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On June 21, 1941, Commonwealth Act No. 657 was enacted reorganizing the Commission as a constitutional body. Chairman Concepcion retired and was succeeded by Jose Lopez Vito. The members remained the same. Abreau, who died in 1944, and Luna were replaced by Francisco Enage and Vicente de Vera in 1945.
The Japanese invaded and occupied the Philippines for three years. The Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic was established in October 1943 with Dr. Jose P. Laurel as President; The Commonwealth Government was re-established in the Philippines in October, 1944.
By virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 725, election were held for President, Vice President, sixteen (16) Senators and Members of the House of Representatives.
Election for President, Vice President, eight (8) Senators and one hundred two (102) Members of the House of Representatives (November 10).
Election for eight (8) Senators and elective provincial, city and municipal officials (November 8)
- President Ramon Magsaysay appointed Gaudencio Garcia Commissioner on May 12, 1960.
Chairman Carag retired on June 20. For a time, the Commission did not have a Chairman until Commissioner Garcia was appointed Chairman in 1960.
Election for eight (8) Senators and elective provincial, city and municipal officials (November 10).
President Carlos P. Garcia appointed Commissioner Gaudencio Garcia Chairman and Genaro Visarra as the new Commissioner of the Comelec on May 12.
Election for President, Vice President, eight (8) Senators and one hundred four (104) Members of the House of Representatives (November 14).
President Diosdado Macapagal appointed Juan V. Borra Chairman of the Comelec on August 2.
- Commissioner Visarra retired on November 11. President Macapagal appointed Cesar Miraflor in his place.
Election for eight (8) Senators and elective provincial, city and municipal officials (November 12).
- Congress enacted Republic Act Nos. 3588 and 3808 enabling the Commission to reorganize and expand its personnel down to the municipal level.
RA 3588 established a permanent, accurate and reliable list of voters and a continuous system of registration.
RA 3808 authorized the Commission to reorganize its office "in order to promote the maximum efficiency in carrying out its constitutional duty to ensure free, clean and orderly elections and properly administer and effectively enforce all laws relative to the conduct of elections."
Chairman Juan Borra retired on June 20. Commissioner Manuel Arranz was appointed Chairman on October 18. For almost a year the Commission had only two members - Arranz and Miraflor.
President Marcos appointed Jaime N. Ferrer Commissioner on May 23.
- Chairman Arranz resigned on June 2; President Marcos appointed Commissioner Ferrer Chairman on June 10.
- President Marcos appointed Lino M. Patajo Commissioner on June 16.
- Election for President, Vice President, eight (8) Senators and Members of the House of Representatives (November 11).
Elections for the Delegates to the Constitutional Convention (November 10).
Election for eight (8) Senators and elective provincial, city and municipal officials (November 8).
Chairman Leonardo B. Perez (courtesy of Mrs. Lucina P. Angeles, Information Officer II [ret.]).
Organizational Chart of the Commission (1973-1975)
December 3 - President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 597 authorizing the Commission on Elections to undertake a reorganization of its various departments, divisions, sections, offices and other units.
February 27-28 - Referendum where the majority of the barangay voters approved:
(a) the use by the President of his powers to restructure the local governments in Greater Manila into an integrated system like a commission form under such terms and conditions as he may decide;
(b) the appointment by the President of the successors of local elective officials whose terms of office expired on December 25, 1975; and
(c) the manner the President has been exercising his powers under martial law and the Constitution and that the President should continue exercising the same powers.
Comelec's second official seal (courtesy of Mrs. Lucina P. Angeles, Information Officer II [ret.]).
May 7 - Election of Representatives to the Sangguniang Pampook, Region IX and XII.
May 27 - Election of Sectoral Representatives to Sangguniang Pampook, Region IX and XII.
January 30 - Election for local elective positions; Plebiscite in the proposed amendment of Sec.7 of Article X of the Constitution making 70 years as the retirement age of the Members of the Supreme Court and Judges of inferior courts. May 17 - Chairman Perez and Commissioners Duque and Bayot retired, after completing their seven-year terms. Commissioner Santiago succeeded Perez and the following were appointed Commissioners: Domingo C. Pabalete; Victorino A. Savellano; Jaime C. Opinion; Noli M. Sagadraca; Romeo N. Firme; Luis Lardizabal; and Ide C. Tillah. With Commissioner Lardizabal the membership of the Commission was thus increased to eight, one short of the full complement of nine.
April 7 - Plebiscite in which the majority of the voters ratified the following amendments to the Constitution: (a) establishment of a modified parliamentary system of government; (b)instituting electoral reforms; (c) providing that a natural born citizen of the Philippines who has lost his Philippine citizenship may be a transferee of private land for use by him as his residence.
June 16 - Presidential Elections and Referendum on whether people favor Barangay Elections
July 27 - President Ferdinand Marcos appointed three new Commissioners to the Comelec, namely: Quirino A. Marquinez, Mangontawar Guro and Mario D. Ortiz.
January 31 - Commissioners Ruben C. Agpalo and Jaime J. Layosa were appointed to finally complete the required membership of nine. February 7 - Special Elections for President and Vice President. February 15 - The Batasang Pambansa proclaimed Ferdinand E. Marcos and Arturo Tolentino as the duly elected President and Vice President, respectively. February 21-25 - EDSA People Power Revolution
February 25, 1986 - The massive show of "People Power" forced President Marcos to leave the country and installed Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino as the new President of the Philippines.
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The Constitution was amended to create an independent Commission on Elections, composed of a Chairman and two members. But the amendment could not be effective in time for the 1940 elections, the National Assembly enacted Commonwealth Act No. 607 creating the statutory Commission on Elections, giving thereto the same powers which the Commission on Elections could have under the amended Constitution. The statutory Commission supervised the conduct of the December 10, 1940 elections.
Under Commonwealth Act No. 607 the Commission was organized with 39 staff members, including three Commissioners, namely: Pedro Concepcion, Chairman; Jose Abreau and Rufino Luna.
The Constitutional amendment creating the Commission on Elections was finally approved on December 2, 1940.
Comelec's first official seal (courtesy of Mrs. Lucina P. Angeles, Information Officer II [ret.]).
Vicente de Vera became Chairman and served until April 10, 1951 when he died. His members were Leopoldo Rovira and Rodrigo Perez, Jr. whose terms expired in 1956 and 1959, respectively;
- Plebiscite on amendment to the Constitution granting citizens of the United States parity rights. (March 11, 1947);
- Election for eight (8) Senators, provincial, city and municipal positions (November 11, 1947)
Election for President and Vice President, eight (8) Senators and Members of the House of Representatives (November 8, 1949).
President Elpidio Quirino appointed Domingo Imperial Chairman of the Comelec in April, 1951.
- Election for eight (8) Senators and the elective provincial. city and municipal officials (November 13, 1951).
President Magsaysay appointed former Ilocos Sur Governor Sixto Brillantes Commissioner on December 20, 1956.
Election for President, Vice President, eight (8) Senators and one hundred two (102) Members of the House of Representatives (November 12).
Chairman Domingo Imperial resigned on March 31, 1958. His unexpired term was taken over by Jose P. Carag who was appointed Chairman on May 19, 1958.
Organizational Chart of the Commission on Elections as provided under the Reorganization Resolution dated December 21, 1963. (Please click to enlarge)
Commissioner Sixto Brillantes retired on June 20;
- Election for President, Vice President, eight (8) Senators and one hundred four (104) Members of the House of Representatives (November 9).
When the Commission on Appointments failed to confirm the appointment of Commissioner Santayana, President Ferdinand E. Marcos appointed Francisco Ortega Commissioner on December 25, 1966.
Commissioner Ortega died on March 20.
- President Marcos appointed Judge Manuel Arranz Commissioner on August 27.
- Election for eight (8) Senators and elective provincial, city and municipal officials (November 14).
- Plebicite for the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the Philippines (Result: disapproved).
September 21 - President Marcos issued Presidential Proclamation No. 1081 placing the entire country under martial law. President Marcos abolished the Philippine Congress and assumed legislative powers.
January 10-15 - Plebiscite in which the citizen
assemblies voted for :
(b) the suspension of the convening of the Interim National Assembly provided for in the Transitory Provisions of the 1973 Constitution;
(c) the continuation of martial law; and
(d) a moratorium on elections for a period of at least seven years.
- With the implementation of Article XVII, Sec. 9 of the 1973 Constitution, the tenure of Chairman Ferrer and Commissioners Patajo and Mendoza came to an end.
- The 1973 Constitution enlarged the membership of the Commission from three to nine members. First to serve in the Commission are former Senator Leonardo B. Perez as Chairman, and Venancio S. Duque, Flores A. Bayot, Jose M. Mendoza (who was re-appointed), Fernando R. Veloso, Liningning M. Pangandaman, Venencio L. Yaneza and Casimiro Madarang, Jr as members. Commissioner Pangandaman, however, was appointed Ambassador even before the expiration of his term. His unexpired term was filled by the appointment of Commissioner Hashim R. Abubakar.
July 27 - 28 - Referendum where the majority of the members of the barangays favored President Marcos' continuing in office beyond 1973 in order to finish the reforms he had instituted under martial law.
May 17 - Commissioners Veloso and Abubakar retired. October 16 - 17 - Referendum-Plebiscite in which the majority of the barangay voters approved that martial law should be continued and ratified the proposed amendments to the Constitution.
April 17 - Refendum-Plebiscite in Region IX and Region XII in Mindanao where the voters of the regions rejected the merger of Region IX and XII into an autonomous region and where the voters of Palawan, Davao del Sur and South Cotabato voted against the inclusion of their respective provinces as part of an autonomous region in Mindanao. December 16-17 - Referendum where the majority of the voters voted that President Marcos should continue in office as incumbent President and Prime Minister after the organization of the Interim Batasang Pambansa as provided in the 1976 Amendments to the Constitution.
April 7 - Election for the members of the Interim Batasang Pambansa. April 27 - Election of 14 Sectoral Representatives to the Interim Batasang Pambansa. May 17 - Commissioners Yaneza and Madarang retired; President Marcos appointed Domingo C. Pabalete and Vicente M. Santiago, Jr. Commissioners.
Chairman Vicente M. Santiago, Jr. (courtesy of Manila Bulletin)
May 17 - Commissioners Firme, Tillah and Lardizabal retires; The Commission on Elections was composed only of five members, namely: Chairman Santiago and Commissioners Pabalete, Savellano, Opinion and Sagadraca up to the early part of 1984.
January 27
- Plebiscite on amendments to the Constitution: (b) Abolition of the Executive Committee and the creation of the office of the Vice President; (c) providing that agrarian reform program may include the grant on distribution of alienable lands of public domain to qualified farmers and landless citizens; and (d) the state to undertake urban land reform and social housing program.
March 21 - President Ferdinand Marcos appointed Froilan M. Bacungan and former Congressman Ramon H. Felipe, Jr. Commissioners, increasing the composition of the Commission to seven.
May 14 - Election of Members of the Batasang Pambansa
May 17 - Chairman Santiago and Commissioners Pabalete and Sagadraca retired; Commissioner Savellano was appointed Chairman, with Commissioners Opinion, Bacungan and Felipe as members.
The new Comelec logo
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