President Sergio Osmeña is the second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. He assumed office after the death of Manuel L. Quezon on August 1, 1944. President Osmeña was scheduled to assume the presidency of the Commonwealth of the Philippines after Manuel L. Quezon’s term and would have assumed office on November 15, 1943. However, the Philippines was occupied by the Japanese, and was at war. On November 12, 1943, Joint Resolution No. 95 was passed by the United States Congress and was approved by the President of the United States, continuing President Quezon’s term for the duration of the war and postponing Osmeña’s right to succeed the presidency until constitutional processes had been restored in the country. Osmeña relinquished his right to the presidency to Quezon because under the circumstances, the principal concern and primary consideration of the government was to win the war, liberate its people, and establish independence. Osmeña mentioned this in his speech as Vice President, formally relinquishing his right to the presidency. Sergio Osmeña was President until May 28, 1946.
The executive issuances of President Osmeña began with Proclamation No. 1-W, signed on August 1, 1944, in Washington, D.C. On September 27, 1944, the ‘W’ series was dropped and the numbering was changed starting with Executive Order No. 20. His executive issuances ended with Proclamation No. 38, signed on May 27, 1948.
President Osmeña’s documents were gathered from its official sources such as the Official Gazette of the Philippines; Philippines Magazine; Malacañang Records Office’s Book of Executive Issuances; various ephemera, including government booklets; and the MacArthur Archive Collections.
The American Psychological Association (APA) style was used for the citation. The titles that have been provided by the researchers are enclosed in square brackets, considering that the exact wordings and its order were not verbatim from the document being described. Book titles are italicized while the speech titles are not. If in any case that the book title is the same as the title of the speech, the book title should be transcribed in italics.
Volumes 1 and 2: Official Month in Review and Appointments and Designations
- This is the first and second volume of President Sergio Osmeña’s official papers, which constitutes the fourth book of the Messages of the President series. President Osmeña—the second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines—assumed office on August 1, 1944, and was President until May 28, 1946. This volume collects the Official Gazette’s chronicling of the President’s principal activities and undertakings. This was called The Official Month in Review, which began in May 1945. This volume also contains the records of President Osmeña’s presidential appointees.
Volume 3: Historical Papers and Documents
- This is the third volume of President Sergio Osmeña’s official papers, which constitutes the fourth book of the Messages of the President series. President Osmeña—the second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines but for the current generation and the ongoing task of nation building—assumed office on August 1, 1944, and was President until May 28, 1946. This volume collects President Osmeña’s Historical Papers and Documents, which include letters, statements, and other documents deemed of historical significance.
Volumes 4, 5, and 6: Executive Orders, Administrative Orders, and Proclamations
- This is the fourth, fifth, and sixth volume of President Sergio Osmeña’s official papers, which constitutes the fourth book of the Messages of the President series. The fourth volume contains President Osmeña’s executive orders, which provide for rules of a general or permanent character in implementation or execution of constitutional or statutory powers. The fifth volume collects President Osmeña’s administrative orders, which relate to particular aspects of governmental operations in pursuance of the President’s duties as administrative head. The sixth volume collects President Osmeña’s proclamations, which fix a date or declare a status or condition of public interest or importance.
