OsRox Mission


The OsRox Mission was a campaign for self-government and United States recognition of the independence of the Philippines led by former Senate President Sergio Osmeña and House Speaker Manuel Roxas. The mission secured the Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act, which was rejected by the Philippine Legislature and Manuel Quezon.

History

The OsRox Mission was the 9th mission in a series of missions lasting from 1919 to 1933. While the previous missions gave good impressions the Filipinos in the minds of Americans, they were marked by misunderstandings among Filipino leaders. The Americans had mixed opinions on whether to give the Philippines independence; some political leaders in the US thought that giving the Philippines independence would result in them losing their power in business.

Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act

The OsRox Mission stayed in the US the longest and secured the passage of the Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act. It would establish the Philippine Commonwealth as a transition government for 12 years before receiving independence on July 4, 1946. It separated the Philippine Legislature in two "camps", the Antis and the Pros. The Pros were led by Osmeña and Roxas, who supported the act as they believed it was the best one they could get out of the US Congress. Senate President Manuel Quezon led the Antis and objected the act due to its "objectionable features". He also believed that the act did not truly grant the Philippines independence. Aside from granting the Philippines independence, the Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act also reserved military bases from the US and let American goods into the country for free. These provisions were seen as controversial.
The Philippine Legislature ended up rejecting the OsRox Mission's work for the following reasons:
  1. The provisions affecting the trade relations between the United States and the Philippines would seriously imperil the economic, social and political institutions of the country and might defeat the avowed purpose to secure independence for the Philippines at the end of the transition period.
  2. The immigration clause was objectionable and offensive to the Filipino people.
  3. The powers of the High Commissioner were too indefinite.
  4. The military, naval and other reservations provided for in the act were inconsistent with true independence, violated dignity and were subject to misunderstanding.

    Aftermath

In November 1933, Quezon embarked on the last Independence Mission to the US to try to secure a better independence bill for the Philippines. He was not as successful as Osmeña and Roxas, as the result of the mission was a near copy of the Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act called the Tydings–McDuffie Act. It removed the provision of military reservations in the Philippines and substituted another for “ultimate settlement as to naval bases and fueling stations." It was passed by US President Franklin Roosevelt and was unanimously passed by the Philippine Legislature.