28 September 2016 —The sixth Annual Historic House Party of the William A. Jones Home in Warsaw, Virginia took place on September 24 to commemorate the centennial of the Philippine Autonomy Act, otherwise known as the Jones Act for Philippine Independence, which was enacted by the 64th Congress of the United States of America on 29 August 1916.
The gathering brought together representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC; and the Jones Family, as well as members of the local community, including Filipino-Americans from as far as Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia. The event was organized by the Richmond County Museum.
During the event, guests were able to tour the Jones Home, which is a Queen Anne Victorian house originally built by Congressman Jones around 1888.
The said house is furnished with various mementos of the Jones couple’s travels to the Orient, including from the trip of the Congressional Party conducted to the Far East by Secretary of War William H. Taft in 1905.
The Jones Law, as it was commonly referred to, laid down the framework for a more autonomous government, preparatory to the grant of independence to the Philippines by the United States.
Through this law, the Philippines saw the creation of a bicameral legislature, the introduction of a representative electoral process, and the recognition of the fundamental civil and political rights of persons living within the bounds of the Philippine Islands.
In the formal program for the afternoon, Minister Jose Victor V. Chan-Gonzaga, representing the Philippine Embassy, and Ms. Elizabeth Hart Jones, representing the Jones Family, delivered brief remarks. Both recognized the importance of the Jones Law in Philippine colonial history however, they also emphasized that the law became the foundation of the deep friendship and vital partnership between the Philippines and the United States, and their peoples.
“Today, we celebrate not only the centennial of a piece of US legislation, historic it might have been. We remember not only Congressman William Jones because he would have been first to say that the Jones Law was larger than he and his colleagues in the 64th Congress. Rather, may I suggest that, as we reflect on why we are gathered here 100 years later, on this glorious autumn day, we affirm, we celebrate, how the separate histories of our two great nations have been woven by the threads of our common experience, in war and in peace, and our dedication to freedom and democracy. And in that weaving, we have created the fabric, or better yet the tapestry, of our mutual commitment to freedom, to democracy, to self-determination, to human rights, and to respect for our common humanity,” Mr. Chan-Gonzaga said in his remarks.
“At that age of empire building, it was a radical idea to let go of a treasured territory like the Philippine Islands. However, Congressman Jones had a profound belief that the United States had a more important mandate to promote freedom around the world,” said Ms. Jones.
The Jones Law Centennial coincidentally falls within the 70th year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United States.
The Open House followed the Embassy’s own commemoration of the event, which was a dinner at the Embassy’s Romulo Hall last August 30. The said dinner replicated a similar one by then Philippine High Commissioner Manuel L. Quezon on 29 August 1916 at the New Willard Hotel in Washington DC. It was organized in cooperation with the US-Philippines Society. END
