Philippine Executive Commission

The Philippine Executive Commission or PEC was established on January 1942 with Jorge B. Vargas as its first Chairman. The PEC was created as the provisional caretaker government of the Greater Manila area and eventually of the whole Philippines during the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II.

The PEC formally abolished all political parties on December 8, 1942, by virtue of Proclamation No. 109 creating the "Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas" (Association for Service to the New Philippines) or better known then as the "KALIBAPI."

The "KALIBAPI" was established to aim at the mental education, moral regeneration, physical invigoration, and economic rehabilitation of the Philippines under the guidance of the Japanese Military Administration. It was tasked to foster strong cooperation with the Japanese as part of the Order Great East Asia that promotes the lifting of the "great Oriental race." The "KALIBAPI" was appointed as a strong right arm of the Japanese occupational forces of the Philippines.

On May 6, 1943, Japanese Premier Hideki Tojo during a visit to the Philippines pledged to establish the Republic of the Philippines. This pledge of Tojo prompted the "KALIBAPI," to call for a convention on June 19, 1943, and twenty of its members were elected to form the Preparatory Commission for Independence. The commission tasked to draft a constitution for the Philippine Republic and elected head was José P. Laurel.

The Preparatory Commission presented its draft Constitution on September 4, 1943, and three days later, the "KALIBAPI" general assembly ratified the draft Constitution.

By September 20, 1943, the "KALIBAPI's" representative groups in the country's provinces and cities elected from among themselves fifty four (54) members of the Philippine National Assembly, the legislature of the country, with fifty four (54) governors and city mayors as ex officio members.

Three days after establishing the National Assembly, its inaugural session was held at the pre-war Legislative Building and elected Benigno Aquino, Sr. as its first Speaker and José P. Laurel as President of the New Philippine Republic.

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Wikipedia