April 30, 1946, the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946 was approved

Posted under April Events, visited 74,100 times)

On April 30, 1946, the Philippine Rehabilitation or the Tydings Act of 1946, passed by the US Congress, was approved by the US President. This Act created the US Philippine War Damage Commission, authorized it to expend a total of $400,000,000 in payment of private war-damage claims and another $120,000,000 for the restoration of public property. Of this latter amount $57,000,000 was alloted to the commission itself.

US Philippine War Damage Commission
(The security unit of the US Philippine War Damage Commission)

The Commission opened its offices in Manila towards the end of 1946, but the public property claim payments did not begin until the later half of 1947. Private property claims started April 1948, the month of President Roxas death.

The Act also provided for the transfer of $100,000,000 surplus property of the United States to the Philippines. The Philippine Armed Forces received large quantities of valuable military equipment and supplies. The Bureau of Telecommunications which was created by Executive Order No. 94 on October 4, 1947, obtained surplus equipment and supplies from the Suplus Property Commission. The Government Telephone Service, inaugurated on January 15, 1949, obtained practically all its equipment from the surplus.

During its tenure, the Commission considered 1,248,901 claims and paid out more than $388 million. It helped restore buildings and facilities throughout the Philippine Islands, and enabled thousands of Filipinos to reestablish themselves in business, in agriculture, and in other pursuits.

The Commission, headed by Frank A. Waring as its chairman, completed their final report in 1951 and disbanded.

References:

  1. American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Journal, Volume XXXII, Number 4, April 1956
  2. Commissioner Frank A. Waring papers, Truman Library
  3. The estate of Chairman Waring via the Cowan's Auctions (http://www.cowanauctions.com/)
  4. Photo credit: The estate of Chairman Waring via the Cowan's Auctions