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 The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Japones sa Filipinas''; ja, 日本のフィリピン占領, Nihon no Firipin Senryō) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. 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 The Kapisanan ng Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas (''Association for Service to the New Philippines''), or KALIBAPI, was a fascist Filipino political party that served as the sole party of state during the Japanese occupation. It was intended to ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

on September 7, 1943.

Background

In mid-1942, Japanese Premier

Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...

had promised the Filipinos "the honor of independence" which meant that the committee would be supplanted by a formal republic. The PCPI was welcomed by some, especially by Filipino nationalists who had long-awaited of a "Genuine Asiatic independence". The PCPI was composed, in large part, of members of the prewar

Philippine National Assembly The National Assembly of the Philippines ( tl, Kapulungáng Pambansâ ng Pilipinas, es, Asamblea Nacional de Filipinas) refers to the legislature of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1941, and of the Second Philippine Republic ...

and of individuals with experience as delegates to the convention that had drafted the

1935 Philippine Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippines ...

. The 1943 draft constitution was limited in duration; provided for

indirect election An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office (direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the old ...

of the legislature; and a stronger executive branch.

Leadership

Presidents

José P. Laurel José Paciano Laurel y García (; March 9, 1891 – November 6, 1959) 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 ...

* Elpidio R. Quirino

Vice Presidents

Benigno Aquino, Sr. Benigno Simeon "Igno" Quiambao Aquino Sr. (born Benigno Simeón Aquino y Quiambao; September 3, 1894 – December 20, 1947) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly of the Japanese-sponsored puppet state in the ...

* Ramon Avanceña

Other members

Jorge B. Vargas Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a Filipino lawyer, diplomat and youth advocate born in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and ...

Antonio de las Alas Antonio de las Alas (October 14, 1889 – October 5, 1983) was a Filipino politician and business leader. Biography Antonio de las Alas was a three-term representative of the 1st district of Batangas in the Philippine Legislature and a member ...

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...

Claro M. Recto Claro Mayo Recto Jr. (born Claro Recto y Mayo; February 8, 1890 – October 2, 1960) was a Filipino politician, jurist, and poet. He is remembered for his nationalism, for "the impact of his patriotic convictions on modern political though ...

Quintin Paredes Quintin (; br, Kintin) is a commune in the Cotes-d'Armor department (Brittany region) in the northwest of France from Saint-Brieuc, the department capital. History The area around Quintin has been occupied since the Neolithic. Early Quintin w ...

José Yulo José Yulo Yulo (September 24, 1894 – October 27, 1976) was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (May 7, 1942 – July 9, 1945) during the Japanese Occupation and was Speaker of the National Assembly of the Philippines fr ...

Vicente Madrigal Vicente María Epifanio López Madrigal (born Vicente María Epifanio Madrigal y López; April 5, 1880 – June 6, 1972) was a successful Spanish Filipino business tycoon, industrialist and politician. At the height of his wealth, from the 1950s ...

Manuel Roxas Manuel Acuña Roxas (born Manuel Roxas y Acuña; ; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of the Philippines, who served from 1946 until his death due to heart attacks in 194 ...

* Sa Ramain (Alauya Alonto) *

Emiliano Tria Tirona Emilian or Emiliano may refer to: *Emilia (region of Italy), a region of northern Italy * Emilian of Cogolla, a Visigothic saint *Emilian dialects, spoken in Emilia, northern Italy *A Romanian male given name: **Emilian Bratu (1904–1991), chemi ...

Melecio Arranz Melecio Arranz (May 23, 1888 – April 24, 1966) was a Filipino politician, born in Alcala, Cagayan. Early life and career He obtained his degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Santo Tomas. His government s ...

Camilo Osías Camilo Olaviano Osías, Sr. (born Camilo Osías y Olaviano; March 23, 1889 – May 20, 1976) was a Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines. Along with a certain American named Mary A. Lane, Osías t ...

Rafael Alunan Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

Pedro Sabido Senator Pedro Sabido (born October 19, 1894, Polangui, Albay, Philippines – February 3, 1980) was born to Don Juan D. Sabido and Doña Maximina Ribaya. Early life and education He attended his elementary and high school studies at the Semina ...

* Teofilo Sison * Manuel C. Briones

Drafting

External links

* * {{Authority control Political history of the Philippines History of the Congress of the Philippines Philippines in World War II 1943 establishments in the Philippines Organizations established in 1943