house and a still-to-be-elected
Philippine Assembly as the Lower House
 Retention of the executive powers of the civil governor, who was
also president of the Philippine Commission

 Designation of the Philippine Commission as the legislating

authority for non-Christian tribes

 Retention of the Judicial powers of the Supreme court and other

lower courts

 Appointment of two Filipino resident commissioners who would

represent the Philippines in the US Congress but would not enjoy
voting rights

 Conservation of Philippine natural resources

 The bill contained 3 provisions that had to be
fulfilled first before the Philippine Assembly
could be establishing these were :

The Complete restoration of peace and order in

the Philippines
Accomplishment of a Nationwide census
Two years of peace and order after the publication
of the census
 The Philippine Assembly

The assembly was inaugurated on October 16, 1907 at the

Manila Grand Opera House, with US secretary of War William
Howard Taft as guest of honor.
 Sergio Osmeña was elected Speaker while Manuel Quezon
was elected Majority Floor leader.
 The Recognition of the Philippine Assembly paved the way
for the establishment of the bicameral Philippine Legislature.
 The Assembly functioned as the lower House, while the
Philippine Commission served as the upper house.
 Resident Commissioners

 Benito Legarda and Pablo Ocampo were the

first commissioners.

 Other Filipinos who occupied this position

included Manuel Quezon, Jaime de Veyra,
Teodoro Yangco, Isaro Gabaldon, and Camilo
Osias.
 The Jones Law

To further train the Filipinos in the art of government, the

U.S. Congress enacted the Jones Law on August 29, 1916. It
was the first official document that clearly promised the
Philippine independence, as stated in its preamble, as soon as
a stable government was established.
 The Jones Law or the Philippine Autonomy act, Replace the
Philippine bill of 1902 as the framework of the Philippine
government. It provide for the creation of the executive powers.
 The vice governor general, assisted by his Cabinet, would exercise
executive powers.
 The vice governor would act concurrently as the Secretary of
Education.
 Creation of the Council of State

Upon the recommendation of Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio

Osmeña, Governor General Francis Burton Harrison issued an
executive order on October 16, 1981, creating the first Council of
State in the Philippines.
It was the Council’s duty to advise the governor general on
matters such as the creation of policies for administering
government offices.
 The Council held meetings once a week and whenever the governor
general called for one. It was composed of the governor general, the
department secretaries, the speaker of the Lower House, and the Senate
president.
 During Harrison’s term, the executive and legislative branches of
government worked harmoniously with each other.
 The Os-Rox Mission

One delegation, however, that met with partial

success was the Os-Rox Mission, so called
because it was headed by Sergio Osmeña and
Manuel Roxas. The Os-Rox group went to the
United States in 1931 and was able to influence
the U.S. Congress to pass a pro-independence
bill by Representative Butter Hare, Senator
Henry Hawes, and Senator Bronso Cutting.
 The Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law provided for a 10-year
transition period before the United States would
recognize Philippine independence. U.S. President
Herbert Hoover did not sign the bill; but both Houses of
Congress ratified it.
The Os-Rox Mission presented the Hare-Hawes-
Cutting Law to the Philippine Legislature, it was rejected
by a the American High Commissioner representing the
US president in the country and the Philippine Senate,
specifically the provision that gave the U.S. president the
right to maintain land and other properties reserved for
military use. Manuel Quezon was tasked to head another
independence mission to the united States.
 The Tydings-McDuffie Law

In December 1933, Manuel L. Quezon returned to the

Philippines from the United States with a slightly amended version
of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting bill authored by Senator Milliard
Tydings and representative McDuffie. President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, the new U.S. president, signed it into law on March 24,
1934.
The Tydings-McDuffie Act (officially the Philippine
Independence Act of the United States Congress; Public Law 73-
127) or more popularly known as the
The Tydings-McDuffie Law provided for the establishment of
the Commonwealth government for a period of ten years
preparatory to the granting of Independence.
 Guide Questions

1. Discuss the importance of the Jones law in

establishing the Philippine Government.
2. Explain your insights in the collaboration of
Filipinos (OS-ROX, Quezon and among others) in
establishing Philippine government with United
States.
3. What are the advantages of the Philippines in
cooperating with US?
 References
• Pub. L. 73–127, 48 Stat. 456, enacted March
24, 1934
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hare-Hawe
s-Cutting-Act
• https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutio
ns/the-jones-law-of-1916/
• https://www.set.gov.ph/resources/us-bills/
the-philippine-bill-of-1902/