Lesson 4: The Commonwealth Period consisting of a regular army of 10,000 troops,

a reserve army of 400,000, and an Offshore

Why is a national language important?
Patrol with 36 torpedo boats. It also outlined
the training and organization of these forces
How did the laws enacted during the
under the guidance of U.S. General Douglas
Philippine commonwealth change Philippine
MacArthur, who served as military advisor to
society,culture,economy and politics?
the Commonwealth government.

The Commonwealth of the Philippines

Commonwealth Act No. 184
Enacted on November 13, 1936, established
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was
the National Language Institute in the
established on November 15, 1935, as a
Philippines, tasked with creating a national
transitional government aimed at preparing
language to unify Filipinos. The act aimed to
for independence from the United States,
promote linguistic unity and cultural identity
which was set to occur on July 4, 1946, under
by developing a standardized language based
the Tydings–McDuffie Act. Manuel L.
on existing native tongues. Ultimately,
Quezon served as the first President,
Tagalog was chosen as the basis for the
focusing on national identity and governance
national language, which was officially
reforms, while Sergio Osmeña was Vice
proclaimed by President Manuel L. Quezon
President and later succeeded Quezon in
in 1937, set to take effect two years later.
1944. The Commonwealth had its own
constitution, a strong executive branch, and
The Education Decree of 1940
promoted cultural identity by adopting
Tagalog as the national language and granting
The Educational Act of 1940
women suffrage. Despite facing challenges
(Commonwealth Act No. 586), made
like Japanese occupation during World War
primary education compulsory for all
II, it ultimately led to full Philippine
children in the Philippines, fixing the school
sovereignty in 1946.
entrance age at seven years. The new
curriculum aimed to promote patriotism and
Laws of the Philippine included the national language, Tagalog, as a
Commonwealth and Policies key component. This act sought to ensure
that every child would have access to basic
The National Defense Act education, fostering a sense of national
The National Defense Act of 1935 identity and civic responsibility among
(Commonwealth Act No. 1), enacted on students.
December 21, 1935, established a regular
armed force for the Philippines, including a The National Economic Council (NEC)
modest navy and an air corps. The act aimed was established as an advisory body on
to create an independent military structure, economic and financial affairs in the

1
Philippines. Its primary role was to provide During the Commonwealth period in the
guidance on economic policies and Philippines, several important laws were
strategies, encouraging local production of passed to protect workers and support local
goods to boost the economy. The NEC agriculture:
aimed to foster national development by
integrating local resources and promoting ● Minimum Wage Law: This law set a
self-sufficiency among Filipino industries. minimum daily wage for workers to
ensure they earned enough money to
Anti-Dummy Law of 1939 live on. For example, in 1936, the
minimum wage was established at
It was a law in the Philippines that aimed to one peso per day for government
limit foreign control over businesses. It made workers. This helped workers
it illegal for foreigners to use Filipinos as receive fair pay for their labor.
"dummies" or fake owners to get around
rules about business ownership. This law was ● Eight Hour Labor Law: This law
meant to ensure that Filipinos truly owned stated that workers could only be
and ran businesses, helping to promote local required to work a maximum of eight
jobs and economic growth. hours a day. If they worked longer,
they had to be paid extra. This was
important because it ensured that
The National Trading Corporation workers had time to rest and spend
with their families.
A corporation that was established to assist
small businesses and industries in the
● Tenancy Laws: These laws were
Philippines. It aimed to support producers,
created to protect farmers who
consumers, and small business owners by
rented land from landlords. They
managing the purchase, storage, and
aimed to ensure that farmers had fair
distribution of essential goods. The
agreements and could keep a portion
corporation played a vital role in promoting
of the crops they produced, helping
local production and ensuring that small
them support their families.
enterprises could thrive in the market,
helping to stabilize prices and supply of
● Homestead Laws: These laws
commodities.
encouraged people to settle on and
farm land by allowing them to claim
ownership of a piece of land after
Labor Laws during the
working on it for a certain period.
Commonwealth Period
This helped promote agriculture and gave
families the chance to own their homes and
farms.

2
 Public Education
Court of Industrial Relations
American colonial period, public education in
The Court of Industrial Relations was the Philippines was improved with new
established in the Philippines under primary and secondary schools. The
Commonwealth Act No. 103 on October Thomasites, American teachers who arrived
29, 1936. Its main purpose was to act as an in 1901, helped establish these schools and
arbiter in disputes between laborers and taught in English. Two key institutions that
employers. This special court had the were created are the Philippine Normal
authority to investigate, decide, and settle University for teacher training and the
industrial and agricultural disputes, especially University of the Philippines for higher
those that could lead to strikes or lockouts. education. These changes helped many
Filipinos get an education and made English
Challenges of the Commonwealth widely spoken in the country.

● The Sakdalista Uprising was a American Health Institutions

movement led by Benigno Ramos in
the 1930s that fought for the rights of Health education and sanitation efforts
farmers in Luzon. The Sakdalistas during the American colonial period focused
aimed to take private lands from on controlling diseases like cholera and the
wealthy landlords and redistribute Spanish flu. The establishment of institutions
them to landless farmers. However, such as the National Center for Mental
many landlords and lawmakers Health and the Philippine General Hospital
opposed these changes, blocking played a crucial role in addressing public
efforts to help the poor. On May 2-3, health needs. These facilities aimed to
1935, the Sakdalistas attempted an improve healthcare access and promote
uprising but were quickly defeated by better health practices among Filipinos.
government forces. Although the
rebellion failed, it highlighted the American Culture
struggles of farmers in the Philippines.
● Expropriation of private lands for American influence significantly shaped
resale to farmers. Filipino culture during the colonial period,
particularly in entertainment, clothing,
music, art, and dance:
Landlords and landed lawmakers prevented
the implementation of his policies for the
farmers and laborers. 1. Movies and Television: American
films became popular, leading to
the growth of the local film
American Legacies industry and introducing new
storytelling styles.

3
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt_uYd-
2. Theater: The bodabil, similar to nYwI&t=13s
vaudeville, combined music,
dance, and comedy, showcasing Sources:
American songs while featuring
Filipino performers. Philippine History. (n.d.). The Philippine

Commonwealth Era. Retrieved January 3,

3. Music: American pop music
2025, from https://www.philippine-
influenced Filipino artists,
creating new genres that blended history.org/philippine-commonwealth.htm
traditional and Western styles.
4. Clothing: Filipinos adopted Molave, A. T., Pedrajas, T. P., & Belen, W. P.
American fashion trends,
(2017). Philippine History: A Quest for
reflecting a shift toward Western
styles in everyday wear. Freedom, Identity, and Progress. Quezon
5. Dance: American dances like jazz
and swing gained popularity, City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
leading to new forms that mixed
traditional Filipino movements
with Western styles.
These changes created a unique blend of
Filipino and American cultures that
continues to impact the Philippines
today.

Supplementary Materials:
Philippine American War (1899 - 1902) |

Wars in the Philippines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN-

BjltXJ2E

Commonwealth of the Philippines

Inauguration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POP0ja

AX1BI

Ang Pangulo Ko: Manuel L. Quezon