Pedro Concepcion

The Honorable Pedro Concepción

Chairman of the Commission on Elections
In office September 1, 1940 – May 11, 1941
Appointed by	Manuel L. Quezon
Preceded by	Post created
Succeeded by	José López Vito
35th Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court
In office October 31, 1936 – January 1, 1940
Appointed by	Manuel L. Quezon

Personal details
Nationality	Filipino

Pedro Concepción was a Filipino lawyer and was the first chairman of the Philippine election commission, the COMELEC.

COMELEC

On August 22, 1940, the National Assembly moved for the passage of Commonwealth Act No. 607, a law was already under study seeking the amendment of the 1935 Constitution to clothe the Commission with “constitutional” status. Thus was born the first COMELEC with lawyer Pedro Concepcion as the first chairman and José Abreu and Rufino Luna as members. There were only 39 employees then – a number that would expand to some 5,301 in the next 66 years. The law vested in it the same powers which it would have under the amended 1935 Constitution.^[1]