Second Philippine Republic

Last updated

Republic of the Philippines
  • Repúbliká ng Pilipinas (Tagalog)
  • República de Filipinas (Spanish)
  • フィリピン共和国 (Japanese)
  • Firipin-kyōwakoku
1943–1945
Motto: 
" Kapayapaan, Kalayaan, Katarungan "
"Peace, Freedom, Justice"
Anthem:  Diwà ng Bayan
(English: "Spirit of the Nation")

Awit sa Paglikha ng Bagong Pilipinas
(English: "Hymn to the Creation of the New Philippines")
Great Seal:
Great Seal of the Philippines (1943-1945).svg
Dakilang Sagisag ng Pilipinas  (Tagalog)
Great Seal of the Philippines
Japanese Philippines.svg
The Philippines (dark red) within the Empire of Japan (light red) at its furthest extent
Status Puppet state of the Empire of Japan
Capital Manila (1942–1945)
Baguio (1945)
Common languages
Religion
Secular state
( de facto )
State Shinto
Christianity
Islam
Buddhism
Hinduism
Baháʼí Faith
Philippine Folk Religions
( de jure )
Government Unitary one-party presidential republic under a totalitarian military dictatorship
President  
 1943–1945
Jose P. Laurel
Military Governor  
 1943–1944
Shigenori Kuroda
 1944–1945
Tomoyuki Yamashita
Speaker of the National Assembly  
 1943–1944
Benigno Aquino Sr.
Legislature National Assembly
Historical era World War II
October 14, 1943
August 17, 1945
Currency Japanese government–issued Philippine peso (₱)
Time zone UTC+08:00 (PST)
Date format
  • mm/dd/yyyy
  • dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side left [1]
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blank.png Philippine Executive Commission
Commonwealth of the Philippines Blank.png
Today part of Philippines

The Second Philippine Republic, officially the Republic of the Philippines [lower-alpha 1] and also known as the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic, was a Japanese-backed government established on October 14, 1943, during the Japanese occupation of the islands. [2]

Contents

Background

After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, President Manuel L. Quezon had declared the national capital Manila an "open city", and left it under the rule of Jorge B. Vargas, as mayor. The Japanese entered the city on January 2, 1942, and established it as the capital. Japan fully captured the Philippines on May 6, 1942, after the Battle of Corregidor.

General Masaharu Homma decreed the dissolution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and established the Philippine Executive Commission (Komisyong Tagapagpaganap ng Pilipinas), a caretaker government, with Vargas as its first chairman in January 1942. KALIBAPIKapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas (Tagalog for the "Association for Service to the New Philippines") — was formed by Proclamation No. 109 of the Philippine Executive Commission, a piece of legislation passed on December 8, 1942, banning all existing political parties and creating the new governing alliance. Its first director-general was Benigno Aquino, Sr. [3] The pro-Japanese Ganap Party, which saw the Japanese as the saviors of the archipelago, was absorbed into the KALIBAPI. [4]

Independence

Before the formation of the Preparatory Commission, the Japanese gave an option to put the Philippines under the dictatorship of Artemio Ricarte, whom the Japanese returned from Yokohama to help bolster their propaganda movement. However, the Philippine Executive Commission refused this option and chose to make the Philippines a republic instead. During his first visit to the Philippines on May 6, 1943, Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō promised to return independence to the Philippines as part of its propaganda of Pan-Asianism (Asia for the Asians). [5]

This prompted the KALIBAPI to create the Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence on June 19, 1943. [3] A draft constitution was formed by the Preparatory Commission for Independence, consisting of 20 members from the KALIBAPI. [6] The Preparatory Commission, led by José P. Laurel, [7] presented its draft Constitution on September 4, 1943, and three days later, the KALIBAPI general assembly ratified the draft Constitution. [6]

By September 20, 1943, the KALIBAPI's representative groups in the country's provinces and cities elected from among themselves fifty-four members of the Philippine National Assembly, the legislature of the country, with fifty-four governors and city mayors as ex-officio members.

Preparatory Commission for Independence Chairman Jose P. Laurel addresses a public gathering; youths march to celebrate the signing of a draft constitution in the Philippines. Laurel inauguration, 1943.jpg
Preparatory Commission for Independence Chairman Jose P. Laurel addresses a public gathering; youths march to celebrate the signing of a draft constitution in the Philippines.
Aguinaldo's flag which was briefly used as the de facto flag of the Second Republic in 1943. Flag of the Philippines (1943).svg
Aguinaldo's flag which was briefly used as the de facto flag of the Second Republic in 1943.

Three days after establishing the National Assembly, its inaugural session was held at the pre-war Legislative Building and it elected by majority Benigno S. Aquino as its first Speaker and José P. Laurel as President of the Republic of the Philippines, who was inaugurated on October 14, 1943, at the foundation of the Republic, the Legislative Building. [6] Former President Emilio Aguinaldo and General Artemio Ricarte raised the Philippine flag, the same one used during the Philippine–American War [5] which featured an anthropomorphic sun, [9] during the inauguration. This was the first time since the Japanese occupation that the flag was displayed and the anthem played. [10]

On the same day, a Pact of Alliance was signed between the new Republic and the Japanese government that was ratified two days later by the National Assembly.

On December 13, 1943, a version of the Philippine flag with no markings on the sun was adopted as the Second Republic's flag through Executive Order 17. [11] On September 23, 1944 at 10:00 in the morning, President Laurel proclaimed that a state of war existed between the Philippine Republic and both the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. By virtue of this proclamation the Philippine flag was inverted to signify that the Philippines was officially in a state of war. The (war) flag remained as the official flag until the formal dissolution of the Second Philippines Republic. [12]

Politics

Cabinet

OFFICENAMETERM
President
Minister of Home Affairs (concurrent capacity)
José P. Laurel 1943–1945
Speaker of the National Assembly Benigno S. Aquino 1943–1945
Executive Secretary Pedro Sabido 1943–1944
Minister of Public Works and Communications Quintin Paredes 1943–1945
Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Rafael Alunan 1943–1945
Minister of Health, Labor and Public Welfare Emiliano Tria Tirona 1943–1944
Minister of Education Camilo Osías 1943–1945
Minister of Justice Teofilo Sison 1943–1945
Minister of Finance Antonio de las Alas 1943–1945
Minister of Foreign Affairs Claro M. Recto 1943–1945

Greater East Asia Conference

Greater East Asia Conference in November 1943, Japanese PM Hideki Tojo (center) with heads of Japan-supported regimes (L-R): Ba Maw (State of Burma), Zhang Jinghui (Manchukuo), Wang Jingwei (Republic of China, Nanjing), Tojo, Wan Waithayakon (Thailand), Jose P. Laurel (Second Philippine Republic), and Subhas Chandra Bose (Provisional Government of Free India) Greater East Asia Conference.JPG
Greater East Asia Conference in November 1943, Japanese PM Hideki Tōjō (center) with heads of Japan-supported regimes (L–R): Ba Maw (State of Burma), Zhang Jinghui (Manchukuo), Wang Jingwei (Republic of China, Nanjing), Tōjō, Wan Waithayakon (Thailand), José P. Laurel (Second Philippine Republic), and Subhas Chandra Bose (Provisional Government of Free India)

The Greater East Asia Conference (大東亜会議, Dai Tōa Kaigi) was an international summit held in Tokyo from November 5 to 6, 1943, in which Japan hosted the heads of state of various component members of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The event was also referred to as the Tokyo Conference. The Conference addressed few issues of substance, but was intended from the start as a propaganda show piece, to illustrate the Empire of Japan's commitments to the Pan-Asianism ideal and to emphasize its role as the "liberator" of Asia from Western colonialism. [13]

The conference and the formal declaration adhered to on November 6 was little more than a propaganda gesture designed to rally regional support for the next stage of the war, outlining the ideals of which it was fought. [14] However, the Conference marked a turning point in Japanese foreign policy and relations with other Asian nations. The defeat of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal (in present-day Solomon Islands) and an increasing awareness of the limitations to Japanese military strength led the Japanese civilian leadership to realize that a framework based on cooperation, rather than colonial domination, would enable a greater mobilization of manpower and resources against the resurgent Allied Forces. It was also the start of efforts to create a framework that would allow for some form of diplomatic compromise should the military solution fail altogether. [14] However these moves came too late to save the Empire, which surrendered to the Allies less than two years after the conference.

Society

During his term in office, Laurel was faced with various problems that the country was experiencing, such as the following:

Laurel attempted to show that the independence of the republic was genuine by rectifying these problems.

Food shortages

Prioritizing the shortages of food, he organized an agency to distribute rice, even though most of the rice was confiscated by Japanese soldiers. Manila was one of the many places in the country that suffered from severe shortages, due mainly to a typhoon that struck the country in November 1943. The people were forced to cultivate private plots which produced root crops like kangkong. [16] The Japanese, in order to raise rice production in the country, brought a quick-maturing horai rice, which was first used in Taiwan. [17] Horai rice was expected to make the Philippines self-sufficient in rice by 1943, but rains during 1942 prevented this from happening. [18]

In addition, carabaos provided the necessary labor that allowed Filipino farmers to grow rice and other staples. Japanese army patrols would slaughter the carabaos for meat, thereby preventing the farmers from growing enough rice to feed the large population. Before World War II, an estimated three million carabaos inhabited the Philippines. By the end of the war, an estimated nearly 70% of them had been lost. [19]

Japanese money

Japanese issued money - Philippines 500 Pesos PHI-114-Japanese Government (Philippines)-500 Pesos (1944).jpg
Japanese issued money – Philippines 500 Pesos

The first issue in 1942 consisted of denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 50 centavos and 1, 5, and 10 Pesos. The next year brought "replacement notes" of the 1, 5 and 10 Pesos while 1944 ushered in a 100 Peso note and soon after an inflationary 500 Pesos note. In 1945, the Japanese issued a 1,000 Pesos note. This set of new money, which was printed even before the war, became known in the Philippines as Mickey Mouse money due to its very low value caused by severe inflation. Anti-Japanese newspapers portrayed stories of going to the market laden with suitcases or "bayong" (native bags made of woven coconut or buri leaf strips) overflowing with the Japanese-issued bills. [5] In 1944, a box of matches cost more than 100 Mickey Mouse pesos. [20] In 1945, a kilogram of camote cost around 1000 Mickey Mouse pesos. [21] Inflation plagued the country with the devaluation of the Japanese money, evidenced by a 60% inflation experienced in January 1944. [22]

Education

Japanese soldiers posting instructive posters on the Japanese language Japanese soldiers post instructive Japanese posters.jpg
Japanese soldiers posting instructive posters on the Japanese language

The Japanese allowed Tagalog to be the national language of the Philippines. [23] To this end, a pared-down, 1,000-word version of the language was promoted to be learned rapidly by those not yet versed in the language. [24]

Love for labor was encouraged, as seen by the massive labor recruitment programs by the KALIBAPI by mid-1943. Propagation of both Filipino and Japanese cultures were conducted. Schools were reopened, which had an overall number of 300,000 students at its peak. [25]

End of the Republic

President Laurel, Speaker Aquino, and Jose Laurel III being taken into U.S. custody at Osaka Airport in 1945 Philippine puppet government officials in Japan 1945.jpg
President Laurel, Speaker Aquino, and José Laurel III being taken into U.S. custody at Osaka Airport in 1945

On September 21, 1944, Laurel placed the Republic under martial law. [26] [27] On September 23, 1944, the Republic officially declared war against the United States and United Kingdom. [28] Following the return of American-led Allied forces, the government of the Second Republic evacuated Manila to Baguio. [29] The republic was formally dissolved by Laurel in Tokyo on August 17, 1945 - two days after the Surrender of Japan. [29]

See also

Notes

  1. Tagalog: Repúbliká ng Pilipinas; Spanish: República de Filipinas; Japanese: フィリピン共和国, Firipin-kyōwakoku

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilio Aguinaldo</span> President of the Philippines from 1899 to 1901

Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and became the first president of the Philippines and of an Asian constitutional republic. He led the Philippine forces first against Spain in the Philippine Revolution (1896–1898), then in the Spanish–American War (1898), and finally against the United States during the Philippine–American War (1899–1901).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth of the Philippines</span> Former territory of the United States

The Commonwealth of the Philippines 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 and was designed as a transitional administration in preparation for full Philippine independence. Its foreign affairs remained managed by the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose P. Laurel</span> President of the Philippines from 1943 to 1945

José Paciano Laurel y García was a Filipino politician, lawyer, and judge, who served as the President of the Japanese-occupied Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. Since the administration of President Diosdado Macapagal (1961–1965), Laurel has been officially recognized by later administrations as a former president of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel Roxas</span> President of the Philippines from 1946 to 1948

Manuel Acuña Roxas was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth President of the Philippines from 1946 until his death in 1948. He served briefly as the third and last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from May 28, 1946, to July 4, 1946, and became the first President of the Independent Third Philippine Republic after the United States ceded its sovereignty over the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teodoro Agoncillo</span> Filipino historian

Teodoro Andal Agoncillo was a prominent 20th-century Filipino historian. He and his contemporary Renato Constantino were among the first Filipino historians renowned for promoting a distinctly nationalist point of view of Filipino history. He was also an essayist and a poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filipino nationalism</span> Support of a political identity associated with the modern nation-state of the Philippines

Filipino nationalism refers to the establishment and support of a political identity associated with the modern nation-state of the Philippines, leading to a wide-ranging campaign for political, social, and economic freedom in the Philippines. This gradually emerged from various political and armed movements throughout most of the Spanish East Indies—but which has long been fragmented and inconsistent with contemporary definitions of such nationalism—as a consequence of more than three centuries of Spanish rule. These movements are characterized by the upsurge of anti-colonialist sentiments and ideals which peaked in the late 19th century led mostly by the ilustrado or landed, educated elites, whether peninsulares, insulares, or native (Indio). This served as the backbone of the first nationalist revolution in Asia, the Philippine Revolution of 1896. The modern concept would later be fully actualized upon the inception of a Philippine state with its contemporary borders after being granted independence by the United States by the 1946 Treaty of Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Philippine Republic</span> Self-proclaimed independent republic, 1899–1902

The Philippine Republic, now officially remembered as the First Philippine Republic and also referred to by historians as the Malolos Republic, was established in Malolos, Bulacan during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire (1896–1898) and the Spanish–American War between Spain and the United States (1898) through the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution on January 22, 1899, succeeding the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. It was formally established with Emilio Aguinaldo as president. It maintained governance until April 1, 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Philippines (1898–1946)</span>

The history of the Philippines from 1898 to 1946 is known as the American colonial period, and began with the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898, when the Philippines was still a colony of the Spanish East Indies, and concluded when the United States formally recognized the independence of the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Executive Commission</span> Provisional Filipino government

The Philippine Executive Commission was a puppet government set up to govern the Philippine archipelago during World War II. It was established with sanction from the occupying Imperial Japanese forces as an interim governing body prior to the establishment of the Japanese-backed, Second Philippine Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Assembly of the Philippines</span> Legislative body

The National Assembly of the Philippines refers to the legislature of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1941, and of the Second Philippine Republic during the Japanese occupation. The National Assembly of the Commonwealth was created under the 1935 Constitution, which served as the Philippines' fundamental law to prepare it for its independence from the United States of America.

The National Assembly was the legislature of the Second Philippine Republic from September 25, 1943, to February 2, 1944.

The Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence or the PCPI was the drafting body of the 1943 Philippine Constitution during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during World War II. The constitution was signed and unanimously approved on September 4, 1943, by its members and was then ratified by a popular convention of the KALIBAPI in Manila on September 7, 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benigno Aquino Sr.</span> Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1943 to 1944

Benigno Simeón Quiambao Aquino Sr. was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly of the Japanese-sponsored puppet state in the Philippines from 1943 to 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KALIBAPI</span> Fascist Filipino political party during the nations Japanese occupation

The Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas, or KALIBAPI, was a fascist Filipino political party that served as the sole party of state during the Japanese occupation. It was intended to be a Filipino version of Japan's governing Imperial Rule Assistance Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese invasion money</span> Currency issued by the Japanese Military Authority

Japanese invasion money, officially known as Southern Development Bank Notes, was currency issued by the Japanese Military Authority, as a replacement for local currency after the conquest of colonies and other states in World War II.

The Constitution of the Philippines is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and ratified by a nationwide plebiscite on February 2, 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postage stamps and postal history of the Philippines</span>

This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shigenori Kuroda</span> Japanese officer, war criminal 1887-1952

Shigenori Kuroda was a Japanese lieutenant general of the Japanese Imperial Army and the Japanese Governor-General of the Philippines during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1943 Philippine presidential election</span>

The 1943 Philippine presidential election was held on September 25, 1943, at the midst of World War II.

References

  1. Section 60 of the Revised Motor Vehicle Law, Act No. 3992 "Drive on Left Side of Road. — Unless a different cause of action is required in the interest of the safety and security of life, person, or property, or because of unreasonable difficulty of operation in compliance herewith, every person operating a motor vehicle or guiding an animal drawn vehicle on a highway shall pass to the left when meeting persons or vehicles coming toward him, and to the right when overtaking persons or vehicles going the same direction, and, when turning to the right in going from one highway into another, every vehicle shall be conducted to the left of the center of the intersection of the highways."
  2. Vellut, J. L. (March 1964). "Foreign Relations of the Second Republic of the Philippines, 1943–1945". Journal of Southeast Asian History. 5 (1): 128. doi:10.1017/S0217781100002246. JSTOR   20067478.
  3. 1 2 Aluit, Alphonso (1994). By Sword and Fire: The Destruction of Manila in World War II, 3 February-3 March 1945. Bookmark, Inc.
  4. William J. Pomeroy, The Philippines: Colonialism, Collaboration, and Resistance, International Publishers Co, 1992, pp. 113–114
  5. 1 2 3 Kasaysayan: History of the Filipino People, Volume 7. Reader's Digest. 1990.
  6. 1 2 3 "Jose P". Angelfire. Retrieved October 21, 2007.[ unreliable source? ]
  7. "The Philippine Presidency Project". Manuel L. Quezon III, et al. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  8. Preparatory Commission for Independence Chairman Jose P. Laurel addresses a public gathering; youths march to celebrate the signing of a draft constitution in the Philippines. NHK. September 29, 1943 via Getty Images.
  9. "Second Philippine Republic". Presidential Museum and Library. 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  10. Ileto, Reynaldo (2011). "Reflections on Agoncillo's "Revolt of the Masses" and the Politics of History". Asian Studies. 49 (3): 500–501 via Academia.edu.
  11. "Executive Order No. 17, s. 1943". Presidential Museum and Library. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  12. "Understanding the Second Philippine Republic". Presidential Museum and Library. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  13. Gordon, Andrew (2003). The Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present. Oxford University Press. p. 211. ISBN   0-19-511060-9 . Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  14. 1 2
    • Smith, Ralph (1975). Changing Visions of East Asia, 1943–93: Transformations and Continuities. Routledge. ISBN   0-415-38140-1.
  15. "World War 2 Database: Philippines" . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  16. Joaquin, Nick (1990). Manila, My Manila. Vera-Reyes, Inc.
  17. Howe, Christopher (December 15, 1999). The Origins of Japanese Trade Supremacy: Development and Technology in Asia. University of Chicago Press. ISBN   9780226354866 . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  18. Halili, M. C. (2004). Philippine History' 2004 Ed. Rex Bookstore. ISBN   9789712339349 . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  19. Schmidt, L. S. (1982). American Involvement in the Filipino Resistance on Mindanao During the Japanese Occupation, 1942–1945 Archived October 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . M.S. Thesis. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
  20. Agoncillo, Teodoro A. & Guerrero, Milagros C., History of the Filipino People, 1986, R.P. Garcia Publishing Company, Quezon City, Philippines
  21. Ocampo, Ambeth (2010). Looking Back 3: Death by Garrote. Anvil Publishing, Inc. pp. 22–25.
  22. Hartendorp, A. (1958) History of Industry and Trade of the Philippines, Manila: American Chamber of Commerce on the Philippines, Inc.
  23. "Constitution of the Second Philippine Republic". Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  24. Robert B. Kaplan, Richard B. Baldauf, Language and Language-in-Education Planning in the Pacific Basin, Springer, 2003, p. 72
  25. Agoncillo, Teodoro (1974). Introduction to Filipino History. Garotech Publishing. pp. 217–218.
  26. "PROCLAMATION NO. 29". Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  27. DIARY OF JUAN LABRADOR, O.P. OCTOBER 1, 1944. Philippine Diary Project via Facebook.
  28. JOSE P. LAUREL. "PROCLAMATION NO. 30" . Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  29. 1 2 Ooi, Keat Gin (2004). Southeast Asia: a historical encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, Volume 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 776. ISBN   978-1-57607-770-2 . Retrieved January 27, 2011.