After the press conference President Quezon holds a 4-hour conference with members of the Assembly and it is reported that a majority supports his stand.
He says he would not object to a plebiscite on the question. He again declares that he believes nothing more than a special trade-agreement between the United States and an independent Philippines would be sufficient to protect the Philippines from invasion as the Philippines would thus be internationally recognized as an ally of the United States. A dominion form of government such as Canada’s would be acceptable and he would be willing to leave the management of foreign affairs and questions such as immigration to the United States in such a case, but he expresses doubt that the United States would accept such an arrangement. He would favor a postponement of independence, he states, if the Philippines were extended the necessary powers to manage their own affairs and control their own national life without interference.
He declares that a continuation of a political status similar to the present would not be acceptable because the powers exercised by the Filipinos are exercised merely on sufferance and while the system works well now because of the persons involved, a reactionary administration in Washington could reverse everything. He states that the economic proposals also appear to be one-sided and that while he does not expect the United States to make any sacrifices for the Philippines, the Philippines should not be required to make any sacrifices to the United States, and a revision should be based entirely on mutual and reciprocal benefits. I do not believe our people would agree to these proposals”. “Under the proposed conditions I can not agree to any postponement of independence much less the permanent continuation of American sovereignty. After a meeting with his Cabinet at which it is reported a radiogram to High Commissioner McNutt was discussed requesting further light on some of his proposals, President Quezon states at a press conference that while he favors a re-examination and approves of most of McNutt’s statements, he was not aware of the fact when he issued his statement of yesterday that the McNutt speech embodied certain concrete proposals as to reservations of American authority with which he could not agree as the majority of these are precisely what in the Tydings-McDuffie Act the Filipinos object to.
Holbrook, returning to the United States, says at Honolulu that the Philippine Army is making excellent progress and that by the end of the transition period in 1946, the Philippines will have 400,000 trained reserves, “potential reserves for our regular army in an emergency”. Six others involved in the case who pleaded guilty are serving prison sentences. Pablo Mauricio is sentenced to death and two other men are sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Percy Hill on July 23, 1937. He also sends a verbal invitation to members of the Assembly for an exchange of views on the matter at a luncheon to be held at Malacañan tomorrow, requesting them in the mean time to refrain from making public commitments, especially on the floor of the Assembly. Later he sends a letter to Speaker Gil Montilla while the Assembly is in session stating that he has not committed himself on the questions touched upon by the High Commissioner. It must be noted that the High Commissioner emphatically takes the position that no permanent political and economic relationship with the Philippines shall be adopted as a policy unless the ‘Filipinos want it'”. No reasonable person can find fault with the proposition that a re-examination be undertaken at once. Quezon later issues a statement declaring that the High Commissioner’s “presentation of the facts is unassailable.
(See editorial in the April Philippine Magazine). McNutt in a radio broadcast from Washington, understood to have been approved by the Administration, pointing out the mutual advantages to be derived from continued Philippine-American political and economic relations, advocates a “realistic re-examination” of the whole question. March 14.-Assemblyman Jose Zulueta of Iloilo states he is convinced the postponement of independence would be best for the Philippines in view of the Far Eastern situation and that he is willing to make this an issue in the coming election in his district.įire starting in a bakery destroys 35 business establishments in Baguio damage estimated at P500,000. Tags: Commonwealth of the Philippines, Manuel L.