Commonwealth Acts

The enactment of the Jones Law of 1916 and the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 by the U.S. Congress paved the way for the creation of a transition government for the Philippines. This government would give the Philippines ten years wherein it would gradually accustom itself to the benefits and rigors of independence and self-rule. These two laws would establish the Commonwealth government with the right to formulate and promulgate its own constitution. By virtue of these powers, the 1935 Constitution was enacted and thus initially changed the legislature into a unicameral body. However, the bicameral system was restored pursuant to a constitutional amendment in 1940.

The life and effectivity of the Commonwealth government was eventually cut short with the outbreak of World War II and the Japanese Invasion.

Laws enacted by the Commonwealth Congress are denominated as “Commonwealth Acts” and are cited as “C.A. No.___”. It enacted a total of 733 statutes.

This section reports [STATS] laws promulgated during the period of [START DATE], 1936 to [END DATE], 1941.

Some notable laws enacted during this period are: