Commonwealth of the Philippines

Commonwealth of the Philippines Mancomunidad de Filipinas (Spanish) Komonwelt ng Pilipinas (Tagalog)
1935–1942 1942–1945: Government-in-exile 1945–1946
Flags Coat of arms
Anthem:  "The Philippine Hymn"[a]
1939 map of the Philippines
Status	Unincorporated and organized U.S. commonwealth (1935–1946)[b] Government-in-exile (1942–1945)
Capital and largest city	Manila[c] 14°35′45″N 120°58′38″E / 14.59583°N 120.97722°E / 14.59583; 120.97722
Official languages	English Spanish[4][5]
National language	Tagalog[6]
Religion	None official Majority: Christianity (Catholicism, Protestantism) Minority: Sunni Islam, folk religion
Government	Devolved presidential constitutional dependency
High Commissioner
• 1935–1937	Frank Murphy
• 1937–1939	Paul V. McNutt
• 1939–1942	Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.
• 1942–1945 (in exile)	Harold L. Ickes
• 1945–1946	Paul V. McNutt
President
• 1935–1944	Manuel L. Quezon
• 1944–1946	Sergio Osmeña
• 1946	Manuel Roxas
Vice President
• 1935–1944	Sergio Osmeña
• 1946	Elpidio Quirino
Legislature	National Assembly (1935–1941) Congress (1945–1946)
• Upper house	Senate (1945–1946)
• Lower house	House of Representatives (1945–1946)
Historical era	Interwar, World War II
• Tydings–McDuffie Act	November 15 1935
• Government-in-exile	March 12, 1942
• Restoration	February 27, 1945
• Admitted to the UN	October 24, 1945
• Independence	July 4, 1946
• Treaty of Manila	October 22, 1946
Currency	Philippine peso (₱) United States dollar ($)
Time zone	UTC+08:00 (PST)
Date format	mm/dd/yyyy dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	left (before 1945) right (after 1945)
Preceded by Succeeded by 1935: Insular Government of the Philippine Islands 1945: Second Philippine Republic 1942: Philippine Executive Commission 1946: Third Philippine Republic
Today part of	Philippines
^ Some sources assert that an English version written by Mary A. Lane and Camilo Osías was legalized by Commonwealth Act No. 382.[1][2] The act, however, only concerns itself with the instrumental composition by Julián Felipe.[3] ^ The Philippines belonged to, but were not a part of, the United States. See the Insular Cases article for more information. ^ Capital held by enemy forces between December 24, 1941, and February 27, 1945. Temporary capitals were Corregidor Island from December 24, 1941; Iloilo City from February 22, 1942; Bacolod from February 26; Buenos Aires, Bago from February 27; Oroquieta from March 19; Bukidnon from March 23; Government-in-exile in Melbourne, Australia, in April; Government-in-exile in Washington, D.C., from May 13, 1942, to October 1944; Tacloban from October 20, 1944.

The Commonwealth of the Philippines (Spanish: Mancomunidad de Filipinas;^[7][8] Tagalog: Kómonwelt nañg Pilipinas^[9]) was an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States that existed from 1935 to 1946. It was established following the Tydings–McDuffie Act to replace the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands^{[10][11][12][13]} and was designed as a transitional administration in preparation for full Philippine independence.^[14] Its foreign affairs remained managed by the United States.^[15]

During its more than a decade of existence, the Commonwealth had a strong executive and a supreme court. Its legislature, dominated by the Nacionalista Party, was at first unicameral but later bicameral. In 1937, the government selected Tagalog – the language of Manila and its surrounding provinces – as the basis of the national language, although it would be many years before its usage became general. Women's suffrage was adopted, and the economy recovered to its pre-Depression level before the Japanese occupation in 1942. A period of exile took place during World War II from 1942 to 1945, when Japan occupied the Commonwealth.

In 1946, the Commonwealth ended, and the Philippines attained full sovereignty as provided for in Article XVIII of the 1935 Constitution.^[16]