The Commonwealth of the Philippines (fɪlɪˈpinɐs) was a designation of the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 from 1935 to 1946 when the country was a commonwealth

Commonwealth (United States insular area)

In the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory.The definition of "Commonwealth" according to current U.S. State Department policy reads: "The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific...

 of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The Commonwealth was created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act

Tydings-McDuffie Act

The Tydings-McDuffie Act approved on March 24, 1934 was a United States federal law which provided for self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence after a period of ten years. It was authored by Maryland Senator Millard E...

, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1934. When Manuel L. Quezon

Manuel L. Quezon

Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...

 was inaugurated president in 1935, he became the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines.

The Commonwealth had a strong executive and a Supreme Court.