Jones Law (Philippines)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the law dealing with the government of Puerto Rico, see Jones-Shafroth Act
- For the law dealing with workers' compensation rights of seamen, see Jones Act
| History of the Philippines |
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| 1521-1898 |
| 1898-1946 |
| 1946-1965 |
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The Jones Law, otherwise known as the Philippine Autonomy Act, was a United States statute enacted in 1916, which was the first formal and official declaration of the United States' commitment to grant independence to the Philippines, since it took over the territory after the Spanish-American War in 1898. However, the grant of independence would come only "as soon as a stable government can be established," and it left to the United States to determine when this "stable government" had been achieved. The Jones Law aimed at providing the Filipinos broader domestic autonomy, though it reserved certain privileges to the Americans to protect their sovereign rights and interests.
It replaced the Philippine Bill of 1902 or the Philippine Organic Act, which served as the de facto constitution of the territory or the guideline for the administration of the Philippine Islands.
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[edit] Passage into law
The first bill seeking to grant the Philippine Islands autonomy and eventual independence was introduced in 1912 by William Atkinson Jones, a Democrat from Virginia, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Insular Affairs. It planned to grant the Philippine Islands independence on July 4, 1921. The bill passed committee deliberations, but it did not progress from there.
A second version of the bill was filed by Rep. Jones in 1914, this time it did not set a definite date for the granting of independence. Several amendments were introduced to the bill, as the Republicans tried to defeat it. It was only passed after the preamble was revised to: "that it is the purpose of the people of the United States to withdraw their sovereignty over the Philippine Islands and to recognize their independence as soon as a stable government can be established therein". On August 29, 1916 it was signed into law by Pres. Woodrow Wilson.
[edit] Features
Among the salient provisions of the law was the creation of an all-Filipino legislature. It created the Philippine Senate to replace the Philippine Commission, which had served as the upper chamber of the legislature.
[edit] References
- Rosario, Cortes M., et. al, The Filipino Saga: History as a Social Change. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 2000: chapter 11. ISBN 971-10-1131-X
- Philippine Historical Commission, Philippine Legislature, 100 Years. Quezon City: Philippine Historical Commission, 2000: chapter 4. ISBN 971-92245-0-9
- Castañeda, Anna Leah Fidelis T. "The Origins of Philippine Judicial Review, 1900-1935". URL accessed on 12 August 2006.
- Encyclopedia Britannica. Jones Act. URL accessed on 12 August 2006.
