Covers the 1935 establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the 1942-1945 Japanese occupation, Proclamation 2695 and the 4 July 1946 transfer of sovereignty (alongside the Treaty of Manila), and the Philippines' status as a UN founding member from 1945.
Following the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established on 15 November 1935, with a ten-year transition to independence under President Manuel L. Quezon.[1] Japan occupied the Philippines from 1942 to 1945, during which the Commonwealth government operated in exile; the occupation and the US-led liberation campaign are estimated to have caused over 1 million Filipino deaths, with the near-total destruction of Manila.[2] Acting under the Philippine Independence Act of 1934, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed on 4 July 1946 that the United States "hereby withdraws and surrenders all rights of possession, supervision, jurisdiction, control, or sovereignty" over the Philippines, and recognised its independence "as a separate and self-governing nation."[3] The same day, the Treaty of Manila formally established US-Philippine diplomatic relations.[2] The Philippines' case is distinctive among UN-era independence processes in that it was already an original signatory to the UN Charter, signed for it by General Carlos P. Romulo on 26 June 1945, more than a year before its own independence — so its UN membership predates, rather than follows, its independence.[4]
History
From founding UN membership in 1945 to independence under Proclamation 2695 in 1946.
191 words · 1 min read
· Constitutional change
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was established on 15 November 1935 under the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act, which set a ten-year transition to independence during which the US retained jurisdiction over defense and foreign affairs; Manuel L. Quezon became its first President.
Significance here: Established the ten-year transitional framework leading to independence.
· Conflict episode
Japan occupied the Philippines from 1942 to 1945, during which the Commonwealth government operated in exile; the occupation and subsequent US-led liberation campaign are estimated to have caused over 1 million Filipino deaths, with the near-total destruction of Manila.
Significance here: Interrupted the Commonwealth transition and caused substantial loss of life before independence.
· Declaration
President Harry S. Truman proclaimed the withdrawal of US sovereignty over the Philippines and recognised its independence on 4 July 1946, under authority granted by the Philippine Independence Act of 1934, the same day the two countries signed the Treaty of Manila.
Significance here: The proclamation that ended US sovereignty and established Philippine independence.
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
Claim: Following the US Congress's passage of the Tydings-McDuffie Act in 1934, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established on 15 November 1935, with a ten-year transition period during which the United States retained jurisdiction over defense and foreign affairs. Manuel L. Quezon was elected the Commonwealth's first President.
Claim: Japan occupied the Philippines from 1942 to 1945, during which the Commonwealth government operated in exile. The occupation and the subsequent US-led liberation campaign of 1944-45 are estimated to have caused over 1 million Filipino deaths, with the near-total destruction of Manila during its 1945 liberation. The Treaty of Manila (Treaty of General Relations), establishing formal US-Philippine diplomatic relations, was signed 4 July 1946, the same day as Truman's independence proclamation.
Claim: Acting under the Philippine Independence Act of 1934, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed on 4 July 1946: "The United States of America hereby withdraws and surrenders all rights of possession, supervision, jurisdiction, control, or sovereignty now existing and exercised by the United States of America in and over the territory and people of the Philippines," and: "On behalf of the United States of America, I do hereby recognize the independence of the Philippines as a separate and self-governing nation."
Claim: The Philippines was an original signatory to the UN Charter, signed for it by General Carlos P. Romulo on 26 June 1945, making it one of the 51 founding members of the United Nations more than a year before its own independence in 1946.