In August 1916 Congress passed the Jones Act, formally known as the Philippine Autonomy Act. The act granted the Filipinos greater control over their government and fulfilled in part the promise of self-government offered in the Philippine Government Act of 1902. The Jones Act expanded the right to vote to Filipino males who owned property. The act also allowed Filipinos to elect members of the upper house, whose members had been appointed by the U.S. president. The U.S. president continued to choose the governor, and the governor retained veto power over the legislature. The governor’s power was limited, however, because he or she now had to get the Philippine upper house, or Senate, to approve his appointments to government offices. The United States amended the Jones Act in 1934 in preparation for full Philippine independence. In 1946 the Philippines became an independent nation.
