Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence
The Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence or the PCPI was the drafting body of the 1943 Philippine Constitution during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during World War II. The constitution was signed and unanimously approved on September 4, 1943 by its members and was then ratified by a popular convention of the KALIBAPI in Manila on September 7, 1943. Background. In mid-1942, Japanese Premier Hideki Tōjō had promised the Filipinos "the honor of independence" which meant that the committee would be supplanted by a formal republic. The PCPI was welcomed by some, especially by  Filipino nationalists who had long-awaited of a "Genuine Asiatic independence". The PCPI was composed, in large part, of members of the prewar Philippine National Assembly and of individuals with experience as delegates to the convention that had drafted the 1935 Philippine Constitution. The 1943 draft constitution was limited in duration; provided for indirect election of the legislature; and a stronger executive branch. Leadership. Jose P. Laurel