The Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government (OMACG) was created in 1935 upon the initiative of President Manuel L. Quezon by the Philippine and American governments for the purposes of developing a system of national defense for the Commonwealth of the Philippines by 1946. OMACG's recommendations were adopted by the Philippine National Assembly in Commonwealth Act Number 1, the National Defense Act of 1935.
The Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government was U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, who was assisted by Major Dwight Eisenhower and Major James Ord; along with four officers from the Philippine Department, under Major General Lucius Holbrook (1936-1938) and Major General Grunert (1940-1941), as well as retired Lieutenant Colonel Sidney L. Huff.
OMACG produced a plan calling for a gradual 10-year build up so that the Philippines would have small regular and reserve armies, an air force, and a fleet of torpedo boats (the Offshore Patrol). The tactical organization of this army was based on divisions of ~7,500 troops.
The office drew up defense plans for the islands of Luzon, Cebu, Negros, Panay, Leyte, Mindanao, Bohol, Mindoro, and many of the smaller islands. The plans included the establishment of seacoast defenses along the seven straits which give access to the inland waters of the Philippines.