Philippine Commissions

The Philippine Commissions were United States missions sent to the Philippines to gather information and establish civil government during the period of U.S. influence. The first commission, headed by Jacob G. Schurman in 1899, reported that Filipinos desired independence, though this had little immediate effect on policy. The second Philippine Commission, led by William Howard Taft in 1900, established civil government by July 1901.1

In 1907, the Philippine Commission became the upper house of a bicameral legislature, with the newly formed Philippine Assembly as the lower house. This marked the establishment of the first elective legislative body in Southeast Asia. The Jones Act of 1916 further advanced Philippine autonomy by abolishing the commission and replacing it with an elected Senate, though defense and foreign affairs remained under U.S. control. The Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 set a 10-year transitional period leading to independence on July 4, 1946, establishing a Commonwealth government with significant self-governance.12