The High Court in Captivity: The Supreme Court of the Philippines during the Japanese Occupation (1941-1945)

Note: This is  an abstract of my paper delivered in the 3rd CSSP Graduate Student Research Conference April 28-29, 2017 Palma Hall, UP Diliman

The paper will discuss the period when the Philippines is under Empire of Japan, (1941-1944 ), which focus on one of most important institution in the Philippine government the Supreme Court. While several publication in Philippine History focus mostly on biography, the Executive Department and member of the Army, this paper give some insight to the Judicial branch of the Commonwealth Government in the crucial period of our history.  What will the Supreme Court will do case the war broke out?; Quezon’s controversial instruction that “You have to do what they ask you to do except one thing –the taking of any oath of allegiance to Japan.”; the participation of the Supreme Court Justices in the preparation to war, the tale of the two Chief Justices, Jose Abad Santos, his participation and death and  Jose Yulo, his works under the Japanese guidelines; Gen. Homma’s captivity of the Judiciary, his orders and instructions, the 1943 Constitutional provision on the power of the Supreme Court and how it all end with the members accused as a collaborator.


Key Terms:  Japanese Occupation, Instructions, courts, invasion, Supreme Court